Early Head Start Teacher

Job Summary:

An Early Head Start Teacher is responsible for providing high-quality early childhood education and care to children aged 0 to 3 years. The role involves creating a nurturing and stimulating environment that fosters the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children. Early Head Start Teachers work with families and other educators to ensure the well-being and school readiness of children in their care.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Classroom Time / School Readiness
• Follows agency-adopted curriculum, using effective strategies to guide learning.
• Prepares the classroom environment and materials to support developmentally appropriate curriculum plans and learning experiences.
• Assesses individual and group needs, attending to specific interests, strengths, and concerns.
• Works with appropriate agencies to develop specialized planning for children and families as needed.
• Coordinates with support staff when indicated, developing a collaborative approach that benefits all children in the classroom.
• Adapts curriculum to address and meet individual goals for children as identified in their individualized family service plans (IFSP).
• Develops and utilizes integrated curriculum plans, which reflect mandated elements and components, familial and cultural influences, and promote the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of Head Start children.
• Establishes weekly goals that promote individual and group educational plans and include other Head start components.
• Participates in integrated service meetings to support planning and effective delivery of collaborative services across all components.
• Establishes a positive classroom climate.

• Family Engagement and Community Partnerships
• Provides an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces family and volunteer engagement.
• Supports the role of families as the first and primary teachers of their children.
• Supports families’ safety, health, financial stability, life goals, and aspirations.
• Conducts home visits with individual families.
• Helps plan and participates in family activity events.
• Coordinates with the Family Advocates (FAs) as needed to assist families to complete follow-ups (i.e. dental, medical, physical, and mental health needs of families, etc.)
• Coordinates with the Education and Disabilities Manager and FAs to provide families with timely information and referrals appropriate to their needs.
• Monitors and document attendance concerns.
• Provides learning opportunities for dual language in the classroom and in the home.
• Always supervises and monitors children and responds appropriately to crisis or emergency situations that may occur
• Guides the behavior of children in positive, effective ways.
• Follows a consistent schedule which includes small and large group experiences, choice time, music and movement, large and small motor activities, skill development, meals, and effective transitions between activities.
• Encourages experimentation, exploration, problem solving, cooperation, socialization, and decision-making; asks open-ended questions and follow-up questions to promote further learning and thinking.
• Promotes English language acquisition of children who are English- and Dual-Language learners.

• Documentation
• Utilizes agency-adopted tools for ongoing assessment and documentation.
• Ensures all federal, local, state and/or agency documentation is completed accurately.
• Documents all family contacts and home visits.
• Monitors and reports suspected child abuse/neglect.
• Releases children only to individuals with appropriate signed consent