Teacher Aide

About the Role

To assist the teacher in carrying out developmentally appropriate activities in the preschool classroom and in promoting the health, nutrition, and education of children while attending to their safety and welfare. The Teacher Aide must comply with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, THHS Child Care Regulation, School Readiness Goals, and other Federal, State, and local regulations, policies, and procedures. The Teacher Aide serves in the role of teacher when the assigned teacher is absent.

Responsibilities

• Assist teachers with the care, supervision, and education of a group of children as part of a teaching team.
• Provide preschool-aged children with a nurturing, safe, and healthy environment and individualized learning experience to help them develop socially, intellectually, physically, and emotionally in achieving social competency.
• Assist in implementing screening procedures that identify concerns in the developmental, behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, and emotional skills of each child in the classroom within 45 calendar days of the child’s entry into the Program.
• Assist in implementing with fidelity a research-based curriculum with effective teaching practices that promote positive outcomes by promoting growth in the developmental progression described in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five.
• Integrate child assessment data and developmentally appropriate learning experiences in planning and implementing a collaboratively designed lesson plan.
• Assist in conducting Parent-Teacher conferences, at least two center visits and two home visits, with more frequent conferences conducted as appropriate.
• Assist in implementing the classroom’s emergency procedures, including posting procedures, locations, and telephone numbers of emergency response systems, emergency evacuation routes, notifying families of emergencies, and maintaining up-to-date family contact information and authorization for emergency care.
• Ensure the child’s outdoor and indoor environments are safe and clean at all times, including storing outdoor equipment such as wagons and tricycles and storing dangerous materials and potential poisons under lock and key.
• Sanitize classroom equipment and supplies and maintain a clean classroom, including restrooms and kitchen area.
• Assist with the supervision, safety, and well-being of all children in the classroom at all times, including active supervision, maintaining child/staff ratio, and ensuring no child is left alone or unsupervised.
• Ensure the classroom’s environment is developmentally appropriate for each child, including children with disabilities.
• Assist in conducting activities in the classroom to conform to the Program’s written program plans, Performance Standards, Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five, Minimum Standards for Licensing, CACOST’s Head Start Birth to Five Program policies and procedures, School Readiness Goals, and the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework.
• Conduct activities and temporarily serve as the Teacher in the event that the lead Teacher is absent.
• Assist in the implementation of children’s IEPs or Plans of Care for children with Disabilities.
• Maintain a cooperative attitude of working with the teacher, volunteers, parents, and program staff and assist the Teacher in obtaining monthly In-kind for the classroom.
• Assist with sanitizing, cleaning, dishwashing, and meal service as needed.
• Assist with child drop-off and pick-up procedures.
• Assist the Teacher with documentation of attendance, education, health, nutrition, mental health, transition, disabilities, and parent/family engagement requirements in the appropriate program software, portfolio, or child’s file.
• Assist the Family Advocate in promoting parent engagement activities and in obtaining required documents from parents such as physicals, dentals, immunizations, and in-kind.
• Comply with the Program’s confidentiality policies.
• Perform any other duty as assigned by the Teacher and/or Operations Manager.

Requirements

• Valid Texas Driver's License.
• Must pass DFPS background check.
• Must pass an annual physical.
• Must attend 24 clock hours of professional development and staff training per year, including:
  • Active supervision and safety practices.
  • Training that improves child and family outcomes.
  • Training on methods to handle suspected or known child abuse and neglect cases that comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
  • Any other trainings as outlined by the Head Start Performance Standards and Child Care Regulation from the State of Texas.

Qualifications

• As prescribed in section 648A(a)(2)(B)(ii) of the Head Start Act, minimum:
  • CDA credential or a state-awarded certificate that meets or exceeds the requirements for a CDA credential,
  • Enrolled in a program that will lead to an associate or bachelor's degree, or
  • Enrolled in a CDA credential program to be completed within two years of the time of hire.
• Preferred: A CDA credential or an associate degree in child development, early childhood education, or equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education, with experience teaching preschool-age children.

Skills

• Ability to work as a team member collaborating with staff, parents, and community resources.
• Assist Teacher in maintaining accurate written records, including assessments, IEP documentation, screening instruments, anecdotal observations, and other required forms.
• Assure/assist in general maintenance and security of facility.
• Ability to supervise preschool children and ensure a safe environment, including the ability to monitor and respond to events in the classroom and outdoor play areas. This includes the physical ability to move quickly to respond to children who are very active and may need restraint or redirection to ensure their safety or the safety of others.

Physical Requirements

If a preliminary offer of employment is extended, a physical will be required before the offer can be accepted. Able to perform the following physical requirements of the position with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Critical sensory requirements include general vision; specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Hear or listen in the normal range (corrected) and speak and give directions clearly.
• Able to walk, sit, stand, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects up to 10 lbs., and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

About the Organization

Community Action Corporation of South Texas (CACOST) is a private non-profit organization established in 1971 and funded through federal, state, and local grants. CACOST currently serves 16 counties via a wide variety of community programs and services. CACOST lives its mission each day: to continuously improve the lives of South Texans by providing high-quality health care, education, housing, and economic opportunities to reduce poverty through services and partnerships.