Infant/Toddler Teacher Assistant
1 day ago
Watertown
Job DescriptionSalary: 15.50 Position Hours: 9am to 6pm (Full-Time) Position Overview: The Assistant Teacher supports the daily operations of the classrooms by assisting lead teachers, ensuring a safe and nurturing environment, and helping maintain compliance with New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) regulations. This role requires flexibility, strong communication skills, and a team-oriented mindset to support consistent routines and classroom consistency and predictability. The Assistant Teacher plays a key part in upholding expectations in the classroom, licensing regulations, and stepping in as the lead teacher during an absence. Key Responsibilities: Professional Expectations: • Serve as a positive role model for students and colleagues., • Maintain punctuality and a professional appearance., • Use respectful and appropriate language at all times., • Uphold student and staff confidentiality., • Punctual, and reliable: ensures classrooms retain consistency, • Support a nurturing classroom atmosphere through calm and respectful interactions., • Patience and positive attitude: Ability to interact with young children in a calm and supportive manner., • Treat all students fairly and with dignity., • Reacts calmly and in a poised manner to student behavior., • Encourage students to improve their sense of responsibility, self-discipline, cooperation and respect for others., • Actively contribute to a positive and inclusive school culture., • Attend required staff meetings and training sessions., • Demonstrates effective communication with all stakeholders; Ability to communicate concerns constructively with teachers or supervisors., • Observational skills: Ability to monitor children's behavior and identify potential developmental concerns, • Flexibility and adaptability: Willingness to adjust to changing situations and needs of children, • Teamwork: Collaborate effectively with the lead teacher and other staff members, • Strong work ethic, and ability to be trusted to lead a classroom in the absence of the lead teacher Classroom Support Duties: • Assist with the arrival, daily health checks, attendance, and dismissal of students., • Supervise children during classroom activities, transitions, playtime, and meals., • Perform basic caregiving tasks including diapering, toileting, handwashing, and snack preparation., • Maintain classroom cleanliness and follow the OCFS 3-step sanitation procedures., • Ensure refrigerators are operational and temperature logs are completed., • Support lead teachers with instructional materials and classroom organization., • Provide additional assistance to students under teacher supervision., • Monitor and report on student progress and behaviors as needed., • Promote social-emotional development by encouraging positive peer interactions and problem-solving skills., • Follow classroom routines and assist with activities such as naptime and transitions., • Maintain appropriate student-to-teacher ratios at all times., • Active supervision: must always know the number of children being supervised in the classroom at all times, • Next Up: Takes over the classroom responsibility when the lead teacher is absent., • Communication: Record all childs daily activities in the ProCare Engage App., • Student progress: Recording and reporting student progress to the teacher, • Student well-being: Looking after students who are upset, unwell, or have special needs, • Enforcing rules: Enforcing rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order, • Classroom preparation: Setting up learning centers, preparing materials for activities, organizing supplies, and ensuring the classroom is clean and safe., • Implementing lesson plans: Assisting the lead teacher in carrying out planned activities, including reading stories, singing songs, and facilitating group learning experiences., • Understand and adhere to all OCFS regulations., • Ensure the health and safety of all children at all times., • Collaborate positively with lead teachers and team members., • Participate in maintaining licensing and safety standards. Other Duties: • Some college coursework in early childhood development, • Experience working in an early childhood setting, • Demonstrates a respectful and unbiased approach when working with families from diverse backgrounds., • Manual dexterity and visual skills, • Auditory and verbal skills for communication, • Paid Snow Days, • Paid Holidays (6 out of the 12) in the year, • 401k, • 40 hours of sick time each year, accrued based on hours worked