Childcare Specialist - Birth to 5 years (Educational Assistant)

About the role

The Educational Assistant – Childcare Specialist works cooperatively with supervisor, licensed staff, colleagues, and families to implement a high-quality program of early learning activities for children in a formal setting. The position is located within the Childhood Development Center at Gresham-High School.

Responsibilities

• Maintains individual students, classroom and/or playground activities for a safe and positive learning environment.
• Performs recordkeeping and basic clerical functions, scheduling, copying, etc. for the purpose of supporting the teacher in maintaining student files and providing classroom materials.
• Aids in the planning and implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum and environment under the direction of licensed staff (Program Coordinator).
• Convenes with teachers, parents, and/or appropriate community agency personnel for the purpose of assisting in evaluating students' progress and/or implementing students' objectives, including home visits and parent conferences.
• Aids in preparing the environment by setting up learning centers, preparing bulletin boards, meal service and meal reports, etc.
• Aids in preparing needed materials and supplies.
• Supervises small groups of children as well as high school aged students and teen parents.
• Aids in ensuring parenting teens have access to their own developmentally appropriate resources and services.
• Engages with children using developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive approaches.
• Supervises small groups of children, some of whom may be children of high school aged students.
• Supervises high school aged students, some of whom are parenting.
• Aids in preparing the environment by setting up learning centers, preparing bulletin boards, meal service and meal reports, etc.
• Aids in preparing needed materials and supplies, with consideration of multiple languages and cultures.
• Maintains a professional and collaborative attitude at all times.
• Treats all children with dignity and respect with developmentally appropriate guidance techniques.
• Attends all staff meetings and recommended training programs.
• Aids in the development and implementation of an educational plan for each child.
• Assists with taking daily attendance and monitoring records.
• Helps with general housekeeping tasks and keeps storage areas neat and orderly.
• Performs other tasks as assigned within scope of job description and range.

Requirements

• Experience Required: Prior job-related experience, paid or volunteer, with children ages birth to 5 years in a formal setting.
• Education Required: High School diploma or equivalent.
• Education Preferred: A Child Development Associate's Degree (CDA), Early Childhood Education AA degree, or completion of continuing education courses. Two years of post-secondary education (72 college quarter hours or more), an Associate's or higher degree, or an Instructional Assistant Certification from an Oregon community college.
• Educational Equivalents: Equivalent job experience in formal child care settings will also be considered.
• Licenses, Certifications, Bonding, and/or Testing Required: Criminal Justice Fingerprint Clearance, Child Care Division Criminal Background Check, Food Handler's Card, and First Aid and CPR Cards.

Qualifications

• Knowledge: Principles of child development, instructional practices.
• Skills: Operation of basic computer applications, (e.g. email, word processing, etc.), communicating effectively in English, both verbally and in writing (e.g. correct spelling, grammar and punctuation), reading/interpreting/apply rules, regulations, and policies, understanding and carrying out verbal and written instructions, functioning as a self-starter, who works well independently or in a team, planning, prioritizing and completing assignments with minimum supervision, handling multiple projects, and tasks to meet deadlines, interacting with persons of different age groups and cultural and linguistic backgrounds to sustain physical activity including reaching/handling, talking/hearing conversations, near/far visual acuity, sitting, standing, and moving with children throughout the day, maintaining confidentiality of student records, meeting scheduled and deadlines, reading/interpreting/apply rules, regulations, policies, learning and applying methods and materials used in a variety of instructional situations.

Skills

• Strong collaboration skills.
• Ability to be flexible and a team-player.

Benefits

Preference will be given to those applicants with work or lived experience with culturally, linguistically and racially diverse communities.

Pay

$22.96 to $31.47/hour

Schedule

8.0 hours/day, 191 days/year