Preschool Teacher, Float - Head Start

• High School Diploma or GED; and:
• Float Teacher I: Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree with a minimum of 18 credit hours of Early Learning coursework.
• Float Teacher II: Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree with a minimum of 18 credit hours of Early Learning coursework.
• Two years of experience in early childhood programs.

• Driver qualifications are required for this position. Valid driver license, insured vehicle available for use on the job, and a satisfactory drive record for the previous three years are required.
• Successful registration with the Central Background Registry of the Child Care Division.
• CPR/First Aid Certification or the ability to obtain within 60 days of hire.
• Food Handlers Card or the ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment physical examination, renewable every two years.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment and random drug/alcohol screenings.

• Demonstrated proficiencies in Microsoft Office (including Outlook), videoconferencing platforms, and web tools.
• Effective interpersonal communication skills, in both oral and written form.

• Functions as a Teacher in assigned classrooms, with emphasis on classroom duties and record-keeping.
• Ensures safety in the classroom at all times, with appropriate supervision of children, utilizing the transition and counting form and procedure. Ensures children are released only to parent/guardians, or authorized adults.
• When assigned to cover in a particular class for two weeks or longer, the Float Teacher will be responsible for home visits, conferences, emergency drills, IFSP meetings, staffing, observation, screenings, assessments, and lesson planning.
• Records children's' daily attendance, working with site team to determine the cause of absences.
• Works with classroom team during pre-service, to set up classroom environment, and to maintain the environment by regularly changing/rotating materials, supplies and props.
• Creates a supportive climate and positive environment with opportunities for children to make connections with other children and staff. Uses positive redirection and strategies to provide children with a safe, secure and enjoyable experience at school.
• Participates in family style meals, taking USDA required meal counts, and leading conversation at the table to enhance the social and emotional growth of children.
• Prepares materials, activities, and projects for class.
• Integrates developmentally appropriate movement and physical activities and routines that support health and learning.
• Maintains a spontaneous and flexible attitude in meeting children's individual needs, encouraging children to verbalize their own feelings and ideas.
• Maintains a clean, sanitary, safe, and orderly classroom.

• Develops close relationships with children through nurturing and responsive interactions, along with consistent routines to maintain a continuity of care.
• Supports the social-emotional growth of infants and toddlers by using individualized responses and approaches based on their temperaments and needs.
• Utilizes consistent responses to infants' and toddlers' actions and behaviors to support learning and provide positive redirection.
• Builds social-emotional growth and language development through engaging and connecting with children during large- and small-group time, meal times, diaper changing, and bottle-feeding.
• Changes children's diapers in accordance with Program procedures.
• Works with parents whose children require potty training support.

• Effectively uses the ChildPlus and other program databases to enter or obtain information.
• Uses office time efficiently to make and receive parent phone calls, order supplies, preparing children's work to go home, preparing materials for activities, and other office work as needed.
• Verifies and submits weekly Meal Counts and Attendance forms.

• Attends a variety of classes, workshops, seminars, pre-service training and other Head Start Teacher trainings, and keeps current on developments in early childhood education, and developmentally appropriate practices.
• Attends a variety of meetings including individual reflection meetings, region meetings, site team meetings, debriefing after observations, and other meetings as necessary.
• Keeps current on and complies with program and agency policies and procedures, Head Start Performance Standards, and other applicable regulations.
• Attends and contributes to child/family staffing meetings.
• Complies with MWVCAA safety and personnel policies, including punctuality and attendance.

• Provides regular opportunities for parent participation by training parents who volunteer in the classroom.
• Participates in planning for and implementing monthly parent meetings.
• Participates in classroom orientations at the beginning of the school year.
• Provides tools, resources and opportunities for parents to observe and practice appropriate redirection skills with their child.
• Develops and maintains relationships with parents/guardians, to ensure consistent and frequent communication.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision and ability to adjust focus; hearing abilities required.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Manual dexterity for handling office equipment.
• Occasional driving between Agency Head Start and Early Head Start sites.
• Ability to remain calm and quickly evacuate children from the classroom in an emergency.

• Mostly indoor classroom and bus riding environment.
• Frequent outdoor supervision of children and monitoring pick up/drop off.
• Occasional exposure to cleaning chemicals, creative substances such as paints.
• Occasional exposure to body fluids/biohazards such as saliva, vomit and urine.

Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency