Lead Teacher EHS (Laurel Tree)

About the role

The Lead Teacher EHS position at MAAC Story is responsible for providing comprehensive care and education to infants and toddlers in the Early Head Start program. This role is part of a larger effort to support low-income and special needs children and their families.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a primary caregiver to assigned infants and toddlers, providing respectful individualized care including feeding, diapering, and holding.
• Assigns children to primary care groups and plans individualized transitions into care.
• Partners with parents through daily communication, scheduled home visits, and parent conferences to provide consistent and culturally sensitive care.
• Plans and implements age-appropriate individual and small group activities, including both indoor and outdoor activities.
• Maintains classroom and play areas to ensure cleanliness and safety, sanitizing toys and equipment, and assisting with laundry and meal preparation.
• Documents care and developmental activities on individual daily records and record-keeping documents for each child.
• Accurately tracks attendance and meal counts.
• Lifts, carries, and holds children weighing 25 – 50 lbs.
• Schedules and completes home visits at times convenient to parents, developing Individual Child Plans and Family Development Plans, and updating these plans at least 3 times during the school year.
• Attends mandated trainings, programs, conferences, and meetings.
• Assists with personalized services for special needs children, including specialized training and equipment.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills

• Knowledge of early childhood education, child development, anti-bias education, local educational and community resources, and bilingual language acquisition.
• Knowledge of Head Start policies and procedures.
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) speaking, reading, and writing preferred.

Education/Experience/Certification

• Lead Teacher: High School Diploma or GED, 12 units in Early Childhood Education, 1 year experience with children 0-3 years old in a child care setting.
• Higher Level: AA Degree with emphasis in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, 24 units in Early Childhood Education, 1 year experience with children 0-3 years old in a child care setting.
• Lead Teacher II: BA Degree with emphasis in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, 24 units in Early Childhood Education, 1 year experience with children 0-3 years old in a child care setting.
• Completion of supervised student teaching OR experience teaching preschool age children.
• State of California Child Development Associate Level Permit or CDA credential.
• CPR, First Aid, and Food Handlers certifications.

Value-based Behaviors

• Listens attentively to others.
• Works effectively in a team environment and actively participates in joint problem solving.
• Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Attends work consistently and punctually.
• Honors the private and confidential matters of co-workers.
• Follows rules, regulations, and policies; positively contributes to implementing changes.
• Deals with issues directly, in a respectful and timely manner.

Health Status

Must have a physical examination, TB clearance, and a drug screen by a doctor/clinic designated by MAAC, as well as immunization records for influenza, pertussis, and measles as required by state and federal regulations prior to the first day of employment.

Physical and Mental Demands

• Physical Demands: Regularly stands, walks, sits, talks or hears both in person and by telephone, uses hands to finger, handle or feel objects or controls, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, bend, crouch or crawl, climb or balance, lift up to 50 pounds.
• Mental Demands: Uses written and oral communication skills, reads and interprets information, analyzes and solves problems, observes and interprets people and situations, uses basic math, learns and applies new information or skills, works under intensive deadlines, interacts with MAAC management, administrators, staff, teachers, parents, family members, children and others encountered in the course of work.

Background Clearance

All positions are subject to a background/education check, DMV check, NSOR, exclusion and debarment checks prior to hire and periodically throughout employment as required by various funding sources.

Transportation

Must have and maintain a valid California Driver’s License, daily use of a personal, insured vehicle, and have and maintain a motor vehicle driving record acceptable to MAAC’s insurance carrier. Incumbents will be enrolled in the California DMV Pull Program.