Department: Child Development
Reports To: Education Manager
Status: Temporary, Full-time, 40 hours per week, 3 months
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Hiring Range: 19 ($19.57-$21.75 per hour)
Close Date: March 13th or until filled
Scope
Child Development Department staff support the Neighborhood House mission framework and Strategic Plan by contributing to the school readiness of low-income children and supporting their parents, care givers and community. Neighborhood House Head Start program offers high-quality preschool education to low- income families, many of whom are recent immigrants and refugees. The Lead Teacher’s primary responsibility is to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive curriculum for children ages three to five. The Lead Teacher implements this curriculum by working collaboratively with teaching assistants, multilingual family support workers, volunteers, and parents.
Responsibilities
Classroom
Plan, create and implement a dynamic daily program for preschool age children.
Plan and detail environments and lessons that reflect developmentally appropriate skills, concepts and activities.
Create warm, engaged and productive classroom environment for children and adults.
Provide strong language models and many opportunities for children to develop language.
Coordinate service plans with other Head Start staff to ensure a comprehensive program which is in accordance with established program goals and objectives that include but are not limited to National Head Start Performance Standards.
Complete individual child developmental screenings and individual learning plans and make appropriate referrals when necessary.
Create a curriculum that reflects the wide variety of cultures and ethnic groups represented in the classroom.
Supervise and annually assess classroom team members – assistant teachers, kitchen aides and volunteers.
Shows a commitment to professional development and engages in ongoing learning with meaningful activities leading to growth.
Family & Community Partnerships
Involve parents in the classroom in meaningful ways which demonstrates the belief that parents are the principal influence on their child’s education and development.
Assist in ensuring parent involvement and/or awareness in program planning through regular open communications, center parent meetings, parent newsletters, parent conferences and home visits.
Advocate for parents in accessing needed resources and support services.
Offer family support through conducting meaningful home visits and on-site conferences to the families of children in the classroom.
Build strong partnerships within the community with the aim of assisting families and strengthening the Head Start program.
Recordkeeping
Comply with required documentation and record keeping responsibilities for both the classroom functioning and for individual children.
Accurately complete assigned classroom records in a timely manner. This includes but is not limited to attendance, meal counts, safety checklists, petty cash submission, medication documentation, staff and volunteer time sheets.
Ensure that confidentiality is kept for all child and family records and information.
Ensure all required child observations are completed accurately and in a timely manner.
Collaborate with other staff in developing plans for activities and strategize on program development and implementation. Actively pursue strategies in order to better integrate all Neighborhood House Child Development programs and to provide the most appropriate and comprehensive services to the families being served.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Comply with required documentation responsibilities for both the classroom functioning and for individual children. This includes but is not limited to lesson plans, home visit/conference documentation and Individual Learning Plans.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
BA in Early Childhood Education (a BA/BS in another field may be substituted if applicant can demonstrate a minimum of 45 quarter credits in Early Childhood Education).
Three years experience in a pre-school setting and demonstrated capacity in planning classroom activities, observing children’s behaviors, and maintaining educational records.
Ability to relate to families in a holistic fashion that incorporates education, social services, health and nutrition, and family issues.
Experience working with groups and/or families from diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
Knowledge of community resources to support appropriate referrals.
Experience using the Teaching Strategies GOLD online assessment tool preferred.
Willingness to comply with the established agency performance standards which may include: productivity/personal responsibility, client/customer service-orientation, embracing a team player orientation, entrepreneurialism, and maintaining a professional demeanor.
Willingness to comply with Head Start Standards of Conduct by promoting the unique identity of each child and family; conforming with program confidentiality; following child supervision and guidance policies; and refraining from soliciting or accepting personal gratuities, favors, or anything of significant monetary value from contractors or potential contractors.
MS Office proficiency, including Word, Excel and Outlook.
Must pass Neighborhood House Background Check Requirements.
Completion of the Head Start Supplemental Background Questionnaire.
Current Health Exam (must be obtained prior to employment {PS 1304.52}).
Current screening for tuberculosis (must be obtained prior to employment); rescreen as necessary.
Current First Aid certificate within 30 days of employment (maintain current certificate during employment).
Current CPR certificate within 30 days of employment (maintain current certificate during employment).
Current Food Handlers certificate within 30 days of employment (maintain current certificate during employment).
Current Blood Borne Pathogens training certificate within 30 days of employment (maintain current certificate during employment).
Child Protective Services (CPS) Training (within 2 weeks).
Policy Council Approval.
Desired Qualifications
Current or former Head Start and Early Head Start parents receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.
Bilingual ability.
Benefits
Click here for more details about our benefits program.
Employment Practice
Neighborhood House is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications are considered without regard to race, age, sex, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, mental or physical handicap, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality) and expression of gender identity or any other classification protected by law. Neighborhood House encourages and gives hiring preference to current and former Head Start parents and children. We encourage people of color and residents of the communities we serve to apply.
Application Procedure
Submit agency application PDF along with resume and cover letter. For your convenience, we offer several ways for you to submit your completed application:
Email:
nhjobs@nhwa.org
Fax:
(206) 461-3857
In Person or Mail to:
8:00am – 5:00pm Monday-Friday
Neighborhood House
905 Spruce St., Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98104
Attn: Human Resources
For more information
Inquiries may be directed to Human Resources at (206) 461-8430 or by e-mail to nhjobs@nhwa.org