POSITION SUMMARY:

The Support Staff Person assists the classroom teacher to provide instruction, supervision, and provision of appropriate learning activities for all enrolled children at our Early Learning Centers. Under the direction of the classroom teacher, delivers comprehensive educational services to all children, helping them develop socially, intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Assists the teacher in the classroom
• Assists with snack and lunch procedures according to the predetermined class schedule and as needed.
• Under the direction of the teacher, provides learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children.
• Provides special help and support to individual children as needed or assigned.
• Demonstrates a genuine interest in children and treats each child with respect.
• Uses positive guidance techniques while interacting with children.
• Helps maintain child-adult ratios in the classroom while teacher and assistant teacher stagger their lunch breaks and make preparations for afternoon class.
• Supervises lunch
• Assists children in washing hands and/or preparing for lunch, as requested by teacher.
• May assist in the following classroom duties as requested by the teacher:
• Sanitizes tables and cleans chairs.
• Sweeps floors, especially under tables and chairs.
• Cleans general areas of the classroom and playground as assigned.
• Helps supervise children in other interest areas of the classroom as directed by the teacher.
• Assists teachers in encouraging parent participation:
• Assists in welcoming and training volunteers in the classroom.
• Promotes positive communication with parents.
• Expected to assist in maintaining safe and healthy environments for children and staff by immediately reporting health and safety risks/concerns or potential concerns to a leadership staff member.
• Other job-related duties as assigned may be necessary to carry out the responsibilities of this position.

Additional Responsibilities:

All Early Learning staff share responsibility for the well-being of the school. Aspects of this responsibility are:

• Maintaining and striving for an openness to understand and work with the goals and objectives of Early Learning and child development.
• Attendance and participation in scheduled staff meetings, as well as work days throughout the academic year as scheduled.
• Make themselves available, as appropriate to support Early Learning Centers.
• Attendance/assistance at major all-school activities and open houses.
• Responsible for upholding all staff safety requirements including cleaning protocols throughout the day, as required by my department.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or GED required and one year experience in general office practices
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload.
• A deep love for children, respect for parents, enjoyment of working in collaboration with faculty and staff colleagues, joy and enthusiasm in their work, and a commitment to self-development in order to become a model worthy of imitation by the children.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Successfully complete DCF background screening requirements as well as meet the association policies on background screening.

CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

• Infant/child CPR & First Aid
• Annual completion of YMCA Blood Borne Pathogens training
• Annual completion of YMCA Child Sexual Abuse Prevention class
• Staff Safety Requirements/Cleaning Protocols
• Additional training classes as recommended by supervisor.