Assistant Child Development Teacher

The University of North Florida Board of Trustees; United States; On-site; USD 19,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of North Florida Board of Trustees seeks a VPK assistant teacher for UNF Preschool. You will support Lead teachers with lesson planning, classroom management, and developmentally appropriate practices aligned with NAEYC standards.

A focus on documentation, assessment, and family collaboration is essential. Qualifications include a high school diploma, required Florida credentials within 12 months, 45 hours of DCF rules, and Pediatric First-Aid/CPR.

Qualifications

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent as per Fla. Stat. 112.219.
• Must obtain Florida staff credential within one year of employment.
• Complete 45 hours of DCF rules and regulations within 60 days.
• Pediatric First-Aid and CPR experience with young children.
• Bachelor's in Early Childhood preferred; VPK credential desired.
• Professional, patient, service-oriented with university values.

Responsibilities

• Assist Lead teachers in developing lessons using the Project Approach to promote literacy and math.
• Support instruction to meet social-emotional, language, and arts standards; maintain classroom order.
• Assist in assessment with photos, anecdotes, and artifacts; help portfolios per child.
• Participate in teacher inquiry and share learnings in PLCs and conferences.
• Perform other duties as assigned; use digital tools appropriately for planning and family collaboration.

Skills

Positive attitude

Self-motivation

Customer service

Patience

Conflict resolution

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Florida Staff credential (within 1 year: NECC/National CDA or FCCPC/ECPC/CACC)

45hr DCF rules and regulations (within 60 days)

Pediatric First-Aid and CPR

Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood education (preferred)

VPK credential requirements

Job description

Department UNF Preschool Compensation $16.50 to Negotiable Hourly General Description / Primary Purpose Full-time VPK assistant teacher reports to the Lead Teacher. This is work assisting in teaching young children according to the philosophy and mission of the center’s program and NAEYC standards. UNF Preschool is an integral part of the College of Education and Human Services and as such is measured by its ability to successfully interact with students and their children, to assist in their individual needs and concerns.

Job Functions

• 10%: Assist the Lead teachers in developing lesson plans utilizing the Project Approach to promote literacy, language, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, social studies, arts, and social emotional development.
• 60%: Assist the Lead teachers in teaching to meet standards in social emotional, physical, language, social studies, and the arts domains. Help create and maintain an environment and structure for maintaining classroom order and behavior management. Demonstrate a strong working knowledge of child development and early childhood learning. Implement NAEYC developmentally appropriate practices in the daily life of the classroom. Assist the Lead teacher in implementing the Project Approach as a framework for learning experiences. Embody and promote the mission and vision of the preschool, College of Education and Human Services and the University of North Florida.
• 15%: Assist the Lead teachers in children assessment using various strategies including photography, anecdotal records, children’s words, and artifacts as a means to measure student learning. Help create and display children’s learning through documentation panels. Help the Lead teacher in managing a portfolio for every child in the classroom as a form of authentic assessment to demonstrate children’s learning.
• 10%: Engage in teacher inquiry to inform learning that is shared within the professional learning community, conferences, and publication. Remain updated on current research-based practices and translate them into practice. Assist and support other staff as needed.
• 5%: Any other job duties as assigned by the Preschool director. Demonstrate working knowledge of digital technologies and their appropriate use in early learning, instructional planning, and home‑school collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• A high school diploma or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219.
• Departmental Requirements: Attain Florida Staff credential by completing one of the following, within one year of employment: National Early Childhood Credential (Includes National CDA), Formal Educational Qualification, or Birth through five Child Care Credential (FCCPC, ECPC, CACC).
• 45hr of Department of Children and Families (DCF) rules and regulation- must be attained within 60 days of employment.
• Pediatric First‑Aid and CPR Experience working with young children.
• Prefer Bachelors Degree Early childhood experience preferred VPK credential requirements from Early Learning Coalition.
• Requires a positive, self‑motivated person willing to work in an environment requiring strong emphasis on providing superior customer service in conformance with the university’s mission and values. Often be required to demonstrate a caring and patient attitude, utilize conflict resolution skills and ensure that every effort is made to create satisfied customers.

Statement(s) of Understanding

• This position requires a background check.
• In conjunction with the University's policy, this position may also require a credit check.
• The holder of this position is designated as a “Responsible Employee” pursuant to their role under Title IX. Therefore, the incumbent must promptly report allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual violence, and child sexual abuse by or against any student, employee, contractor, or visitor to the University’s Title IX Administrator or any divisional Title IX Coordinator.
• This position has been designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). This position has been designated as a CSA because it involves significant responsibility for student and campus activities and/or responsibility for campus security. As such, any person in this position must report to the University Police Department a crime or an incident that might be a crime that he/she becomes aware of.
• A CSA ’s responsibility is a duty to report. All positions designated as CSAs are required to complete an online or in‑person training session. For more information concerning training or CSA designations, please contact the Clery Act Compliance Manager at [phone] or [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity

The University of North Florida (UNF) is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In building this environment, we strive to attract students, faculty and staff from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences. The University of North Florida does not commit or permit discrimination or harassment on the basis of genetic information, race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, marital status, national origin, or veteran status in any educational, employment, social, recreational program or activity that it offers. In addition, UNF will not commit or permit retaliation against an individual who reports discrimination or harassment or an individual who cooperates in an investigation of an alleged violation of university regulation.

Notice

At this time, UNF cannot consider candidates who require H‑1B visa sponsorship, regardless of current visa status. Current UNF employees (Faculty & Staff) should view opportunities via the Workday UNF Jobs Hub. Current UNF students should view opportunities via the Workday UNF Student Jobs Hub.