Teacher Assistant

THE SALVATION ARMY

NORTH AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS DIVISION

CHILCARE

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION TITLE:

Teacher Assistant - Head Start

LOCATION/DEPT:
North & Central Illinois Division / Child Care

REPORTS TO:

Teacher/Site Director

PAY GRADE: 202

PAY RANGE: $17.00-$20.40

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

* Safety

* Demonstrates safety practices.

* Minimizes potential hazards.

* Provides adequate supervision.

* Provides safety instruction.

* Health

* Maintains a healthy classroom environment.

* Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote personal health and sound nutrition.

* Learning Environment

* Maintains learning environment.

* Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote an interest in the learning environment offering a choice of learning center activities for at least sixty minutes each day.

* Physical

* Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote the physical development of each child.

* Maintains an environment conducive to development of physical skills.

* Cognitive

* Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote questioning, probing exploration and problem solving.

* Helps children develop conceptual framework for interpreting experiences, including:

* Classification

* Seriation

* Number

* Spatial relations

* Representation

* Time

* Communication

* Promotes children's listening skills.

* Promotes clear articulation and language production.

* Promotes adult-child communication.

* Promotes child-child communication.

* Creative

* Supplies equipment and materials that encourage creativity.

* Encourages innovative uses of materials and divergent thinking.

* Self

* Assists the teacher in assessing each child's current skill level.

* Writes observation notes weekly on C.A.R

* Summarizes child's skills two times per year on C.O.R

* Plans and implements activities which maximize opportunities for success.

* Provides positive feedback to children when appropriate.

* Social

* Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that develop awareness of feelings and emotions.

* Capitalizes on spontaneous occurrences of empathy, display of feelings and emotions throughout the day.

* Serves as role model.

* Guidance

* Maintains an environment conducive to preventive discipline.

* Maintains consistent discipline in the classroom.

* Sets and enforces appropriate limits.

* Maintains a positive approach to classroom control and recognizes self-control as a learning process.

* Organizes smooth and appropriate transitions.

* Focuses on activity at hand rather than children's behavior.

* Ignores inappropriate behavior when possible.
* "lets go" of negative instances: does not harbor grudges.

* Encourages children to make appropriate choices in controlling their own behavior.

* Avoids excessive lining up.

* Families

* Involves parents in the classroom program.

* Involves parents in extending the classroom program into the home.

* Assists the teacher in sharing information on child's progress with parents.

* Helps parents plan in-home activities to supplement the classroom program.

* Makes home visits in September/October and April/May.

* Serves as liaison between other components and parents.

* Program Management

* Employs a wide variety of resources in implementing curriculum.

* Assists the teacher in planning classroom programs in an organized timely fashion.

* Completes weekly/daily lesson plans on time.

* Submits records, requisitions, reports and plans when due.

* Maintains accurate daily attendance and food count.

* Makes use of program resource personnel in planning for children and their families.

* Ensures team cooperation.

* Supervises classroom aides.

* Professionalism

* Maintains a professional attitude.

* Keeps abreast of early childhood education practices.

* Other Duties

* All other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

* Associate of Arts degree in early childhood education.

* Two years of experience in a pre-school setting.

* Some experience with young children.

COMPETENCIES

* Some knowledge of social service programs helpful.

* Good communication and interpersonal skills.

* Demonstrated ability to use initiative and be a self starter.

* A positive attitude…