Child Care Teacher

Job Summary: Utilizing the Reggio education approach, the Child Care Teacher plans, develops, and implements child-centered, creative, and adaptive lesson plans and provides a safe, secure, and engaging environment for children six weeks to six years of age. As part of a teaching team, the Child Care Teacher ensures that interactions with children support their self-esteem and promote their growth and development.

The Child Care Teacher makes learning a fun process that allows and encourages children to explore their full potential.

• Plan, develop, and implement lesson plans for assigned classroom.
• Document children's daily progress and activities and prepare reports to parents.
• Ensure that the classroom is clean and neat and free of health hazards or infection control risks.
• Supervise teacher aides and volunteers assigned to their classroom or within their scope of practice throughout the center.
• Provides support for the program goals designed to promote autonomy, significant respect for the abilities of children, involvement of parents, and enriched experiences which aid in maximizing the potential of the developing child and family.
• Demonstrates understanding of how Reggio concepts are implemented in both the indoor and outdoor classrooms.
• Licensing and /or Accrediting Body Requirements and Standards.
• Performs in adherence to licensing and /or Accrediting Body Requirements and standards.
• Develops Lesson Plans/Goals designed to nurture and promote cognitive, social, and motor development.
• Plans for and promotes gross and fine motor development, language skills, and independence.
• Focuses on enhancing self-concepts and self-esteem through positive interactions with children and families.
• Documents & Provides Feedback/Observations.
• Prepares, reviews, and maintains assigned written reports and records for each child.
• Follows established policies, procedures, and regulatory guidelines in an effort to support best practice for children and families.
• Continuing Education/Required Meeting:
  Actively participates in staff meetings, special sessions, and mandatory CE events.
• Maintains collaborative team relationships with other teachers/staff.
• Meets with other teachers, team leader, Site Supervisor, or Director to communicate the needs of the children, staff, and area.
• Review data provided on each child and provide for a smooth transition into and out of the area for both parents and children.
• Infection Control & Environmental Health/Safety:
  Utilize infection control procedures and demonstrate safe consciousness in assessing environmental needs.
• Ensure that classroom tables, chairs, cabinets, cubbies, cots, toys, and bookshelves are cleaned routinely to ensure that infection control risks are minimized
• Clean/sweeps floors to remove materials that may pose a safety hazard (food, water, paper, etc.).
• Removes broken toys, reports unsafe wood surfaces or running surfaces.
• Ensures that staff are stationed on the playground to allow for adequate supervision and response time for the children's needs and that coverage for stations is consistently maintained.
• Ensures that bleach and cleaning solutions are prepared correctly, are labeled with date and time, and are in a locked area.
• Assists in coordinating environmental needs with the team to ensure a safe, clean, well-stocked area and an area that meets the children and families' needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned and/or participates in special projects to support the mission of VCUHS and the department.
• Accept alternate assignments, as required.