Floater Assistant Teacher - Head Start

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Position type: Full-Time 12-Month
Department: 012102 - Human Sciences
- Early Childhood
Location: Hancock County
Categories: Support Staff, Head Start Positions
Position Open Date: Sep 13 2025

This position serves as a Floater for a Head Start center. The Floater will work collaboratively with the Teacher to ensure the successful operation of a classroom of children. The Floater also works with a team of other classroom staff and family members to implement curriculum to achieve outcomes for children of all abilities.

Throughout its history, Mississippi State University-Extension Service (MSU-Extension) has demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to programs that directly impact young children and their families. In the past decade, MSU-Extension has distinguished itself as Mississippi’s premier infrastructural support of high-quality early childhood education.

MSU-Extension Head Start Programs - Hancock County

October 2025.

The Floater demonstrates competency to perform functions that include:

Child Growth & Development:
Uses knowledge of the principles of child growth and development to work with children and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

• Maintains a child-centered curriculum and learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation to promote development in all domains for children of all abilities.
• Addresses challenging behaviors by observing to determine possible causes of the behavior, implementing preventive measures, teaching the child new social and communication skills and partnering with families to support the child at home.
• Uses observations of children and anecdotal notes to document children’s progress and individualize curriculum.

General Professional

Competencies:

• Planning & Evaluation
• Professional Development
• Communication
• Technology

The Floater responsibilities chiefly fall within the following core functions, although s/he may perform other tasks as needed and assigned to support the program that may include but are not limited to the following:

• Communication and Service Coordination
• Record Keeping and Reporting
• On-going Monitoring/Self-assessment
• 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 and phonemic, print, and numeracy awareness, their understanding and use of language, their understanding and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of books, and their problem solving abilities.
• 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.

Education:

• CDA credential or enrolled to complete within one year of hire or a degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with nine (9) credits in Early Childhood Education or enrolled to complete degree (with related credits) within one year of hire.

Experience:

• Experience teaching preschool children including group experience with children from birth to four years old.

Licensures:

• Meets required standards as specified by the State Department of Health/Child Care Licensure Standards for staff including finger printing and background check.
• Obtain certification in CPR and First Aid within the 9 months of employment.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Substitutions:

• An equivalent combination of related education and related experience may be considered for this position.

• Current understanding of MS Child Care Licensing requirements
• Current understanding of Head Start Performance Standards
• Able to anticipate the needs of children
• Must be able to organize and execute daily activities
• Works well with other staff
• Intermediate computer literacy skills in…