Teacher Assistant (HS)

Job Overview

This position is responsible for providing children a safe and developmentally appropriate environment that promotes the child’s cognitive, social/emotional, health and physical development through effective delivery of instruction/activities as directed by the Teacher, and in accordance with Head Start performance Standards and Federal, State, and Local regulations. The Teacher Assistant will be assigned to a specific Head Start classroom.

Job Responsibilities

• Promotes and models the organization’s Core Values.
• Always ensures the safety and well-being of children while under AVANCE’s care.
• Follows program confidentiality policies concerning information about parents, children, and other staff members.
• Provides individually appropriate activities in the classroom and knows each child’s capabilities and modes of learning.
• Promotes feelings of security and trust in the children by being warm, supportive, and comforting, and by establishing strong and caring relationships with them.
• Maintains an open, friendly, and cooperative relationship with each child and parent, encourages their involvement in the program and promotes parent-child bonding and nurturing parent-child relationships.
• Plan and prepare healthy and safe activities and supplies needed according to lesson plans and as directed by the Teacher.
• Affirms that parents sign-in their children on the daily sign-in logs in each classroom and makes sure that parents sign-in on the right day and time in and out are documented by parent.
• Affirms that parents label all children’s belongings and makes sure that all belongings are returned at the end of the program year.
• Maintains proper hygiene in children and all equipment and space used for care of children.
• Reports suspected neglect, abuse, medical conditions/illnesses immediately to the Teacher and Education Coordinator.
• Maintains assigned child’s Portfolio and other documentation as specified by the Teacher and Education Coordinator.
• Attends meetings and training sessions as specified by the Coordinator of Education Services.
• Works cooperatively and effectively as a team member.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Senior Coordinator of Education Services, the Coordinator of Education Services or Senior Management.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education

• Required: Preschool CDA (Child Development Associate Credential) or Associate degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with the required 18 hours of Early Childhood Development.
• Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Business Administration, or related field and with at least 18 hours of early childhood development coursework completed.

Work Experience

• Preferred: Six (6) months in a licensed childcare facility or in a public/private school or early childhood facility or has completed an early childhood degree program where practicum(s) were required.

Additional Skills Required

• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office software applications with advanced skills using Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Spanish fluency helpful, but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and donors.
• Emotional maturity.
• Highly resourceful team player, with the ability to be extremely effective independently with the capability of managing numerous simultaneous projects.
• Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Strong analytical, presentation, verbal and written communication, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to generate, analyze, evaluate, and summarize reports.
• Ability to travel to various training sessions.
• CPR and First Aid Training.
• Must have dependable transportation daily, valid driver’s license, a clean driving record, current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, San Antonio, Inc.