Career Center

$13.85/hr, 40 hrs/wk, 41 wks/yr

NACOG Head Start offers tuition assistance, and standard work schedule of Mon – Fri, 7:30 am – 4 pm, and no weekends.  

POSITION SUMMARY:

In compliance with Federal Law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

The Teacher Aide directly works with all children in the classroom.  Assists the classroom Teacher in planning and implementing appropriate early childhood activities with the assistance of parent volunteers.  Works under the supervision of the Teacher and is responsible for temporary assignments of teacher duties as assigned by his/her supervisor, the Center Director or the Head Start Director.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly supervise and assist children in performing planned activities
• Actively participates in classroom operations. Assist Supervising Teacher in development of developmentally appropriate lesson plans that incorporate language development, pre-math skills, Individual Education Plan (IEP), Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and developmental assessment goals, demonstrate positive staff and child interactions. Assist with implementing appropriate room arrangement and classroom environment, setting goals and objectives, conducting on-going child assessment system including observation and, collection of work samples.  Assist in planning classroom activities and reinforce behavior management.
• Encourage parents to participate and volunteer in classroom and other Head Start Activities.
• Communicate with families on a daily basis.
• Maintain a clean and safe classroom.
• Attend and actively participate in staff meetings, training sessions, Child Development Associates (CDA)/ Early Childhood Education classes, and related career development classes.
• Actively participate in the recruitment of eligible Head Start children and families.
• Assist with (2) home visits per child each year.
• Assist with the planning and implementation of parent meetings and related parent activities.
• Assist with parent/teacher conferences ensuring that parents are kept informed about their child’s progress
• Participate in Head Start Family Style Meal Service program. Assist children in serving food, practicing appropriate table behavior, and good nutritional habits using CACFP guidelines.
• Supervise and monitor children on buses as a bus monitor, if applicable
• Maintain strict child confidentiality.
• Assists with children’s screenings and follow up activities including but not limited to audio, vision, height/weight, anemia, Individual Education Plans (IEP).
• Complete reports as assigned by supervisor with accuracy and timeliness.
• High tolerance for paperwork, documentation and meeting district and federal deadlines
• Works with center staff, when applicable, to ensure that the center is kept sanitary and within the local, state, and national health and safety regulations
• Travel within the NACOG region using own vehicle, including occasional overnight stays.
• Performs related duties, as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Education and/or Experience

Experience and training equivalent to High School Diploma or GED and six months experience working with preschool children.  Must meet all health and licensing regulations as prescribed by the Arizona Health Services Department.  Must enroll in and actively pursue Child Development Associate credentials (CDA) training upon employment to earn within 2 years of hire.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Must be self-motivated.  Preschool classroom experience or related experience necessary.  Must be able to communicate effectively in English in both verbal and written format.  Knowledge of Early Childhood Education.  Ability to maintain effective working relationships with people of varied social, cultural, and educational backgrounds.  Must be bondable.  Bilingual proficiency and/or experience working with multicultural setting preferred.

Other Skills and abilities

Must have the ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos demonstrating the ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.  Must be able to demonstrate the ability to write simple correspondence.  Must be effective presenting information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.  Must possess the ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10’s and 100’s.  Must have the ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance. Must be able to apply common sense understanding.  Must have the ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Certificates and Licenses

Obtain Department of Public Safety Fingerprint Clearance Card

Obtain Food Handlers Certification if required by the County Health Department

Obtain CPR and First Aide Certification

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met, or are encountered, by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel crouch, or crawl; and talk and hear.  The employee is occasionally required to sit and climb or balance.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.

About Nothern Arizona Council of Governments

For COVID 19 Information, please click on links to Letters for Parents and Staff below: Head Start has been a part of northern Arizona for over thirty years. The Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) administers the Program that has a service area of 27,000 square miles and includes the four counties of Apache, Navajo, Coconino, and Yavapai. The Program serves children zero to five years old who meet the required income guidelines. NACOG uses several program options to provide Preschool and Early Head Start services in 28 Northern Arizona communities on behalf of 1613 children. NACOG addresses the needs of enrolled children and families by using the Head Start Performance Standards and locally designed service delivery systems. The program utilizes a comprehensive approach in meeting the needs of enrolled children and provides them the opportunity to begin their school experience on equal footing with their more socially advantaged peers. This is done with the use of field management zones and a network of service area partnerships that address the extreme rural barriers confronted by our large geographic area, extreme weather conditions, and the lack of resour...ces. Head Start is federally funded through the Congressional Head Start Act, and is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. As Head Start enters the 21st century, a new national perspective and changes will have a major impact on established services.

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