Early Head Start Infant & Toddler Teacher: Growth

Ymca-of-Metropolitan-Chicag; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Early Head Start Teacher II at Ymca-of-Metropolitan-Chicag focuses on nurturing one of the two lead groups of infants, toddlers, or two-year-olds, ensuring safety and well-being throughout the day. Responsibilities include responsive care, language-rich interaction, and building secure attachments with each child.

Responsibilities also cover collaborating with families, observing child development, planning individualized activities, and following program requirements from funding partners

Responsibilities

• Provide a positive climate of prompt and consistent responsive and individualized care to help children develop secure relationships and attachment throughout the day including diapering/toileting meal and active play and floor times.
• Adhere to continuity of relationship practices and work with assigned group of infants and toddlers applying best practices for infant/toddler care.
• Provide a language rich classroom environment which includes consistency in talking, singing and relating to children’s verbal and nonverbal cues, at eye level.
• Assure families receive an opportunity to build strong relationships and experience clear communication with teaching staff.
• Obtain families’ social-cultural background information and designs meaningful learning experiences for children based on their findings.
• Utilize fidelity measures to support English Language Learners and to inform linguistic and culturally responsive practices.
• Follow consistent routines and make certain the schedule for infants, toddlers, and twos is regular enough to be predictable, but flexible enough to meet their individual needs, diapering and feeding on demand.
• Meet the individual needs of each child, at their physical level (kneeling, bending, or sitting on the floor).
• Maintain awareness and supervision of the needs of the entire group to ensure the safety of each child whether in the classroom, on the playground, or in common areas.
• Promote family engagement and awareness through a variety of methods and ensure parents receive adequate information about their child’s experiences through daily contacts, scheduled home visits and parent conferences.
• Partner with families to increase their understanding of child development and stages, including social/emotional well-being and early literacy; and to support relationships between children & their families.
• Participate in required health and safety procedures to reduce the spread of germs for the sake of children, parents and staff.
• Integrate and assist children with special needs and adapt activities accordingly.
• Utilize routines such as diapering, toileting/training, cleaning, feeding and changing wet clothes as opportunities for strengthening development, learning, and skill growth.
• Observe children daily upon arrival to detect signs of illness, injury, abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance, or other special needs and complete daily health check.
• Participate and support agency/center efforts toward recruitment, enrollment, attendance and retention of eligible families.
• Maintain regular job attendance, professionalism in attire and demeanor, observe and respect issues of confidentiality, ethics, and best practices.

Job description

The Early Head Start Teacher II at Ymca-of-Metropolitan-Chicag focuses on nurturing one of the two lead groups of infants, toddlers, or two-year-olds, ensuring safety and well-being throughout the day. Responsibilities include responsive care, language-rich interaction, and building secure attachments with each child.

Responsibilities also cover collaborating with families, observing child development, planning individualized activities, and following program requirements from funding partners