Preschool Assistant Teacher

Job Description

Job Description

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF JOB 

The Montessori Assistant Teacher serves as a guide, effectively communicating with children, parents, and staff. This role requires providing quality, nurturing care to infants, toddlers, and preschool children enrolled in the school. The Assistant Teacher must demonstrate skills to address developmental needs and help direct children academically, emotionally, and physically within a prepared Montessori environment. The role includes adapting to student and community needs, fostering positive interactions with teacher assistants, students, and parents, assisting in Montessori teacher training, ensuring a safe and clean environment, and participating in special events and assisting the Lead Teacher.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

1. Employee Policies/ Parent Handbook:
   • Full knowledge and understanding of St. Mary’s Montessori School parent and employee policies, handbooks, and procedures. Full knowledge and understanding of State of California: Department of Social Services Title 22 regulations.

2. Students:

• Customer Service: Consistently meet teacher responsibilities related to customer service, guiding, and nurturing the development of infant, toddler, and preschool students.
• Prepared Environment: Provide a prepared environment with identifiable activity routines, facilitating activity transitions and constantly observing students.
• Montessori Principles: Demonstrate working knowledge and application of Montessori principles/philosophy.
• Daily Schedule: Use a daily schedule based on Montessori ideals, acting as a reference and exemplar for students.
• Learning Environment: Create an environment that fosters and showcases Montessori learning.
• Kindergarten Readiness: Maintain knowledge of local primary expectations for kindergarten readiness, guiding the learning process accordingly.

3. Parent Relations: 

• Confidentiality: Recognize and respect parent/student confidentiality.
• Positive Interaction: Interact with parents positively and in a friendly manner.
• Feedback: Provide parents with basic daily feedback.
• Parental Involvement: Encourage parental involvement and support the student’s relationship with their family by appreciating student’s families as part of the Montessori program and incorporating family culture into student experiences.

4. Care : 

• Supervision: Maintain constant supervision of students, attend to students in distress, and ensure safety during activities.
• Positive Discipline: Use positive Montessori discipline techniques.
• Supportive Interaction: Interact with students supportively, using their names and a calm tone of voice.
• Policy Adherence: Follow policies, procedures, and regulatory standards for student activities.
• Reporting: Report signs of illness, injury, or abuse to the Head of School and take appropriate emergency action.
• Sanitary Standards: Maintain sanitary standards for self and students.

5. Other Staff Duties: 

• Collaboration: Collaborate with the Lead Teacher during sanitizing and prep time.
• Child Greeting: Ensure each child is warmly greeted upon arrival.
• Environment Maintenance: Maintain a safe, clean caregiving environment, practicing good hygiene and ensuring the well-being and safety of all children.
• Positive Attitude: Maintain a positive, calm attitude and a pleasant, soothing voice, modeling this for parents and others.
• Training and Meetings: Attend all training opportunities, staff meetings, and professional development activities.
• Organized Environment: Maintain a neat, well-organized, and attractive prepared environment consistent with Montessori pedagogy.
• Parent Relationships: Develop effective relationships with parents, providing opportunities to discuss and understand the child’s progress and encouraging bonding with the class and school community.
• Regular Attendance: Consistently and regularly attend work as scheduled.
• Additional Duties: Complete other duties as assigned by the Head of School.
• Facility Maintenance: Supervise facility clean-up and maintenance of student areas, both interior and exterior. 

Employees may be assigned additional duties and responsibilities beyond their job description as needed. These duties may vary from time to time. Such assignments are expected to be within the employee's skills and capabilities and contribute to their professional development.

Salaried employees are required to maintain a valid, one-year, employment agreement with St. Mary’s Montessori School.

1. EDUCATION / WORK EXPERIENCE: 

The MINIMUM required to qualify for this position. 

• 12 ECE units.
• Coursework in child development.
• One year of experience in an early childhood program. 

1. SPECIALIZED TRAINING AND/OR LICENSING: 

• Required licenses, certificates, or specialized ongoing training (e.g., CPR, ECE units, law enforcement clearance).
• Training and experience necessary to develop supportive relationships with young children.

1. ABILITIES AND SKILLS: 

Special abilities the position requires. 

• Work independently with minimal supervision.
• Flexible and adaptable to constant change.
• Strong tact and diplomacy; ability to interact and work cooperatively with students, parents, and staff.
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and plan work activities independently.
• Effective communication skills, both orally and in writing.
• Initiative to develop and maintain communication and relationships with parents and others.
• Knowledge and skill in instructional principles, methods, and techniques of the Montessori program.
• Skill in obtaining, clarifying, and exchanging information.
• Skill in classroom management with guidance from the Lead Teacher/Assistant Director.
• Skill in handling student discipline.
• Ability to serve as a role model and treat students as individuals professionally.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a diverse setting.
• Ability to fully participate as a team member in a professional learning community.
• Ability to embrace and incorporate Montessori philosophy guidance.

1. MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The mental discipline and physical requirements that occur regularly in performing the job duties. 

• Reading/interpreting • Customer service • Hearing/Talking/Seeing

instructions • Reasoning/judgment • Pushing/pulling 

• Language skills • Carrying • Repetitive motion

• Detailed work • Standing • Reaching 

• Training • Driving • Walking

• Confidentiality • Kneeling/Crouching/Crawl • Sitting

• Math • Attendance • Lifting 10-40 lbs.

• Problem-solving • Squatting • Speaking 

1. EXPOSURE TO: 

• Moderate hazards 

• Childhood illnesses 

• Heat/cold 

• Noise 

1. SUPERVISION: 

The amount of supervision this position requires: Limited supervision. 

1. ANALYSIS & DECISION MAKING: 

Examples of typical decisions and/or recommendations this position makes. 

1. Determine responses to parental inquiries.

2. Recommend Staffing needs 

3. Make recommendations of Staff performance reviews 

4. Communicate issues and problems with the Administration and H.R.

5. Inform the supervisor of any requests or actions violating the parent handbook, employee manual/policies, and procedures.

1. IMPACT: 

• Positive interaction with parents enhances the school's reputation; negative interaction can result in loss of trust and enrollment.
• Good decisions benefit students’ well-being and education; poor decisions can negatively impact students and cause parental concerns.
• Effective training and orientation can facilitate a positive start for students; poor interaction can lead to staff problems and poor student supervision. 

1. CONTACT WITH OTHERS: 

Parents Regularly 

Government/state Agencies Rarely 

Management Regularly 

Staff Regularly 

Students Regularly 

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Assistant Teacher

Lead Teacher