PRESCHOOL CLASSROOOM ASSISTANT TEACHER

About the Role

The Assistant Teacher works under the direction of the Lead Teacher or Assistant Lead Teacher and is responsible for ensuring the health, safety, care, and well-being of children at the Center. This role involves implementing the curriculum, maintaining the classroom and shared spaces, and supporting parent communications.

Responsibilities

• Assist in supervising children as directed by the Lead Teacher/Assistant Lead Teacher in accordance with Center policies and procedures.
• Interact with children during free play, group activities, and routine times (diapering, toileting, mealtime, transitions).
• Complete daily paperwork to maintain licensing, Child Care Food Program, and YMCA requirements, including attendance, meal counts, accident and incident reports, and permission slips.
• Perform other job-related duties as requested and necessary.
• Promote a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries.
• Set up the classroom before children arrive and clean up throughout the day and after departure.
• Support other classrooms, including substituting as needed.
• Build relationships with parents, children, and co-workers; encourage families to understand the YMCA mission.
• Greet children and families upon arrival and departure, and complete a visual health check for each child.
• Promote good health and nutrition and provide an environment that contributes to illness prevention.
• Utilize positive guidance discipline techniques with children during all activities; comply with Center discipline policy, child abuse policy, and code of conduct.
• Register with PINJ (Professional Impact New Jersey) within one week of employment and attend center and licensing-mandated trainings (minimum of 20 hours per year).
• Attend trainings, seminars, and conferences as required.
• Attend and contribute to staff meetings as required.
• Set professional development objectives with the Lead Teacher and actively pursue them.

Substitute Role Responsibilities

• Check in with the Lead Teacher or assigned classroom supervisor.
• Defer to assigned classroom staff on appropriate information to communicate to parents regarding children.
• Proactively engage with assigned classroom staff.
• Accept assignments in a positive and open manner.
• Take initiative to learn policies and procedures specific to the assigned classroom.

Supervision of Youth

• Adhere to policies related to boundaries with youth.
• Attend required abuse risk management training.
• Follow procedures related to managing high-risk activities and supervising youth.
• Report suspicious or inappropriate behaviors and policy violations.
• Follow mandated abuse reporting requirements.
• Adhere to employee and volunteer screening requirements and use screening instruments to assess abuse risk.