Early Childhood Program Specialist 2​/Assistant Teacher

Position Title

Early Childhood Program Specialist 2/Assistant Teacher

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive.

In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Child Development Center supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Assistant Teacher at the WWU Child Development Center collaborates closely with Lead Teachers to plan and implement engaging, developmentally appropriate curriculum that is often child-initiated and open-ended. This position supports a positive, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for children, families, students, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Responsibilities include providing high-quality early childhood services, fostering meaningful relationships with families, and mentoring WWU student Classroom Assistants.

As a key member of the Child Development Center the Assistant Teacher contributes to the center's commitment to excellence, inclusion, and student learning.

This is a full-time, 9.5 cyclic permanent position.

• Meet all Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) requirements including MERIT registration, current First Aid/CPR certification, Bloodborne Pathogens training, Safe Sleep training, and negative TB test
• Minimum of one year of experience working with children ages 1-5 in a licensed early learning or group care setting, and 30 quarter credits in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education, or a related field
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, fast-paced early childhood environment while maintaining accurate documentation, organization, and attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with a commitment to inclusive practices and respectful partnerships with children, families, students, and colleagues
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Ability to lift, carry, and move up to 50 pounds and actively participate in classroom activities, including floor play and outdoor supervision