Special Education Teaching Assistant

AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive employee health benefits

Fully covered dental and disability insurance

Competitive paid time off

Employer contribution to retirement account

AppleTree scholarship for continued education

Job summary

AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation in Washington, DC is seeking a Special Education Teacher Assistant to support children with Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) during the instructional day. The role focuses on providing individualized developmental, behavioral, and academic support within an engaging classroom environment.

Candidates should have an associate's degree or a Child Development Associates credential, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and prior experience working with special needs children preferred. Opportunities for professional development are included.

Qualifications

• Experience with special needs children is preferred.
• Energetic and reliable with integrity-driven behavior.
• Ability to lift up to 45 lbs and assist with personal hygiene.

Responsibilities

• Support diverse learners in the classroom.
• Provide individualized developmental and academic support.
• Communicate progress and collaborate with families.

Skills

Communication Skills

Patience

Interpersonal Skills

Writing Skills

Education

Associate’s Degree or Child Development Associates Credential

Job description

About AppleTree

With the mission of closing the achievement gap before students get to kindergarten, AppleTree focuses exclusively on Preschool and Pre‑K education. We provide free, full‑day public charter school programming for three‑ and four‑year‑olds in 13 locations across Washington, DC, employing our innovative and award‑winning instructional model, called Every Child Ready (ECR). This instructional model provides educators with tools and resources for “What to Teach”, “How to Teach” and “How to Measure Success.” It is also used with partners nationwide. We continuously test and improve the model through feedback from AppleTree educators, partners and other stakeholders to ensure that children are learning and exploring through play and appropriate instruction.

Position Summary

During the instructional day, the Special Education Teacher Assistant works within the instructional team consisting of the lead teacher or co‑leads. The incumbent provides individual instructional support for children with Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) using intensive, evidence‑based strategies under the direct supervision of the Compliance Manager and secondary supervision from the campus principal. Training will be provided upon hiring.

Responsibilities

• Supports the creation of environments and instructional opportunities that meet the needs of diverse learners.
• Coordinates with related service providers, as appropriate, to integrate best practices into daily learning opportunities.
• Uses information and data from a variety of sources to understand children’s instructional needs and progress against IEP goals.
• Provides individualized developmental, behavioral, and academic supports to improve children’s skill development in support of IEP goals.
• Consistently implements developmental, behavioral, and academic strategies outlined in children’s IEPs through individual, small group, and whole‑group instructional opportunities.
• Interprets written teaching strategies, collects and documents data, and summarizes results.
• Ensures a safe, clean, attractive and engaging center‑based classroom that encourages exploration and complex play for children with special needs.
• Fosters tolerance and a sense of community in classrooms, modeling and explicitly teaching acceptance and appreciation of others.
• Works with the teaching team to ensure the classroom contains sufficient supplies and materials for individualized instructional support.
• Assists young children with personal hygiene, meals and other daily activities.
• Actively seeks to make connections with families of children, developing an effective rapport.
• Communicates children’s goals and progress to families and ways in which families can support their child at home.
• Listens to families’ feedback and suggestions regarding their children’s strengths, opportunities, challenges, and successes.
• Plans collaboratively and shares ideas and resources with the instructional team.
• Collaborates with the teaching team to evaluate instructional effectiveness and modify instructional approaches based on feedback.
• Actively participates in professional development opportunities and seeks out additional learning.
• Fulfills the standards of professionalism, including appropriate dress, attendance, and timeliness.

Qualifications

• Obtained an associate’s degree (or higher) or Child Development Associates credential.
• Prior work or volunteer experience with children or students with special needs.
• Committed to meeting the needs of a diverse student population.
• Strong writing skills to document daily outcomes for record‑keeping.
• Energetic, reliable, integrity‑driven, with strong communication skills for effective interactions with teaching team, staff, parents, and children.
• Solution‑focused, collaborative work style, patience, and sense of humor.
• Able to climb stairs and lift up to 45 lbs; may require changing pull‑ups.
• Interpersonal skills to be playful, enthusiastic, and bring a high level of energy into the classroom.
• Able to develop an effective rapport with children and families.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Employee health benefits in the 95th percentile of other schools in the DC Metro Area.
• Fully covered dental.
• Benefits for eligible dependents.
• Fully covered short‑term disability, long‑term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance with buy‑up options.
• Free online wellness platform for you and up to four eligible dependents.
• Competitive paid time off, including mental health days.
• 5% employer contribution to your retirement account regardless of your own contribution.
• AppleTree scholarship to pay for continued education.
• Network professional development opportunities.