Program Aide

About the role

The Role Program Aides are generalists, responsible for providing educational, relational and social experiences for infants, toddlers and/or preschool-aged children to foster growth and development in all developmental domains. In this role, you will report to the Education and Inclusion Manager or Center Director and may be expected to travel to the various program sites and/or home visits. You may be assigned to various classrooms/centers/bus routes/cafeterias/kitchens, assist with daily classroom management and other duties, and may be assigned to various classrooms/centers as deemed necessary for program operations.

Responsibilities

• Apply clear practice and procedure in day-to-day execution of job.
• Organize self and manage time to get things done.
• Build effective relationships within workgroup and with children/families.
• Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
• Classroom Assistance:
• Aid classroom staff in all classroom activities.
• Aid the Teacher in any aspect of the program as the need arises (e.g., at Family Nights, copying newsletters, cutting out classroom materials, making phone calls, etc.).
• Serve as a temporary substitute in the periodic absence of the Assistant Teacher or Teacher.
• Janitorial Assistance:
• Provide custodial support as needed; this could include but is not limited to: picking up trash, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming or using industrial cleaning equipment to clean floors, clean and stock bathrooms, ensure buildings are secure, clean windows and minor building maintenance and repairs.
• May serve as custodian in the absence of the regular custodian on a periodic basis.
• Kitchen Assistance:
• Complete routine kitchen/dining room/food chores as assigned (e.g. dishwashing, portioning foods, taking and logging temperature of foods received from vendors, etc.).
• Prepare food and serve items for service prior to or after use.
• These duties may include the preparation of food to meet the needs of children with special needs or disabilities.
• Participate in food service clean up, inventory, and other food service tasks as requested.
• Substitute for regular Cook or Assistant Cook as needed.
• May be asked to assist Cook and or Assistant Cook to fulfill kitchen duties, in any capacity.
• Responsible for complying with all local, state and federal standards regarding hygiene and sanitation.
• Other General Job Duties:
• May be required to serve as a Bus Monitor.
• Attend all workshops and meetings as necessary.
• Attend required staff and parent meetings and activities.
• Responsible for gaining understanding Head Start Program Performance Standards and local childcare licensing regulations.
• Positively promote Head Start in the community.
• Maintain strict confidentiality with respect to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Become thoroughly familiar with Save the Children Head Start Employee Handbook, Save the Children Head Start Human Resources Policies and Procedures, manuals and resources and adhere to them.

Qualifications

• Must be at minimum 18 years of age.
• Minimum high school diploma or G.E.D.
• Certification as applicable by federal, state or local Head Start or childcare regulations, now or as amended in the future.
• Within 90 days of employment, must obtain and continually maintain basic first aid and pediatric CPR certification (or sooner if required by local/state regulations).
• Demonstrated knowledge of the basics of working with infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Demonstrated ability to relate sensitively with children and to work well and communicate effectively with staff, parents and families.
• Proven ability to follow directions and take initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to keep all information on families strictly confidential.
• Demonstrated ability to work with children with disabilities.

Additional Qualifications

• Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding, and computer use.

Compensation

The base pay for this position starts at $15/hour. Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, experience, credentials, base salary of internal peers and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.