Teacher Assistant - Head Start

Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 19,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, OR is seeking a Teacher Assistant to support classroom activities in early childhood education. You will work with teachers and aides to implement curriculum, support children's development, and help maintain a safe, orderly learning environment.

The role offers exposure to Head Start programs, opportunities for professional growth, and hands-on experience in education, food service, and cleaning tasks as needed.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Level 1: Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education within two years of hire.
• Level 2: Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education.
• Six months Head Start experience or one year in a preschool classroom/childcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Ensure classroom safety with appropriate supervision.
• Ensure children are released only to parents/guardians or authorized adults.
• Support teachers in developing children's cognitive, physical, social-emotional, and language skills.
• Conduct and record child observations to set goals.
• Use lesson plans and curricula addressing individual goals and needs.

Skills

Tact and diplomacy

Empathy

Communication with clients

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education (Level 1)

Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education (Level 2)

Head Start / preschool experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Videoconferencing platforms

Web tools

Job description

OUR MISSION:

MWVCAA invests in people and their futures to reduce the impacts of poverty

OUR VISION:

All people are respected for their infinite worth, and supported to envision and reach a positive future

Working at MWVCAA means becoming part of a mission-driven community dedicated to equity, dignity, and opportunity for all. We offer competitive pay, a rich company culture that values diversity, and an array of benefits - but we consider the best benefit here to be the reward of helping those in our community live better lives. Come find meaningful work and bring your skills as a Teacher Assistant. Your main responsibilities will be working with Teachers and Classroom Aides to provide support in one or more of the following program areas: education, food service and cleaning.

This team offers a lot of growth opportunities and professional development through hands-on experience and education.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• High School Diploma or GED; and
• Level 1: Must obtain Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education from an accredited college within two years from date of hire to maintain employment in the Program.
• Level 2: Certificate of Completion in Early Childhood Education from an accredited college.
• Six months of experience working in a Head Start classroom or one year of experience working with preschool children in a classroom/childcare setting.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Successful registration with the Central Background Registry of the Child Care Division
• Candidate must pass pre-employment physical examination, renewable every two years
• Candidate must pass pre-employment and random drug/alcohol screenings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates tact, diplomacy, and empathy when communicating with clients, staff and community partners.
• Demonstrates proficiencies with Microsoft Office, videoconferencing platforms and web tools

WHAT YOU WILL DO TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee will also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required. A full job description is attached.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees will also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.

• Ensure safety in the classroom at all times, with appropriate supervision of children, utilizing the transition and counting form and procedure.
• Ensures children are released only to parent/guardians or authorized adults.
• Supports teachers in providing for the development of children's cognitive, physical, social-emotional, language skills through implementation of curriculum, lesson planning and individualization.
• Conducts and records child observations to utilize in setting goals.
• Utilizes lesson plans and a variety of curriculum to address children's individual goals, taking into account each child's characteristics, strengths, and needs.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This job has no supervisory responsibilities

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Occasionally lift up to 10 pounds.
• Manual dexterity for handling office equipment.
• Able to remain calm during situations where staff or clients may be escalated.
• Able to mitigate stress associated with a busy office and regular deadlines.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Mostly an indoor classroom environment

MWVCAA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, veterans, and people with disabilities or any other protected category. We welcome all people to join us in achieving our Mission.

Note that compensation for each role at MWVCAA is based off a number of factors such as experience and education.

Child Care Division Central Background Registration and pre-employment drug screening is required.