POSITION DESCRIPTION
Early Head Start Teacher
Exemption Status: Non-Exempt
Pay Grade(s): 8-9 ($26.97-$38.69 DOE)
Reports To: Early Head Start Manager

Purpose: To ensure our youngest children have a solid foundation for life. To encourage the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of Early Head Start (EHS) children and to ensure a safe and age-appropriate environment is provided. To promote family engagement in all aspects of the program. To meet requirements of federal Head Start Program Performance Standards and any local, state or other applicable regulations. To abide by the Tlingit and Hadia code of conduct and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethics Statement.

Essential Functions. An individual in this role must be able to perform the following functions with or without reasonable accommodation:
• Classroom Time / School Readiness
• Create and monitoring a safe and nurturing early care and learning environment for young children.
• Provide active supervision and monitor children at all times and respond appropriately to any incidents or emergency situations that may occur.
• Establish a positive classroom environment representative of the children and families.
• Provide positive behavior guidance to support social emotional development.
• Create a classroom schedule that provides a balance between teacher directed and child directed activities. Implement the curriculum through daily routines and age-appropriate activities which supports all domains of development.
• Implement an approach to learning that encourage sense of self, experimentation, exploration, problem solving, cooperation, socialization, and choice-making; ask open-ended questions and follow-up questions to promote further learning and thinking.
• Work in collaboration with the Early Head Start team to deliver comprehensive services
• Provide a family style meal service that follows the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
• Be willing to participate in receiving Mentor Coach support to enhance teacher child interactions.
• Promote English, Tlingit, and Haida language acquisition.
• Release children only to individuals with appropriate signed consent.
• Individualization, Curriculum and Assessment
• Follow agency-adopted curricula, using effective strategies to guide learning.
• Prepare the classroom environment and materials to support developmentally appropriate curriculum plans and learning experiences.
• Assess individual and group needs, attending to specific interests, strengths, and concerns.
• Work with Head Start component coordinators and appropriate agencies to develop specialized planning for children and families as needed.
• Coordinate with central office, and Tribal staff when indicated, developing a collaborative approach that benefits all children in the classroom.
• Adapt curriculum to address and meet individual goals for children as identified in their individualized family service plans (IFSP).
• Develop and utilize integrated curriculum plans which reflect required elements and components, familial and cultural influences, and promote the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of EHS children.
• Establish weekly goals that promote individualization and small group learning.
• Participate in integrated service meetings to plan for and deliver collaborative services across all components.
• Family Engagement and Community Partnerships
• Provide an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces family and volunteer engagement.
• Support the role of families as the first and primary teachers of their children.
• Support families’ safety, health, financial stability, life goals and aspirations.
• Collaborate with the Family Advocate to schedule a minimum of two family visits with individual families.
• Support the Family Advocate in planning monthly family activity events.
• Coordinate with the Head Start Component Coordinators to ensure EHS families complete their enrollment paperwork, developmental screenings, immunizations, health screenings and follow-ups, have access to mental and other health services as necessary.
• Coordinate with the Family Advocate and Early Head Start Manager to provide families with timely information and referrals appropriate to their needs.
• Monitor and document attendance concerns.
• Provide learning opportunities for dual language in the home
• Will have flexible schedule to accommodate family needs, may include some evening or weekend hours.
• May occasionally drive, in personal vehicle, to family homes for family visits.
• Documentation
• Utilize agency adopted tools for ongoing assessment and documentation.
• Ensure all federal, local, state and/or agency documentation is completed accurately.
• Document all family contacts
• Monitor and report child abuse and neglect
• Professional Development
• Attend and participate in training and appropriate professional development activities.
• Attending and participating in meetings.
• Engage in ongoing self-assessment about job performance
• Additional Job Responsibilities
• Assist with cleaning and disinfecting the center as needed throughout the day, and a deep clean at the end of each day.
• Assist with breaks and food service as needed and other classroom needs as requested.
• Work with other staff to ensure general maintenance and security of facility.
• Assist with inventory of equipment and supplies.
• May supervise substitutes and volunteers in the classroom if requested.
• Other duties as requested
• Abide by the Head Start policy on confidentiality.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities. A comprehensive set of capabilities required to perform job tasks effectively:
• Frequent significant decision and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work as a team member collaborating with staff, families, and community resources.
• Ability to always supervise and monitor children to ensure a safe environment. This includes the physical ability to monitor and move quickly to respond to children who are very active and may need restraint or redirection to ensure their safety or the safety of others.
• Ability to apply early childhood development (focus on infant/toddler) theory in daily activities and adapt to the individual needs of children.
• Ability to respond appropriately to an emergency or incident.
• Knowledge of community resources and referral experience assisting families in need of services is highly desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills, internet, and e-mail.
• Willingness to enroll in indigenous language classes.
• Excellent computer skills with working knowledge of all MS Office programs including but not limited to Outlook, Word, and Excel
• Ability to independently learn new skills.
• Regular kneeling, stooping, bending, and sitting on the floor to attend to children’s needs.
• Occasional lifting to 50 pounds.

Minimum Qualifications (education, experience, skills):
• Minimum of an Infant/Toddler Child Development Associates Credential (CDA), or minimum of nine (9) college credits completed in early childhood education, or willingness to obtain an Infant/Toddler CDA within two years of hire.
• Prefer two years’ experience in infant/toddler classroom. Experience should include the ability to adapt curriculum to meet the needs of all children including at risk, special needs, and culturally diverse populations.
• Must be 21 years of age and have a valid Alaska Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualifications (education, experience, skills):
• Associates Degree or Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education will one year experience working in an infant/toddler environment.

Physical Requirements. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation:
• The majority of work is performed in a professional office setting and is generally sedentary, requiring routine walking, standing, bending, and carrying of items weighing less than 40 lbs.

Work Environment. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job:
• Some travel may be required on small aircraft or ferry.
• Certain positions at Tlingit and Haida may have exposure to certain hazardous materials or conditions. The supervisor will review these if applicable.