IUM Preschool Teacher

Job Summary

The (Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo – Head Start) Preschool Teacher teaches in an early childhood classroom. The incumbent plans, organizes, implements, and delivers a program based on the Head Start Performance Standards, which provides a safe learning environment for children to develop socially, culturally, and academically. Incumbent acts as a lead teacher in the classroom, providing mentoring, training for the teacher assistants, and classroom volunteers. The preschool teacher participates as a member of an interdisciplinary team.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide a stimulating and challenging environment, where preschool children may develop to their full potential, and prepare them to succeed in school.
• Plan and coordinate lesson plans to promote education, health, and well-being of young children as described in Head Start guidelines.
• Create lesson plans and activities, which are developmentally and linguistically appropriate and inclusive of children with disabilities; recognize that children have individual rates of development.
• Develop weekly lesson plans and submit to the Manager and Education Supervisor for review; these lesson plans will promote academic rigor, including but is not limited to, foundational literacy, math and science skills, and promoting healthy social emotional and physical development.
• Introduce and reinforce Hiaki Language and culture through implementation of lesson plans and materials.
• Use and implement positive, humane, research-based, classroom management techniques to maintain organization, orderliness, student safety, and a productive learning environment.
• Work towards invoking a critical consciousness within each student.
• Promote, advocate, and respect, understanding, appreciation, inclusion, and love at every level of service.
• Attend scheduled staff meetings and professional development workshops.
• Evaluate students’ academic performance while implementing the curriculum and associated activities.
• Ensure that parents are informed of the methods employed in the classroom to access the child and advice parents/guardians of instructional methods they can use at home, promote family engagement in the child’s learning activities outside the classroom, and support techniques the parent/guardian can use to develop a positive attitude toward learning.
• Inform parents/guardians of student progress and school activities.
• Assist with the development of the Individual Educational Plans, follow through on recommendations from the therapists/specialists, consistently track and document pertinent academic issues and social-emotional concerns to make data-backed referrals as required.
• Serve as a lead to teacher assistants and classroom volunteers, monitor work, provide direction, training and demonstrate positive and professional classroom comportment, when dealing with children, which may be modeled by team members.
• Observe behavior of children in the classroom and on the playground.
• Maintain a daily contact log, student files; compile documentation related to attendance, training, home visits, and referrals.
• Provide a monthly report to the manager covering; the daily attendance record, sign in/out sheets, summary of training referrals to coordinator for special needs, lesson plans, and parent contacts including home visits.
• Conduct home visits, which include compiling home-base activity kits and guiding parents through the application.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of: - Interweaving Yoeme and Tribal knowledge and understandings into curriculum and lessons;
• DHHS/Head Start academic standards and benchmarks;
• Teaching strategies to work with diverse learners;
• Child growth and development;
• Early childhood education methods and practices;
• Applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations;
• Skills and Abilities:- Yaqui culture, customs, resources and traditions and/or a willingness to learn.
• Always keep the students' needs and rights first and foremost in any educational decision;
• Apply early childhood education principles and practices;
• Apply applicable local, state and federal laws, rules, and regulations;
• Utilize social and academic scaffolds necessary to dramatically increase the level of student success;
• Work effectively with diverse learners, including children who may have exceptionalities;
• Select, adapt, individualize materials appropriate for diverse student populations, and skills;
• Create, develop, foster critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving;
• Collaborate and communicate regularly with families in making educational decisions, and utilize family and community resources to support learning;
• Demonstrate competence in the Arizona Educational Early Learning Standards of Effective Instruction. Facilitate positive interactions between students and teacher, student and peers, and student and other adults;
• Assess own instructional effectiveness;
• Organize and multi-task;
• Prioritize work and perform multiple tasks;
• Maintain records and preparing reports;
• Operate a variety of office equipment, including a computer and related software applications;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with co-workers, supervisor, management, Council members, and the public. Have ability to sufficiently exchange or convey information and receive verbal and written work instructions.

Education, Certifications and Experience Required

• Bachelor Degree or advanced degree in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Special Education, or any other relevant degree.
• Classroom experience in an Early Childhood classroom, Elementary, Primary School, or Private Early Childhood Educational Institution is preferred, but not required.

Special Requirements

• CPR and First Aid Certifications;
• Food Handler’s Certification
• Must possess and maintain a valid Arizona Driver’s License;
• Must have a current Level 1 Arizona Clearance Card. Failure to maintain a current Level 1 Clearance Card will result in termination.

Benefits

• The Pascua Yaqui Tribe provides 22 days of Paid Time Off which increases with years of service and 15 paid Holidays per year.
• We offer a comprehensive healthcare benefit package that surpasses or rivals the biggest organizations in Tucson.
• We encourage you to stay healthy by providing an onsite Wellness Center.
• The Tribe offers a 401(k) Plan with a generous match in which you're immediately vested along with a profit sharing plan after one year of employment.
• Sworn police and and fire employees are eligible to make Pre-Tax and After-Tax contirbutions to the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement Systems ("PSPRS").