Early Head Start Teachers

Mississippi Department of Employment Security; Indianola (MS); On-site; USD 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunflower County Head Start in Mississippi seeks a dedicated early childhood professional to support the development of our youngest learners. You will promote a safe, engaging classroom climate, support social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth, and help families engage with the program while complying with Head Start standards.

This role requires a CDA or early childhood credential, at least one year of experience, a flexible schedule, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• CDA credential or an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Minimum one year of experience with children.
• Flexible schedule for evenings or weekends.
• Bilingual English/Spanish highly desirable.
• Valid MS driver's license, proof of insurance, and own vehicle for home visits.
• Background checks per state requirements: Letter of Suitability, Health Screening, DHA.
• Intermediate to advanced computer, internet, and email usage.
• Ability to work in a team with staff, families and community resources.
• Ability to supervise children at all times and respond to emergencies.
• Must kneel, bend, and sit on the floor as needed.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and monitor children at all times and respond to emergencies.
• Establish a positive classroom climate.
• Guide children's behavior with positive approaches.
• Follow a consistent schedule including group activities, meals, and transitions.
• Encourage exploration, problem solving, and social learning through open questions.
• Prepare learning environments aligned with curricula.
• Collaborate with support staff and families to plan services.
• Adapt instruction to individual IFSP goals where applicable.
• Participate in integrated service meetings and professional development.

Skills

Communication skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Team collaboration

Emergency response

Education

CDA credential or Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education

Tools

Computer skills

Job description

• Establish a positive classroom climate.

Description

The purpose of this position is to ensure our youngest children have a solid foundation for life. To encourage the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of Head Start children and to attend to their safety and welfare. To promote family engagement in all aspects of the program. To meet requirements of Federal Head Start Performance Standards and any local, state and/or agency policies and procedures. To abide by the Sunflower County Head Start code of conduct and Ethics Statement written within the employee handbook.

Minimum Requirements

• Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Prefer an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Minimum one year experience working with children.
• Must have flexible schedule to accommodate occasional evening or weekend hours.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Bilingual English/Spanish skills highly desirable.
• Must have a valid Mississippi Driver's License and proof of insurance and must provide own vehicle for home visits.
• Must pass Mississippi State requirements for early child educators: Letter of Suitability, Health Screening, and DHA required background check.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills, internet and e-mail.
• Ability to work as a team member collaborating with staff, families and community resources.
• Ability to supervise and monitor children at all times to ensure a safe environment. This includes the physical ability to monitor and move quickly in order to respond to children who are very active and may need restraint or redirection in order to ensure their safety or the safety of others, and includes occasional lifting.
• Ability to respond appropriately to an emergency or a crisis situation.
• Regular kneeling, stooping, bending, and sitting on the floor to attend to children's needs.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and monitor children at all times and respond appropriately to crisis or emergency situations that may occur.
• Establish a positive classroom climate.
• Guide the behavior of children in positive, effective ways.
• Follow 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.
• Encourage experimentation, exploration, problem solving, cooperation, socialization and choice-making; ask open-ended questions and follow-up questions to promote further learning and thinking.
• Follow agency-adopted curricula, using effective strategies to guide learning.
• Prepare the classroom environment and materials to support developmentally appropriate curriculum plans and learning experiences.
• Coordinate with support staff when indicated, developing a collaborative approach that benefits all children in the classroom.
• Adapt curriculum to address and meet individual goals for children as identified in their individualized family service plans (IFSP).
• Participate in integrated service meetings to plan for and delivery collaborative services across all components.
• Utilize agency adopted tools for ongoing assessment and documentation.
• Monitor and report child abuse.Attend and participate in training and appropriate professional development activities.
• Other Duties as Assigned

Team Member Competencies

• Resourcefulness: Using drive, decision making, perseverance, resilience, and energy to accomplish a goal; figuring out how to get over, around, or through barriers to success.
• Individual Accountability: Effectively managing one's time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Focus on Results: Accomplishing tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time.
• Builds Trust: Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one's intentions and those of the organization.
• Applied Learning: Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely manner.
• Basic Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas both orally and written.
• Basic Technology Usage: Shows efficient and correct use of technology and systems related to position function.