Early Childhood Educator

Job Summary:

We are seeking a qualified Infant/Toddler Teacher I to join our team at Downeast Community Partners. As an Infant/Toddler Teacher I, you will be responsible for planning and implementing an early childhood education program for preschool children in accordance with agency policies, procedures, and practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Effective Teaching Practice:
  • Assist in the implementation of High Scope curriculum, utilizing agency resources and feedback from content area specialists.
  • Ensure all classroom practices are developmentally appropriate and meaningful to children's learning.
  • Track and plan classroom experiences using data from COR Advantage, ensuring timely and complete ongoing child assessment.
• Content Area Domains:
  • Provide a welcoming environment for parents at the center, encouraging and fostering parent engagement in children's school readiness.
  • Work with parents to set realistic long- and short-term goals, fostering their growth and financial independence.
  • Work in partnership with the classroom team to ensure recommendations of content area specialists, mental health consultants, and special needs providers are implemented.
• Learning Environments:
  • Ensure constant supervision of children at all times, conducting double verification during transition times.
  • Assist in ensuring all learning areas are present and engaging to children, displaying and rotating materials that encourage independence and reflect children's interests.
  • Responsible for daily visual checks of the classroom and playground environments to detect hazards, remedying or reporting unsafe conditions to the responsible manager immediately.
  • Ensure environments are aesthetically pleasing to children, minimizing the use of adult space in classrooms and maintaining a clean and orderly environment.
• Observation, Analysis, Planning, and Documentation:
  • Consistently and accurately enter data weekly in ChildPlus and COR Advantage software.
  • Assist in completing developmental assessments, including hearing, vision, social-emotional, with parent input within 45 days of a child's enrollment and according to schedule thereafter.
  • Complete documentation on time, recording documentation observing good grammar, clear communication, and objectivity.
• Communication:
  • Complete a minimum of two home visits annually and two parent conferences according to agency policy and procedure.
  • Directly communicate children's individual progress and needs to parents through daily individual contacts, phone calls, notes home, home visits, and parent/teacher conferences.
  • Engage parents in planning and implementing their child's school readiness plans at school and home.
  • Ensure consistent communication among classroom staff, ensuring appropriate planning and follow-up occurs.
  • Maintain confidentiality of families by limiting conversations and information about families with only those who need to know in order to provide services.
  • Carry out child recruitment and outreach efforts in local communities, ensuring full enrollment.
• Professionalism/Leadership:
  • Responsible for knowledge of and compliance with all agency policies and procedures.
  • Provide active supervision of all substitutes and volunteers assigned to the classroom in accordance with DCP's supervision standards.
  • Maintain professional boundaries in relationships with families and staff members, distinguishing between other needs and one's own.
  • Serve as a role model for families and other staff by making sound daily decisions and reflecting on and assessing one's own practice, taking advantage of opportunities to improve skills and knowledge.

Requirements:

Must obtain Preschool CDA or equivalent within two years of hire. Occasional travel and evening work may be necessary.