Lead Teacher EHS (Westlake)

MAAC; San Marcos (CA); On-site; USD 3,329,659 - 3,956,467; Full time

Job summary

MAAC in Westlake, San Marcos is hiring Lead Teacher for Early Head Start programs. The role covers infants/toddlers with focus on family engagement and education in a federally funded setting.

Position requires relevant education units and experience with 0–3 year olds. Hours are hourly, DOQ/E, with a 50-week schedule and duties including planning, supervision, and documentation for the classroom.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of early childhood education, child development, and anti-bias education.
• Knowledge of local educational resources and their classroom use.
• Knowledge of bilingual language acquisition.
• Knowledge of Head Start policies and procedures is desirable.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) speaking, reading, and writing preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides primary caregiver duties for infants/toddlers including feeding, diapering and holding.
• Plans individualized transitions and assigns children to primary care groups.
• Communicates with parents through daily contact, home visits and conferences.
• Plans and implements age-appropriate activities indoors and outdoors.
• Maintains cleanliness and safety of classrooms and outdoor spaces.
• Prepares and serves meals according to individual feeding plans.
• Documents care and developmental activities on daily records and records.
• Maintains attendance and meal counts.

Skills

Early childhood education

Anti-bias education

Bilingual (Spanish/English)

Head Start policies

Local resources usage

Education

Lead Teacher: HS diploma or GED with 12 ECE units and 3 infant/toddler units

Lead Teacher I: AA in ECE or CD with 24 ECE units and 3 infant/toddler units

Lead Teacher II: BA in ECE or CD with 24 ECE/CD units and 3 infant/toddler units

Job description

Lead Teacher – Early Head Start

Location: Westlake, San Marcos

Compensation (Hourly, DOQ/E)

• Lead Teacher EHS: $24.17 - $28.72
• Lead Teacher I: $26.58 - $31.59
• Lead Teacher II: $30.58 - $36.33

Work Schedule

50 weeks per year

Program Overview

Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) are comprehensive federally funded school‑readiness programs for low‑income and special needs children that promote parents as the primary educator of the child. MAAC currently serves a diverse group of low‑income children and their families in North County; the majority of the participating families are of Latino/Hispanic ethnicity. These programs ensure that children ages 0‑3 (EHS) and 3‑5 (HS) and their families are provided with comprehensive services to promote optimum physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth. MAAC’s California State Preschool program provides educational and developmental services to qualifying children ages 3 to 5; parents are encouraged to participate with their children and to be involved in their children’s development.

Definition

Under direct supervision, will provide care for infants and toddlers in the assigned group(s) and will plan, supervise, and implement the education program within the classroom in accordance with policies, procedures, and philosophy of MAAC Child Development Program’s Early Head Start. Early Head Start is a federally funded program for eligible and special needs children 0 – 3 years and pregnant women.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serves as a primary caregiver to assigned infants/toddlers to provide respectful individualized care for infants and toddlers including feeding, diapering and holding.
• Assists with assigning children to primary care group and planning of individualized transitions into care.
• Partners with parents to provide consistent and culturally sensitive care through daily communication, scheduled home visits and parent conferences.
• Responsible for planning and implementing age‑appropriate individual and small group activities, including both daily indoor and outdoor activities.
• Responsible for the set‑up, tear‑down and clean‑up of indoor and outdoor play spaces.
• Responsible for maintaining classroom and outdoor play areas to ensure cleanliness and safety. Includes sanitizing toys and classroom equipment, assisting with laundry, and maintaining clean and sanitized eating, diapering, and napping areas and equipment.
• Responsible for preparation and serving of meals and snacks according to individual feeding plans.
• Responsible for accurately documenting care and developmental activities on individual daily records and on record‑keeping documents for each child.
• Responsible for accurate attendance and meal counts.
• Lifts, carries, and holds children weighing 25 – 50 lbs.
• Responsible for scheduling and completing home visits at times convenient to parents; developing Individual Child Plans and Family Development Plans for each child and family at Phase In, and updating the plans at least three times during the school year.
• Attends mandated trainings, programs, conferences, and meetings.
• Assists with personalized services for special‑needs children (specialized training and equipment provided as needed).
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills

• Knowledge of early childhood education, child development, anti‑bias education.
• Knowledge of local educational and community resources and their ability to be used in the classroom.
• Knowledge of bilingual language acquisition.
• Knowledge of Head Start policies and procedures is desirable.
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) speaking, reading, and writing preferred.

Education, Experience, and Certification

• Lead Teacher:
  • High School Diploma or GED.
  • Twelve (12) units in Early Childhood Education (ECE), including core units required, and three (3) units in infant/toddler coursework.
  • One (1) year experience with children 0‑3 years old in a child care setting.
• Lead Teacher I:
  • AA Degree with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education or Child Development with a minimum of twenty‑four (24) units in Early Childhood Education, including core units required, and three (3) units in infant/toddler coursework.
  • One (1) year experience with children 0‑3 years old in a child care setting.
• Lead Teacher II:
  • BA Degree with emphasis in Early Childhood Education or Child Development requiring a minimum of 24 units in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, including core units required, and three (3) units in infant/toddler coursework.
  • One (1) year experience with children 0‑3 years old in a child care setting.
  • Completion of supervised student teaching or experience teaching preschool age children.
• Additional Requirements for all Levels:
  • Must have and maintain a State of California Child Development Associate Level Permit or a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
  • Valid CPR, First Aid, and Food Handlers certifications must be obtained within the first two months of employment and maintained throughout employment (paid, designated training available through MAAC). In the event employees do not attend the scheduled training, they must obtain the cards through outside resources and costs will not be reimbursed.

Value‑Based Behaviors

• Listens attentively to others and asks clarifying questions to gain a better understanding.
• Works effectively in a team environment and actively participates in joint problem solving, willingly cooperating with co‑workers.
• Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Attends work consistently and punctually, arrives to meetings prepared and on time, honors work commitments, follows through on agreements, and meets deadlines.
• Honors the private and confidential matters of co‑workers and protects proprietary information.
• Follows rules, regulations, and policies and positively contributes to implementing changes.
• Deals with issues directly, in a respectful and timely manner, focusing on resolution without criticism of the person.

Physical and Mental Demands

• Physical demands include standing, walking, sitting, talking or hearing both in person and by telephone, using hands to handle or feel objects or controls, reaching with hands and arms, stooping, kneeling, bending, crouching or crawling, climbing or balancing, and lifting up to 50 pounds. Vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Mental demands include using written and oral communication skills; reading and interpreting information; analyzing and solving problems; observing and interpreting people and situations; using basic math; learning and applying new information or skills; working under intensive deadlines and interacting with MAAC management, administrators, staff, teachers, parents, family members, children, and others.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this class.

Health, Background, and Transportation Requirements

• Must have a physical examination, TB clearance and a drug screen by a doctor/clinic designated by MAAC as well as immunization records for influenza, pertussis, and measles as required by state and federal regulations prior to the first day of employment.
• All positions are subject to background/education check, DMV check, NSOR, exclusion and debarment checks prior to hire and periodically throughout employment as required by various funding sources.
• California Start law requires background criminal checks on anyone who works in a licensed childcare facility who is not a client. Must have or obtain a current criminal background check clearance, signed criminal record statement, and signed acknowledgement to report child abuse form prior to the first day of employment.
• Must have and maintain a valid California Driver’s License, daily use of a personal, insured vehicle, and maintain a motor vehicle driving record acceptable to MAAC’s insurance carrier. Incumbents will be enrolled in the California DMV Pull Program.