Infant/Toddler Teacher

The Early Head Start Teacher leads the classroom team in assessing and responding to the individual needs of Early Head Start participants and makes weekly contact to assess educational, health, nutrition, and social service needs and to enhance the parent(s) ability to meet those needs through the appropriate use of community resources. Essential Duties: * Communicates with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers in a positive manner, providing a supportive social and emotional climate. * Coordinates the scheduling of classroom activities, field trips, site observations, site committee meetings, and other relevant activities with the Center Director. * Models positive child-development practices. * Models developmentally appropriate practices. * Use positive methods of child guidance and will not engage in corporal punishment, emotional, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or humiliation. * No use of methods of discipline that involve isolation, the use of food as punishment or reward, or the denial of basic are not permitted under any circumstances. This includes: physical restraint, hitting, kicking, shaking, grabbing, pushing, pulling, lifting, dragging, jerking, swatting, twisting, squeezing, flicking/plucking, slapping, spanking, pinching, punching, scratching, biting, and any other physical force that intends or results in harm. * Makes at least two home visits and facilitates two parent/teacher conferences per year. Works within a team to inform and involve parents in their child's educational program. * Promotes parent-child bonding and nurturing parent-child relationship. Provides an environment of security and trust in infants and toddlers by establishing a caring and nurturing relationship. * Develops clear, reasonable, consistent, and age-appropriate rules and expectations for children. * Provides infants/toddlers with experiences and opportunities to develop curiosity, creativity, decision-making, and problem solving skills. * Respect and acknowledge childrens feelings by communicating with children in a positive manner and providing a supportive social and emotional climate, using Conscious Discipline techniques. * Uses feedback from CLASS observations to improve classroom environment. Develops an action plan when needed. * Serves as a liaison to the sub-committee of the Head Start Policy Council. Participates in Agency events and community affairs as requested. * Works with parents to strengthen the family's knowledge of child development which includes instruction about how children grow and learn, and information to meet their child's intellectual, physical, emotional, and social needs. * Ensures that parents are made aware of opportunities for program involvement. Assists other staff in coordinating those activities. * Is aware of resources in the community and makes appropriate referrals when needed. * Works within a team to communicate, monitor and follow-up on results of child assessments and evaluations to parents. * Participates in workshops, in-service training, and regular staff meetings. Shares information. * Assists in the implementation and adheres to Head Start Performance Standards and OCFS Regulations. * Actively seeks information on child development, parenting education, family functioning, and integrates into planning efforts. * Observes, records, and assesses individual child behavior, family functioning and family needs/strengths. Develops and implements an individual plan with each family to meet those needs. * Plans a comprehensive Early Head Start program for each family. * Integrates Early Head Start component goals and objectives into home visiting. * Plans and implements activities during home visits which address curriculum goals and assessed needs of children. * Refers children for special services as needed. * Keeps accurate and confidential home visit and family contact records. * Supports the involvement of