Early Learning Classroom Teacher

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Classroom Teacher understands the essential needs of the young child and supports both children and parents by creating joy-filled and life-nourishing environments that enhance growth and development during the critical first five years of life. Understanding that a healthy early childhood provides a strong foundation for the future development of individuals and humanity as a whole, the teacher will bring healthy movement opportunities, purposeful activities, nourishing images, and clear speech into his/her daily work with the children. The teacher will guide the children toward self-control, cooperation, social awareness, and a sense of belonging in the group.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Classroom Responsibilities and Duties:

1. Class Teaching

• Develop a healthy daily and weekly rhythm that supports the growth of the developing child.
• Prepare and lead daily activities such as circle, imaginative play, story, hand work, painting, coloring, cooking, baking, domestic work, nature walks, snack, and outdoor activities, based upon the unfolding rhythms and festivals of the year.
• Document student progress.
• Develop and maintain a safe, harmonious social environment for the students.
• Develop and maintain a clean, orderly, and beautiful classroom environment.

2. Home/School Communication

• Prepare and hold a minimum of 2 class meetings per year, at least one hour in length, in addition to the parent orientation evening at the beginning of the year. These evenings are designed to educate parents about Early Learning education and child development, to create and nurture a sense of classroom community and to support the challenging task of parenting young children.
• Conduct parent-teacher conferences each November and February/March as scheduled on the school calendar.
• Arrange and participate in conference(s) with parent(s) and the Early Learning Center Director or a designated support faculty member, as needed, to discuss student social or behavioral concerns.
• Write weekly correspondence to the parents containing short descriptions of the children's activities throughout the week as well as any important announcements.

3. Written Reports

• Complete a Mid-Year Report describing each child's daily experience, as well as their physical, social and artistic development.
• Complete End of the Year narratives describing child's experience, growth and development over the year. Reports are to be submitted by assigned deadline date to be reviewed for suggested edits by the Early Learning Center Director or assigned peer.

4. Planning and Preparation

• Prepare circles, fairy tales, birthday celebrations, songs, festivals, puppet shows, painting and additional activities.
• Complete/oversee all shopping for food and supplies.
• Take daily attendance.
• Participate in Early Learning Staff meetings as well as regular Full Faculty meetings.
• Maintain and clean rooms daily.
• Supervise classroom assistant if applicable
• Prepare snacks and serve meals according to schedule.
• Nap time set up and clean up.
• Oversee development and changes in play spaces (indoor and out) to reflect the goals of the curriculum.
• Work collaboratively with other teachers/staff and Early Learning Center Director through classroom observation (two per semester), peer evaluations, and parent/community/festival work.

Additional Responsibilities:

All teachers 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 and applicable to their schedule, to offer extra help to students and their parents. This availability will be communicated to the families in the class.
• Attendance/assistance at major all-school activities and open houses.
• Preparation of a yearly class play or presentation as may be suggested by the curriculum.
• Create age-appropriate aesthetics in classrooms including nature tables and seasonal displays.
• Participate in enrollment process of new students in areas such as, but not limited to, student interviews, parent interviews, student skill assessment and arranging for perspective student's play date.
• Maintain and make readily available a lesson plan that can be given to a substitute teacher in the event of an absence.
• Participate in a professional development and accountability plan. In the event of a planned absence, make arrangements for a substitute and ensure that they receive any lesson plans and materials needed to cover the missed class(es).
• Responsible for upholding all staff safety requirements including cleaning protocols throughout the day, as required by my department.

Requirements:

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with at least 12 credit hours of child development or early childhood education or elementary education or a related field preferred. (Incumbents will complete AA within 2 years and BA/BS within 4 years from date of acceptance.)
• A valid Florida Childcare Staff Credential
• 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 teaching and student management skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• At least one year teaching in an early childhood education setting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational 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 and needed for continuing education credit.