Job Overview

The Head Start Teacher is responsible for a Head Start classroom of 3- to 5-year-old children. S/he works collaboratively with an assistant teacher, family members, and other staff to achieve positive outcomes for children of all abilities.  

Job Responsibilities

Child Growth and Development

• Provide emotional support through establishing a positive climate, being aware of and responsive to children, and encouraging child expression and autonomy.
• Use strategies for behavior management, such as clear behavior expectations, being proactive and redirecting misbehavior.
• Foster classroom productivity and maximize learning time, while engaging children with a variety of modalities and materials.
• Provide instructional support through concept development, fostering children’s analysis and reasoning, engaging in feedback loops, and modeling and supporting high-quality language.
• Provide children with a consistent classroom routine and facilitate all parts of the routine to support child learning.
• Interact with children intentionally throughout the day to provide differentiated support.
• Collect documentation of children through ongoing observation, embedded and direct assessment activities.
• Complete quarterly assessment checkpoints, reliable, for each child.
• Analyze child assessment data and use it to plan and individualize.
• Complete developmental and social-emotional screenings on all children within prescribed time frames.
• Complete theme based Individualized Learning Plans to identify specific goals and implement developmentally appropriate strategies for each child in class.
• Integrate Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or referral action plans for children with diagnosed or suspected special needs.
• Implement PBS practices and Program Wide Expectations.
• Provide classroom experiences that are developmentally, linguistically, culturally and age-appropriate for the children served.
• Supervise mealtimes and “family style dining” with children.
• Supervise all classroom field trips and outdoor activities.

Communication and Service Coordination

• Schedule and complete two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences each year.
• Encourage and engage family members to serve as classroom volunteers.
• Collaborate with family services staff to support families in implementing family life practices, extending learning into the home, and meeting expectations for attendance.
• Collaborate with the assistant teacher and other staff in the center.
• Share pertinent information with family services, disabilities/mental health or health/nutrition staff, as needed, to meet the needs of individual children and families. Participate in case conferences as appropriate.

Record Keeping and Reporting

• Maintain required documentation of activities, including child and family information, assessment data, volunteer logs, etc.

Ongoing Monitoring/Self-assessment

• Participate in ongoing reflective coaching and self-assessment.
• Conduct daily health/safety monitoring of the indoor and (as requested) outdoor environment,

Planning and Implementation

• Implement AVANCE’s chosen curriculum with fidelity, being aware of the big ideas while also following all assigned guidance and resources.
• Prepare or modify weekly lesson plans and prepare to implement small-group activities, read-aloud, circle time, and other curriculum components.
• Follow all guidance and expectations to support implementation of AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program.

Establish and maintain a safe, healthy, and positive learning environment

• Ensure classroom arrangement, materials and displays are organized and conducive to children’s learning.
• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment, including full supervision of children at all times, in accordance with Head Start and childcare licensing requirements.
• Follow all health and hygiene practices, including handwashing, sanitizing, and universal precautions.

Support the social and emotional development of children.

• Establish positive and productive relationships with families through building rapport and trust.   
• Know and understand AVANCE’s School Readiness Goals and strive to help all children achieve them.

Other Duties

• Participates in assigned meetings, events and training as required.
• Performs any and all other duties as assigned.

AVANCE Core Competencies

• Execution & Accountability 
• Problem Solving & Decision-Making 
• Communication & Influence 
• Collaboration & Teamwork 
• Stakeholder Focus 
• Adaptability & Continuous Learning

Education

Required: 

• Associate/bachelor's degree in early childhood education – OR – Associate/bachelor's degree in related field with at least six college courses in Early Childhood Education plus experience teaching preschool aged children OR – state awarded preschool teacher certification with experience teaching preschool aged children. Bilingual in English and Spanish

Work Experience

Required:

• At least 1 year of experience in leadership and management or completion of management training course 

Additional Skills

• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; demonstrated flexibility to handle multiple priorities.  
• Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Must be honest, dependable and able to meet deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.

Travel

• Ability to travel to various sites: Dependable transportation is required daily with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, Inc.
• Travel required up to 10% of the time for work-related site visits, meetings, and functions.

Equipment

• Standard office equipment generally used includes:
• Telephone
• Personal Computer (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) or Tablet
• Printer/Photocopy Machine
• Calculator
• Fax Machine

Working Conditions

• Work is generally performed in an office environment. 
• Noise level in the work environment is moderate to occasionally loud (examples: business office with computers and printers, light to moderate traffic, human voices). 
• May be required to operate a motor vehicle during the course of duties. 

Mental and Physical Demands

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling and pushing, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Factors

Occasional exposure to: biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional expose to weather related conditions when working in outside environment /neighborhoods and events.

ADA/ADAAA Statement

AVANCE is committed to equal opportunity in employment for persons with disabilities and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and any other applicable state and federal laws. Accordingly, AVANCE does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in regard to application, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, training or other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. Moreover, it is AVANCE’s policy to provide reasonable accommodations in employment to qualified individuals with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of AVANCE’s business or would change the essential functions of the position. Retaliation against an individual with a disability for utilizing this policy or seeking a reasonable accommodation is prohibited. Individuals with any questions or requests for accommodation should contact the Human Resources Department.