Infant/Toddler or Preschool Mentor Teacher

Excellent working environment includes:

• 23 Days of PTO and 14 Paid Holidays in your first year of employment
• Work with children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds; multi-cultural environment
• Family support - guaranteed parent involvement
• Training , retirement benefits and tuition assistance

Job Summary: Under the supervision of the Center Education Coordinator, this position is responsible for providing comprehensive services in compliance with program guidelines, policies and procedures. The Mentor Teacher is responsible for integrating the curriculum by creating lesson plans, developing individual learning plans to meet the needs of children, including observing, assessing, and documenting children’s progress. Also responsible for maintaining active supervision of children, providing ongoing communication with parents including home visits, parent conferences and other events. This position also provides structured coaching, mentoring, modeling and instruction based on new teacher mentoring modules to assigned staff.

Essential Functions (Not All Inclusive):

● Provide coaching, modeling, instruction and/or training to assigned teaching teams, individual teachers and classroom staff/volunteers based on new teacher mentor modules. Serve as a resource for teaching staff to assist in lesson plan development, authentic assessment, creative classroom strategies and effective problem solving. Implement the mentor modules to orientate new staff to the program’s policies, guidelines and performance standards.

● Provide comprehensive services for children birth to five years of age maintaining compliance of the program’s guidelines and performance standards (including MN Rule 3, Child & Adult Care Food Program), and strictly adhere to the highest standards of confidentiality and ethics when working with children, parents and peers.

● Create and implement detailed and comprehensive lesson plans using Creative Curriculum, which include child level goals to achieve measurable outcomes based on parent input, teacher observations and results of the program’s screening and assessment tools. Provide a balance of child centered activities and teacher directed activities in lesson plans, including, but not limited to, appropriate transition activities, health and nutrition lessons, and individualized activities to meet the developmental needs of each child.

● Observe, document, level and finalize each child’s development using the designated online assessment tool. Observe each child on a regular basis in all developmental domains to write specific goals to achieve measurable outcomes. Responsible for recording authentic observations and accurate documentation to track and achieve measurable child-level outcomes and established programmatic school readiness goals.

● Partner with parents to establish child goals and present results of the child’s progress towards meeting the goals using the program’s assessment tool to parents in a manner that is easy to understand. Assist parents by providing individualized strategies in order to continue curriculum learning in the home. Communicate with parents regarding the child’s overall development including the child’s successes and areas of needed improvement.

● Design a safe and developmentally appropriate learning environment ensuring active supervision is maintained at all times. Inspect the classroom, indoor and outdoor space daily ensuring that materials are safe. Remove or repair all unsafe equipment. Ensure appropriate health and safety practices are implemented. Conduct daily informal health checks of each child. Actively participate in all emergency drills.

● Focus on developing and implementing trauma-informed classroom supports. Utilize and follow the program’s social-emotional curriculum. Create opportunities for children to build trusting relationships within healthy boundaries. Model appropriate expression of feelings. Provide positive behavior supports with the understanding that behavior of children is a form of communication that can be shaped through the development of strong relationships with children, consistent expectations, natural consequences, and on-the-spot behavior replacement guidance.

● Teach skills using evidence-based strategies to enhance children’s social emotional development. Create a material-rich environment to stimulate social interactions among children. Establish consistent routines, rules and social expectations and have classroom materials that promote social emotional health. Model appropriate behavior and allow children to practice and implement new skills and language related to conflict resolution, sharing, and taking turns.

Requirements

Education & Experience:

● BA/BS Degree in Early Childhood Education or a degree in a related field with coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education

● Must meet current educational requirements as specified in the Head Start Act. Required to provide transcripts and/or certification.

● 1-year experience with Community Action Head Start or 2 years of experience in another Head Start program required.

● Minimum of 3 years experience working in Early Childhood Education required.

● Experience with Early Childhood Special Education preferred.

● Supervisory or mentoring experience preferred.

● Training experience in various early childhood topics preferred.

Abilities and Skills:

● Enjoy working with young children.

● Ability to effectively relate and communicate to people of varying multi-ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.

● Flexible and willing to work in a team teaching environment.

● Capable of using good judgment in daily teaching situations, and in interactions with staff, parents and community volunteers.

● Use a computer and related software applications.

Benefits

Department: Early Head Start and Head Start

Starting Salary Range: $26.10/hr - $29.35/hr or $26.70/hr - $30.05/hr (Bilingual)

Schedule: M-F, 40 Hours/Week, Seasonal or Full Year

Remote Capability: This position has 0% remote capability.

Posting Dates: 06/16/2024 - 06/28/2024

Location: 450 Syndicate St N, St Paul, MN 55104

Benefits: Community Action offers excellent benefits including generous paid time off (PTO), 14 paid holidays, health, dental & life insurance, retirement, employee discount programs and more.

Background Checks: Community Action conducts criminal background checks at the time of hire. Some positions require additional fingerprint and photo verification. Not all backgrounds are a barrier to employment.

Community Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against or harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or status with regard to public assistance.