Toddler Community Aftercare Guide at Childpeace Montessori School

Toddler Community Aftercare Guide

Job Description

The Toddler Community Aftercare Guide has the professional responsibility for establishing, maintaining and directing the Toddler Community aftercare hours rooted in AMI principles. The Guide is responsible for the well-being of the children while at school, being supportive and fostering appropriate relationships with parents and colleagues.

This is a fulltime salaried, exempt position.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Curriculum: Implements a Montessori approach to learning.

• Offers activities in alignment with Montessori principles, complimentary to the school-day environment.
• Prepares lesson plans, and shares development of each child (based on observations) with the school-day Guide.
• Supports the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of each child.
• Implements systems which promote the child’s physical independence.
• Regards each child without prejudice or favoritism.
• Maintains confidentiality of each child and family.
• Prepares a snack that follows school guidelines and protects children with allergies.

Care of the Environment: Maintains a prepared environment.

• Prepares the aftercare environment and activities to provide order, beauty, and variety of content that meets the developmental needs of the children.
• Establishes guidelines for use of materials and number of children that is complementary to the morning environment.
• Rotates materials as needed to engage and support the children.
• Maintains the cleanliness of the classroom and all outside, storage, and community spaces used by the children.
• Facilitates the children’s connection to care and maintenance of the environment.
• Coordinates with other aftercare staff each day to keep play areas organized after use, clean the kitchen, attend to laundry, and close the building.
• Contributes to communal upkeep to enhance the beauty of the entire school environment.

Classroom Management: Oversees the relationships of children and staff in aftercare.

• Gives clear and precise presentations for individuals and small and large groups of children.
• Communicates and manages behavioral standards appropriate to each child’s ability.
• Supports children’s skills of behavioral self-regulation. Uses positive phrasing and positive attitude when sharing expectations.
• Offers children language, modeling, and tools to support their skills of positive peer relationships, collaboration and conflict resolution.
• Orients and trains the aftercare assistant(s) to support the aftercare community.
• Supervises the aftercare assistants, offering consistent communication and job evaluations.
• Works with staff to supervise crossing to/from play spaces and to lead a safe and engaging play time.
• Uses established protocol for attendance, child schedule changes, and drop-in care hours.
  
  

Relationships with Parents:

• Advocates for the child’s positive development and a supportive relationship of trust between home and school in coordination with Classroom Guides.
• Adheres to professional protocol and school policies in all interactions with parents. Maintains professional boundaries, demonstrates awareness that one’s conduct is a reflection of the school environment, and uses good judgment when forming social connections with parents outside of the professional relationship.
• Checks email every work day, and coordinates with classroom guides regarding communication with parents of children enrolled in aftercare.
• Writes a description of each child enrolled in aftercare twice/yearly, and gives to the child’s morning guide in preparation for parent-teacher conferences.

Community Relations:

• Projects a positive and professional attitude when fulfilling staff responsibilities and implementing school policy.
• Keeps strong practice of communication with guides whose children are shared, via conversations, observation notes, emails and staff meetings.
• Communicates regularly with the Early Childhood Program Director about the health of the aftercare program.
• Communicates directly with the appropriate person any concerns or problems, adheres to all policies governing Childpeace, and implements the Childpeace Staff Charter.
• Attends all scheduled staff meetings and scheduled in-service meetings.
• Is prompt for all scheduled meetings, events and activities.
• Contributes to fundraising efforts and activities that support the school community.
• Encourages alumni, parent, and student relationships with the school.
• Maintains a professional appearance.

Professional Development:

• Reads the Staff Handbook and Family Handbook and agrees to adhere to all Childpeace Montessori School policies.
• Completes 16 hours of documented, relevant professional development each school year.
• Engages with professional organizations AMI/USA and OMA (yearly dues paid by Childpeace), and any others one wishes to join such as NAMTA and OAEYC. Reads periodicals and materials provided by these organizations and attends some of their workshops.
• Accumulates educational materials and seeks out development opportunities for the purpose of expanding oneself as a resource to the child and parents.
• Participates in staff meetings, sets aside time for peer observations, and helps create an atmosphere of respectful collegiality.
• Shares and receives suggestions and feedback with colleagues.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Job Supervision:

• The Early Childhood Program Director supervises this position, with input from the Classroom Guides. The Early Childhood Program Director will observe throughout the year, offer feedback, answer questions, and help set professional goals.
• Childpeace Director of Finance and Operations may be consulted for any questions related to human resources.
• HOS, supported by the Program Director, sets the schedule for yearly evaluation related to employment and makes all final decisions regarding employment.
• TC Aftercare Guide takes instruction and evaluation with appropriate professional demeanor.
• TC Aftercare Guide directly supervises the TC Aftercare Assistants. This includes setting clear expectations, coaching, mentoring, modeling, offering constructive feedback, and providing twice/yearly written evaluations with the approved evaluation form

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must have ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of employee or others. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• AMI Diploma for Assistants to Infancy
• A. or CDA preferred
• Knowledge of the developmental needs and tendencies of the child ages birth to three years.
• Experience with 1- to 3-year-old children preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Background Check/Enrollment in the Central Background Registry
• Food Handler Card
• CPR/First Aid
• Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect
• Prevention is Better than Treatment
• Professional development: Complete 16 hours of documented training each school year. All program staff must submit documentation to Oregon Registry Online.
• Participate in the Oregon Registry, and work toward a Step 9 or above.

JOB DUTIES OF EVERY EMPLOYEE:

• Maintains punctual, regular, and predictable attendance. Attends staff meetings and monthly in-service times as required.
• Works collaboratively in a team environment.
• Prioritizes a focus on the child’s experience at all times.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Professional appearance and demeanor.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Command of language rules and syntax are such that they are appropriately used in written and verbal communication and modeled for children in the classroom. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general education periodicals, professional journals, organizational procedures and regulations. Ability to write reports, parent correspondence, and procedural documents. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of parents, staff, and the general public. Ability to speak effectively with other employees, parents and children. Ability to write clearly in email, conference report, or other formats as required by the job.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may or may not be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• TC activities require frequent shifts between sitting, walking, standing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lying down.
• Must be able to run with children or run to them quickly as needed.
• Frequent reaching and use of hands, including to lift items under 10 pounds.
• Regularly able to lift a child who is under 50 pounds and assist with moving classroom furniture or materials.
• Close, distance, and peripheral vision are required for observing the children and ensuring their safety.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Position involves outdoor play in a variety of weather conditions.
• Noise level ranges from quiet to loud during normal activities.
• Environment includes walks with the clubroom group throughout the neighborhood.

About Childpeace:

Our staff work with hundreds of toddlers through adolescents in their educational journey every year. Childpeace’s classrooms offer a beautiful, vibrant environment in northwest Portland three blocks from the Willamette River near several urban parks, walking trails, and restaurants. Our school is located within several blocks of major bike and bus routes with many staff commuting by bike and bus. Childpeace supports our staff with a competitive salary structure and benefits package, a program rooted in AMI standards, a commitment to professional development, beautiful and well equipped classroom environments, strong administrative support, and a dynamic working community of Montessori professionals.

Childpeace values responsibility, educational excellence, love of learning, sustainability, and equity as important characteristics of our learning community. We strongly encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups, whose personal and professional experiences will help us work toward our vision to shape the future of our world through the cultivation of inquisitive minds and socially responsible young citizens. 

Childpeace Montessori School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, physical or mental ability, or any other status protected under local, state or federal laws in the admission of otherwise qualified students or in the administration of its educational policies or programs, hiring, or employment practices.