Assistant Teacher - Bedstuy Early Childhood Development

Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) has been “Rooted in the Community since 1966.”  A federally funded Head Start program whose mission is to provide high quality, comprehensive early education and family engagement services to families and their children ages 2 to 5 years old. BSECDC embraces a holistic strength-based approach to meet the needs of our earliest learners and their families within the Bedford-Stuyvesant community.

JOB DESCRIPTION: ASSISTANT TEACHER

POSITION/JOB TITLE:           Assistant Teacher

STATUS:                                  Full Time/Non-Exempt

REPORTS TO:                         Education Site Manager

SALARY RANGE:                    $32,234 to $34,544

JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Teacher assists the Group Teacher in supporting BSECDC’s mission to make a difference in the lives of children, their families, and communities by delivering high-quality early education and child development services that promote children’s school readiness through growth and development across all developmental domains. The Assistant Teacher adheres to all federal, state, and local regulations, as well as BSECDC program policies, procedures, and administrative guidance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist in implementing a well-organized learning environment with developmentally appropriate schedules, lesson plans, and indoor and outdoor learning experiences that provide adequate opportunities for choice, play, exploration, and experimentation among a variety of learning, sensory, and motor experiences.
• Assist in the implementation of weekly lesson plans, including plans for individualized instruction, that include indoor and outdoor learning experiences to support physical health and development, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, language development and communication, and cognitive development.
• Help to maintain the orderly arrangement of the room, teaching materials, and supplies, and assist in the preparation of room and materials for daily activities.
• Recognize bilingualism and biliteracy as strengths and support children who are dual language learners in their English language development, if requested.
• Implement nurturing, responsive, and effective teaching practices to ensure daily learning experiences promote critical thinking, inquiry-based learning, STEM, and reading and writing readiness, as well as children’s social-emotional development and universal values of tolerance, compassion, and respect among children.
• Use positive guidance strategies to create a peaceful classroom environment where children resolve conflicts using language to express their feelings and opinion.
• Communicate effectively and work together with all other classroom staff.
• Establish positive relationships with families while maintaining professional boundaries to encourage their input and support two-way communication regarding the growth and development of their children.
• Follow the posted classroom daily schedule that includes sufficient time for established routines such as nap/rest time, meal time, handwashing, toileting, and transition through activities unless otherwise directed by the Group Teacher.
• Ensure children are engaged in oral hygiene education through daily tooth brushing, stories, skits, and other activities.
• Facilitate, observe, and communicate the importance of healthy eating habits through family-style meal time, including eating with children during meal time.
• If requested, assist the Group Teacher with gathering data for children’s ongoing assessment.
• Assist with monitoring children’s daily attendance and communicate with the assigned BSECDC staff member if a child needs additional support
• Support tracking responsibilities of the daily meal count for the CACFP program, as requested.
• Maintain active supervision, group size, and ratios at all times indoors and outdoors.
• Maintain a safe and healthy environment in the classroom and on the playground, including following all health and safety rules pertaining to food allergies, universal precautions, and personal hygiene.
• Maintain consistent attendance to support continuity of care for children and families.
• Participate in staff meetings, in-service training, coaching, workshops, and staff development programs, as requested.
• Assist with the timely and accurate completion of all required data, documentation, and paperwork, including child files, as requested.
• Follow all applicable BSECDC policies and procedures, including the Standards of Conduct, to safeguard children from abuse, neglect, or exploitation while in the care of the Center.
• Implement fully all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations as cited in the Head Start Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, IDEA, IFSP, FERPA, ACYFIM, Department of Education, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Health Licensing Code, Article 47 NAEYC.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CDA Credential OR
• NYS Certified Teacher Assistant OR
• Associate Degree in Education working towards a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Encourages a supportive and nurturing learning environment
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, written, and verbal communications skills
• Proficient with Google and Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, and Excel applications

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of two years experience working with preschoolers.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described below represent only some that must be met to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Walk, sit, stand, climb, balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Regularly lift and/or move up to forty pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to fifty pounds.
• Use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.[PG1] 

BENEFITS:

• DC 37 Union
• Competitive Health Insurance
• Retirement
• Life Insurance

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Three (3) reference checks
• Obtain mandated reporter training certificate (every two years) and other Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and Head Start Performance Standards (HSPS) training requirements.
• Ability to pass Comprehensive Background Clearance through
  • Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
  • Indentogo
  • Department of Education Fingerprinting Screening
  • NYS Central Registry
  • Sex Offender Registry Clearance
  • SEL check
  • Full physical examination with updated TB test, varicella, tdap, MMR (fees may apply)
• If hired, Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center requires all potential employees to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination.

It is the policy of BSECDC to provide educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, alienage and citizenship status, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex) or prior record of arrest or convictions (except as provided by law), and to maintain an environment free of discriminatory harassment, including sexual harassment, or retaliation, as required by civil rights law.

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