Pre-K Teacher Assistant

Job Summary

Job Goal: To assist the teacher in providing a well-organized, smoothly functioning class environment. To relieve the teacher of non-teaching functions to provide the teacher more time for preparations, individualization, and evaluation.

Essential Duties

• Assists the classroom teacher by working with individual students, small groups or large groups of students, including but not limited to the following ways
• Assist the teacher by reinforcing the learning of material or skills initially introduced by the teacher.
• Assist the teacher by devising special strategies based on an understanding of individual students, their needs, interests and abilities
• Guides independent study, enrichment or remedial activities set up and assigned by the teacher.
• Reads to students, listens to students read, and participates in other forms of oral communication with students
• Distributes and collects workbooks, papers, and other materials for instruction
• Corrects assignments and supervises testing and make-up work, as assigned by the teacher
• Aids in behavior management in a manner consistent with policies and expectations of the teacher and school
• Keeps the supervising teacher informed of any problem or special information about an individual student
• Communicates with, contacts, responds to parents as directed by the teacher maintaining the confidentiality of information about all students
• Supervises students as assigned or required - at breakfast or lunch, on bus duty; during class, emergency drills, assemblies, play periods, and field trips
• Relieves the teacher for conferences and emergencies on a short-term basis, as required
• May accompany students to special classes
• Aids students or the resource teacher as needed
• May be asked to serve as a substitute teacher, as appropriate, if needed
• Serves as the chief source of information and help to any substitute teacher assigned in the absence of the regular teacher
• Performs classroom health procedures, when necessary, under the supervision of the school nurse
• Performs clerical duties as needed or assigned
• Checks and records student attendance
• Collections and records the collection of money
• Keeps bulletin boards and other classroom displays up to date, as requested by the teacher
• Operates and cares for equipment used in the classroom
• Participates in in-service training programs, as assigned
• Maintains the same high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students as is expected of licensed teachers
• May be asked to substitute as a school crossing guard
• Performs such other tasks as the teacher or other supervisor may assign.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent and meet one of the following:
• Hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential;
• Hold an Associate Degree in Birth-through Kindergarten, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, or other Early Childhood Education-related field;
• Enrolled and working toward an Associate Degree: must have either 48 semester hours of education earned/passed, or 7 credits in at least two core subjects (English, Math, Writing) and passing "Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants" assessment test scores (WorkKeys)
• (Please Note: Teacher Assistants working toward an Associate Degree must make progress by completing a minimum of 6 semester hours per year.)
• Previous experience working with children preferred

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to physically perform the basic operational functions of stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, hearing and repetitive motion
• The ability to lift a minimum of 20 pounds.
• The ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards
• The ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards