Preschool Teacher Assistant - Orono Public Schools

What this job is

Discovery Kids, the childcare program inside Orono Public Schools, is hiring a full-time Teacher Assistant. You'd work alongside a Lead Teacher in the classroom, helping kids play, learn, and hit their milestones.

You do not need a teaching license or a college degree for this job. You need experience working with young kids in some kind of early childhood setting, references who will vouch for you, and the ability to show up Monday through Friday. If that's you, keep reading.

The schedule is steady: 40 hours a week, weekdays only. No weekends, no closing shifts, no schedule that changes every week.

Pay and Benefits

Pay: $15.75 to $17.35 per hour, depending on your experience. Plus a 1% incentive payment on top of your wages.

This is a school district position, and it carries school district benefits:

• Health insurance: the district pays 90% of the premium if it's just you, 75% if you're covering a partner or your family. At this wage level, that's worth thousands of dollars a year that most employers make you pay yourself.
• Dental: 100% paid by the district
• Life insurance equal to a year of your pay: 100% paid by the district
• Disability insurance if you can't work: 100% paid by the district
• A pension. This job is covered by PERA, Minnesota's retirement plan for public employees. The district pays into it alongside you, and it builds toward guaranteed income when you retire. Retail, restaurants, and private daycares almost never offer this.
• Real time off: 10 vacation days and 11 paid holidays a year. Yes, a childcare aide job with paid vacation.

Add it up and the full package is worth well more than the hourly number suggests.

What you'd actually do

• Get down on the floor and play. Games, art, blocks, books, structured activities that help kids grow.
• Help your Lead Teacher set up learning centers in the morning and reset them at the end of the day
• Keep the room safe, clean, and organized
• Prepare and serve snacks following state health and licensing rules (we'll train you on these)
• Be a friendly, familiar face for families at drop-off and pick-up
• Keep what you see and hear about kids and families confidential and treat every family with respect
• Join staff meetings and paid training that builds your skills

A note on the program: Discovery Kids is NAEYC Accredited and holds a 4-Star Parent Aware rating, the highest quality marks in early childhood. For you, that means an organized, well-run workplace with clear routines, not chaos. It also means experience here carries real weight on your resume.

What you need

Required:

• Experience working with young children in an early childhood setting, with solid professional references
• Organization and flexibility. Preschool days move fast.
• A commitment to confidentiality and to treating all kids and families with respect
• Availability to work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday