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: $17.05-$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 and the ability to be flexible in light of changing job situations/priorities.
• An attention to detail.
• A commitment to support and uphold the mission of The Salvation Army.