Early Child Education Teacher

Description: Are you a passionate educator who believes in the power of early childhood education to shape young minds and inspire a lifelong love of learning? Do you have a heart for nurturing the unique talents and abilities of every child? With the position beginning in August, we are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic full-time Teacher to be a guiding light for our preschool students. As a key member of our education team, you will have the opportunity to create engaging lesson plans, foster a supportive classroom environment, and spark curiosity and wonder in the hearts of young learners.

If you are ready to make a difference in the lives of children and help them discover the joy of learning, apply now to be a part of our vibrant and caring community dedicated to educational excellence

Join our team and enjoy competitive pay, 15 paid program holidays (including Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks), summers off, generous PTO, and excellent benefits that support your professional growth and well-being. Take the next step in your teaching career and be a part of our mission to provide high-quality education and support to children and families in our community.

Provides high quality, individualized education to Head Start, Inc. Children in a center environment. Encourages and trains parents in the task of teaching their own children in the home environment to foster positive self-esteem and maximum family involvement.

Planning:
Prepare the learning environment so that it encourages discovery, experimentation and creative play.
Plan, organize and execute daily lesson plans based on developmentally appropriate practices and using research-based methods and materials.
Use observations and data to individualize lessons to meet children's developmental needs.
When required, develop classroom interventions and/or Positive Guidance Plans for children who need more specific or individually directed instruction.
If classroom interventions are not successful, make appropriate referrals for further assessment and additional support of children's needs.
Supervision & Guidance:
Implement a positive approach to guidance and behavior management that focuses on a child's strengths, takes a developmental view of behavior, and helps the child to learn new behavioral and social skills.
Provide classroom structure and routines that assist young children in learning self-regulation and developing independence in self-care.
Supervise children at all times to ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for children inside and outside the classroom.
Apply Active Supervision principles at all times when supervising children.
Teaching:
Actively participate with children daily, both indoors and outdoors.
Incorporate both child-guided and adult-guided educational experiences, taking advantage of both planned and unexpected learning opportunities.
Encourage every child to explore, experiment, and be creative.
Using the TS Gold system, regularly collect and record observations and data on children's progress.
Utilize the DECA tool to maintain accurate records and create targeted plans to support children's behaviors and positive outcomes.
Utilize Speed DIAL 4 Tool to assess cognitive, speech & language, and motor development of children.
When a child is involved in the special education process, participate in the multi-disciplinary assessment and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.
Welcome parents, community visitors and volunteers into the classroom.
Work collaboratively with classroom staff to plan activities, determine roles of each staff member, implement lessons, and reflect on results.
Complete required two Home Visits and two parent-teacher conferences to reinforce the role of the family in their child's development.
Communicate regularly and clearly with parents and classroom team to share curriculum and individual goals for children, and ways that parents can support their children's education.
Share developmental outcomes and progress reports with parents/guardians and set appropriate goals with families that incorporate any special needs of the children.
Must support and advocate Head Start, Inc.'Must be able to use computer technology and understand its application to organizational and/or departmental function.
SUPERVISION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Teacher I is an entry level position and is held to the minimum requirements to be qualified as a Teacher under Head Start standards. They are expected to work collaboratively with the Professional Development Team (consisting of Education Coach, Education Coordinator and Child & Family Services Manager, advised by the HR Director) to determine career ladder level and career path. Requests to consider a career ladder level will be made by the Teacher I, in writing and will include the following:
Attend a virtual or local conference in early childhood or a related field
Have successful performance review(s) with no current corrective action plan
Demonstrate basic awareness of NSHA's quality indicators for a Program of Excellence
Participate in an individualized coaching program with Education Coach
Implement the Creative Curriculum to fidelity
Document and monitor each child's individual progress in TS Gold with consistency and accuracy
A Teacher I will typically possess at least three years of experience either at Head Start, Inc. or a similar early childhood education program before moving into a higher-level position.
USING ACTIVE SUPERVISON TO KEEP CHILDREN SAFE:
Head Start, Inc. uses the strategy of Active Supervision to ensure that no child is left unattended while in the care of Head Start, Inc. Incidents of children left unsupervised must be immediately reported to the Executive Director.
All Head Start, Inc. employees are responsible for the safety of children in our program. Active Supervision requires focused attention and intentional observation of children at all times. All employees who care for children position themselves in classrooms, on playgrounds, in hallways, on buses, on field trips and in any space where children are present so that they can observe all of the children: watching, counting, and listening at all times. They also use their knowledge of each child's development and abilities to anticipate what he/she will do, then get involved and redirect them when necessary.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee works in busy classrooms or a shared office environment, travels by vehicle, may be exposed to changing weather conditions, and works in varied environments. This description is intended to describe the essential job functions and requirements for its performance. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree in child development or early childhood education or equivalent coursework with one-year early childhood teaching experience, or associate degree in child development or early childhood education or equivalent coursework with two years' early childhood teaching experience. Early Childhood Education (ECE) concentration is preferred.
Teachers are expected to be registered on the Montana Early Childhood Practitioner Registry and maintain membership in the National Association of Education of Young Children and/or Montana Association for the Education of Young Children. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee is also often required to use hands to manipulate objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, balance, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and move quickly to respond to children's health and safety needs.
86 Hourly Wage