Apprenticeship-Early Childhood Educator at Urban Strategies

What You’ll Be Doing 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS   

• Be familiar with and adhere to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the State’s childcare licensing requirements, and agency’s policies and procedures.  
• Maintain an open, friendly, professional relationship with all staff and families, to include respect for culture, diversity, and ethnicity.  
• Ensure the safety of all children and staff by complying with written safety standards.  
• Ensure the confidentiality of practices. 
• Registering in an apprenticeship training program and complete 2,000 hours of on-the-job training within one year of the apprenticeship registration date. 

POSITION SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES    

• Provide teaching staff with breaks assigned by the supervisor.  
• Care for children in the before and aftercare program when applicable. 
• Establish and maintain a healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environment for children:  
• Conduct daily playground health and safety monitoring.  
• Set up and clean up the playground, daily. 
• Detect and report signs of illness, discomfort, and unusual behavior of children to Teachers or Family Advocates.  
• Follow the organizational process for complying with mandated reporting of suspected child abuse/neglect.  
• Keep classrooms, storage areas, and office space neat and clutter-free.  
• Follow all health and safety policies and procedures established by the program.  
• Report any safety hazards observed indoors and outdoors.  
• Keep direct supervision and safety of all children.  
• Create a pleasant, inviting atmosphere in which the child feels comfortable, supporting the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of children.  

• Practice Standards of Conduct and guidance techniques as defined in the Discipline Policy and Procedures.  

Curriculum/Assessment/Teaching and Learning Environment   

• Work collaboratively with assigned teachers on:  
• The planning and implementation of the curriculum and teaching experience.  
• Always ensure a nurturing and language-rich interaction and environment that facilitates maximum social and emotional development.  

Parent, Family & Community Engagement:   

• Provide an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces parental engagement. Modeling appropriate behavior and positive guidance techniques.  

Other tasks and responsibilities:   

• Assist with food services and classroom needs as requested.  
• Attend meetings, trainings, and appropriate professional development activities.  
• Assure general maintenance and security of the facility and assist with inventory of equipment and supplies.  
• Assist with classroom laundry.  
• Conduct daily routine cleaning that includes refilling and stocking classroom/restroom supplies.  
• Attend all Professional Development training required by the program. 
• Complete other related activities and duties assigned.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS   

Ability to see at a normal distance, hear normal conversations and sounds, and use hands and fingers to fill out required forms. Ability to lift infants and toddlers weighing up to forty (40) pounds, twenty (20) pounds overhead, and forty (40) pounds from waist to shoulder; occasional lifting of fifty (50) pounds is required and must be able to push/pull up to fifty pounds horizontally. Ability to sit on the floor, bend at the waist, kneel, and/or stoop 75% of the time.   

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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions as long as the staff disability does not create an undue risk of injury to any enrolled children in the classroom.