Career Center

Job title  

NCPK Teacher  

Program 

Head Start/Early Head Start Program  

Reports to  

Center Director 

General Description 

 It is the responsibility of the teacher to plan, organize and direct the operation of programs for a specific group of children providing a high-quality environment in which each child achieves the highest level of social, emotional, physical, and intellectual competence.  Ensure classroom environment is age appropriate and meets all HS and licensing (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) standards. 

A Head Start teacher should demonstrate competency to perform the following functions: 

• Planning and implementing learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children, including improving the readiness of children for school by developing their literacy, phonemic, and print awareness, their understanding and use of language, their understanding and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of books, their understanding of early math and early science, their problem-solving abilities, and their approaches to learning 

• Establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy learning environment 

• Supporting the social and emotional development of children. 

• Encouraging the involvement of the families of the children in a Head Start program and supporting the development of relationships between children and their families.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

A. Curriculum 

• Organize and use space, materials, and routines to construct an interesting, secure and enjoyable environment that encourages play, exploration, and learning. 

• Develop and implement an integrated program of activities, experiences and opportunities which contributes to the growth and development of each child and are appropriate to the developmental levels of the children being served. 

• Use available community resources and age-appropriate field trips to enrich the children's experience in the classroom. 

• Ensure that the program respects and reflects the diverse backgrounds and learning styles of each child. 

• Create and maintain an environment appropriate to infants and/or toddlers in adherence to HSPS and Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS) 

• Perform any other job-related tasks as assigned. 

B. Teacher-Child Interaction 

• Maintain effective communication with children that fosters physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. 

• Use questioning, probing and problem solving as interactions which promote learning. 

• Interact with children on their eye level using a voice which is pleasant and encouraging. 

• Provide opportunities for children to understand acquire and use verbal and non-verbal means of communicating thoughts and feelings. 

• Participate with children in small and large groups and individually. 

• Use conflict resolution techniques which are appropriate for the developmental level of the child. 

• Provide for smooth transition from one activity to another activity without requiring the children to wait. 

• Assist children with self-care activities. 

C.  Adult-Adult Interaction 

• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with co-workers through open communication, sharing resources and supporting professional development. 

• Develop supportive relationships with parents by respecting their child-rearing values and by sharing information about the ages and stages of children's development to improve their understanding of their own children. 

• Maintain a cooperative atmosphere in the workplace by exhibiting a pleasant and cooperative attitude. 

D. Assessment 

• Observe and assess each child in each developmental area, utilizing an assessment instrument selected by the Education Committee. 

• Participate in IEP staffing. 

• Participate in cross-component team meetings to develop strategies for promoting optimal development in each child. 

E. Parent Involvement 

• Communicate the activities of the program to parents on a regular basis, i.e., newsletter and activity calendar.  

• Conduct and document parent conferences and/or home visits as needed or required. 

• Orient parents to classroom and attend parent group functions.  

• Communicate with parents the expectation of and opportunities for their positive involvement in the program. 

• Maintain a professional relationship with parents. 

F.  Program Management 

• Use all available resources to ensure an effective operation of the classroom. 

• Immediately report all cases of suspected child abuse or neglect to Center Director. 

• Write and submit appropriate reports accurately and on time. 

• Request supplies and equipment when needed and according to procedure. 

• Maintain an orderly classroom. 

• Report all accidents immediately to supervisor. 

• Complete written lesson plans.  

• Supervise and evaluate classroom assistant. 

• Recruit volunteers and in-kind contributions. 

• Participate in program wide recruitment. 

• Attend all required meetings and training opportunities. 

• Supervise and evaluate assigned volunteers. 

• Assist with and contribute to the recruitment of children and families eligible to participate in the program. 

• Timely recruitment and enrollment according to a timeline distributed in January of each year by the HS/EHS Director will be a priority.  Enrollment goals will be assigned to meet full funded enrollment on a timely basis.    

G. Professionalism 

• When implementing strategies for meeting the goals of the program, make decisions based on knowledge of child development theories and appropriate practices, including ECERS. 

• Abide by the NAEYC Code of Ethics. 

• Continuously assess skills and knowledge and in conjunction with the Center Director, plan strategies for improvement and growth. 

• Actively pursue appropriate professional development opportunities which increase knowledge and skills by actively participating in in-service staff development programs, by successfully completing early childhood education courses when appropriate and by attending local, state, regional and national conferences.