Preschool Instructional Assistant

We are seeking a Part-time Instructional Assistant to join our Head Start program!

This is a Part-time position up to 19 hours weekly, but not guaranteed. 

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 an Instructional Assistant. Your main responsibilities will be to support classrooms where there are children who need additional support and attention due to behavioral, health, or disability related challenges. You will also collaborate with the teaching team to support children by utilizing the protocols created in response to their behavioral, health or disability needs, supporting the child throughout the day by fostering inclusion in all activities.

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

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Instructional Assistant 1: High School diploma or GED.
• Instructional Assistant 2: CDA or 1 Year Early childhood Certificate.
• Minimum of one year of experience working with young children.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Driver qualifications are required for this position. Valid driver license, insured vehicle available for use on the job, and a satisfactory drive record for the previous three years are required.
• Successful registration with the Central Background Registry of the Child Care Division.
• CPR/First Aid Certification or the ability to obtain within 60 days of hire.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment physical examination, renewable every two years.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment and random drug screenings.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Possess knowledge of child development.
• Understand inclusion practices in an early childhood education environment.
• Ability to assess challenging situations in order to provide support during unexpected situations.
• Possess knowledge of de-escalation strategies to use during high needs situations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 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.

• Responds to school requests for focused support in high need situations.
• Provides individual support to assigned children that are reflective of the childs goals and needs based on supervisor direction and written plans.
• Provides support to assigned child/children, throughout the day, including indoor/outdoor activities, group time, free choice time, meals, bathroom routines, and bus transitions, as needed. Support can be delivered one-on-one, or small groups.
• Monitors childrens interactions to prevent or promptly address any concerns that may arise, including behavioral incidents.
• Participates in home visits, conferences, or other conversations with parents to articulate childrens challenges, progress, and to seek parent input, as needed.
• Works collaboratively with family and team to create a skill building plan and discuss individual supports that can provided.
• Document frequency of behaviors to provide supporting data.

Teamwork, Collaboration, and Documentation

• Maintains on-going documentation of communications with parents in ChildPlus.
• Documents the assigned childs progress each day and providing examples.
• Shares observations and insight with teaching team.
• Complies with MWVCAA safety and personnel policies, including punctuality and attendance.

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.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to move about the workspace.
• Ability to reach and/or extend to access materials or equipment.
• Occasional driving in all weather conditions to sites in Polk and Marion counties.
• Ability to quickly evacuate children from the classroom in an emergency.
• Ability to calmly manage frequent demands for time and attention.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Mostly indoor classroom and bus riding environment.
• Frequent outdoor supervision of children and monitoring pick up/drop off.
• Occasional exposure to cleaning chemicals, creative substances such as paints.
• Occasional exposure to body fluids/biohazards (such as saliva, vomit and urine).

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. If you require any assistance in the application process, or reasonable accommodations to perform the essential duties of the position, please notify a member of our team at View phone number on click.appcast.io.