Early Childhood Teacher Aide

Job Description

Job Description

Summary:

The ECE Teacher Aide supports the Lead Teacher in implementing developmentally appropriate early learning practices, with a focus on emergent literacy and language development in an early childhood classroom. The role also assists in fostering a family literacy environment that empowers parents as their first teacher.

Essential Duties :

• Promoting emergent literacy through play-based activities, reading, music, and language-rich interactions.
• Supporting children's learning via developmentally appropriate practices.
• Assisting during Interactive Literacy Activity (ILA) sessions involving parents and children.
• Helping children develop positive health habits, manners, and appropriate social relationships.
• Supporting ECE teachers in empowering parents to serve as both teachers and learners for their children.
• Encouraging language-rich interactions within families.
• Assisting families in creating text-rich home environments.
• Helping parents understand their own developmental needs and those of their children.
• Ensuring the cleanliness and hygiene of all children at all times.
• Supervising the general welfare and safety of children continuously.
• Assisting with lunch, snacks, self-help skills, transitions, and daily classroom routines.
• Supporting early childhood assessments through daily observations and documentation of developmental progress.
• Performing light housekeeping duties.
• Maintaining classroom equipment, materials, and supplies to ensure a safe and organized environment.
• Pursuing professional growth by attending required trainings and workshops.
• Attending all assigned program staff meetings.
• Adhering to and reinforcing the program's philosophy, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrating knowledge of and compliance with Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and Keystone STARS guidelines.
• Collaborating cooperatively with all program staff.
• Performing other tasks as assigned.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Minimum of one year of experience working with children.

• Strong communication skills, including active listening, clear written expression, and effective verbal communication.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a demonstrated capacity to identify alternative solutions and resolve issues effectively.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to evaluate the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and select the most appropriate course.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to operate effectively within established systems and work independently to complete tasks.
• Innovative mindset, with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities for process improvement and implementing creative solutions to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
• Commitment to confidentiality, with a clear understanding of the importance of protecting sensitive information and restricting its dissemination.
• Effective time management skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks and complete assignments within established deadlines.
• Proficient computer skills, including data entry into databases, spreadsheet manipulation, and word processing functions (e.g., creating, formatting, editing, printing, saving, and retrieving documents).
• Knowledge of conflict resolution principles, including recognition of different conflict styles and stages, as well as effective strategies for de-escalating and resolving disputes.

All applicants will be required to take and pass a drug screen prior to hiring.