Teacher FSA - Adams

POSITION TITLE: Teacher FSA - Adams
SUPERVISOR: Education Coordinator

DEPARTMENT: Education

SALARY:   Per ECEA CBA (New) Bachelor's Degree $45,128 - $65,436 Teaching Certification ZA/ZN/ZS $47,949 - $79,115 220-day calendar

GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:
The Lead Teacher/Family Services Advocate will work with Family Services and the entire team to support child development and positive outcomes for children and families through compliance with the Head Start Performance Standards. This individual will serve as the lead. This position plans and implements a healthy, safe, and developmentally appropriate learning environment for preschool children that promotes developmental gains toward the attainment of kindergarten readiness skills as defined in the Head Start Program Performance Standards. This position also serves as a social service referral person and shares responsibility for parent involvement in the program. Will support parent engagement and build partnerships with families and community resources. They will provide family intervention strategies, coordinate and/or facilitate program services, and monitor the family’s progress in achieving identified goals. The Lead Teacher/ Family Service Advocate will maintain accurate data. The position may be reassigned to various classrooms/centers as deemed necessary for program operations. The position may serve as “program director” for child care licensing purposes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The duties of the position are described in the major functional areas listed below. Additional duties may be assigned.

Family Service Advocate
1. Family Support and Intervention: In cooperation with other team members, works with families through home visits and in other appropriate settings to provide a written family needs assessment and develop and implement a family partnership agreement. Implements strategies to help the family identify strengths, address concerns, navigate challenges, and achieve goals. Conducts referrals and follow-ups to ensure families’ progress in achieving goals. Refers families for emergency or crisis assistance.
2. Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance: Identifies, recruits, and enrolls children for the Head Start program, including children with disabilities. Ensures full enrollment at all times, maintains a waiting list, and supports the transition of children into and out of the program. Works with other Managers and other program staff to analyze patterns of child absences and initiate appropriate family support procedures when necessary. Assists with outreach activities as needed.
3. Health/ Disability Requirements: Coordinates with other program staff and community agencies to assist families in meeting program disability/health requirements. Assists parents in finding a medical home, arranging transportation, and sending appointment reminders. Understands and ensures the completion of medical, health, dental, and disability requirements in the program. Attends IEP meetings as requested.
4. Family Involvement – Works with parents to promote participation in local Head Start parent programming as defined by the team. Displays initiative and positive results in organizing, scheduling, facilitating, and presenting at these functions. Provides resources to families as appropriate. Leads, trains, and provides support to officers to ensure that parent club meetings
run smoothly.

5. Family Engagement - Build collaborative partnerships between families, schools, and communities to support student learning, well - being, and development through compliance with the Head Start Performance Standards. Establish and maintain positive relationships with families, staff, and community partners, acting as a liaison to increase engagement and trust.
6. Event Coordination - Plan and implement school-wide workshops, meetings, and family events to enhance parent education and engagement.
7. Community Collaboration: Advocates in the community for Head Start and families. Is accessible to the community by attending committee and/or collaborative meetings, including round-ups, partnerships, collaborations, community events, open houses, and individual enrollments. Builds community collaborations that support the growth and development of children and families. Coordinates appropriate referrals to community agencies for family support and intervention.
8. Team and Peer Support: Acts as an integral part of the team, effectively utilizing the process of communication. Participates with all team members in fulfilling program performance standards. Shares program information with teachers to meet individual family needs.
9. Recordkeeping: Maintains accurate and up-to-date records, files, and reports. Sends for necessary documentation, tracks health and dental requirements, and submits required paperwork in an organized and timely manner. Records, monitors, and follows up on referrals. Enters Child Plus data in a timely manner. Tracks Family Partnership efforts and outcomes. Maintains and provides data for the annual Program Information Review (PIR).
10. Understands, generates, and documents in-kind and other allowable costs applied toward the non-federal share requirement.
11. Attends all required training and workshops, including online training and cluster meetings.
12. Remains up-to-date on information that pertains to the needs of the children in the program, including Head Start Performance Standards, Michigan child care licensing regulations, and other applicable regulations and practices.

Preschool Program Implementation
1. Participates in the delivery of Head Start services as defined by Head Start Performance Standards and Saginaw ISD Head Start Operational Procedures.
2. Establishes a safe, healthy, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate learning environment for children between the ages of birth and five years old with all abilities.
3. Ensures that learning environments are safe from hazards, free from clutter, and allow for visibility of children by utilizing the Daily Health and Safety Checklist.
4. Fosters self-esteem, self-direction, self-control, and school readiness skills with preschool children by using positive methods and modeling and participating in curriculum development and implementation.
5. Supports social and emotional development and provides positive guidance and discipline, including the ability to support and guide students with challenging behaviors using developmentally appropriate practices.
6. Complies with program curriculum, curriculum overlays and supplemental curriculum, State of Michigan Licensing for child care centers and the Head Start Program Performance Standards
7. Screenings, observes and assesses children’s development on a regular basis, analyzes data and makes plans or referrals specific to the needs of the individual child.
8. Participates in recruitment activities and transportation services.
9. Keeps up to date on Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
10. Supervises and eats nutritionally prepared meals with the children as a curriculum activity to model good nutrition and proper social skills.
11. Staff may be asked to cover other classrooms to meet licensing ratios.

Record Keeping
1. Submits weekly/monthly paperwork and progress reports to the supervisor as scheduled.

2. Supervises or orders supplies as needed and takes inventory as requested.
3. Maintains budget for Parent Club.
4. Maintains child records.
5. Gathers and maintains individual, family, and classroom data for documentation, screening, ongoing assessment, evaluation, and record-keeping for successful individual and program planning.
6. Understands, generates, and documents in-kind and other allowable costs applied toward the non-federal share requirement.
7. Collects and analyzes information to find new solutions to challenges as part of ongoing monitoring in order to continuously improve services.

Professional Development
1. Attends all required training and workshops, including online training and cluster meetings as required by Head Start and State Licensing.
2. Remains up-to-date on information that pertains to the needs of the children in the program, including Head Start  Performance Standards, Michigan child care licensing regulations, and other applicable regulations and practices.
3. Keeps up to date on Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
4. Maintains knowledge of the regulations associated with the prevention of occupational disease and injury, including the exercise of universal precautions and the prevention of contamination.
5. Able to work with children at all levels of development.
6. Maintains professional certification that the employee was hired with or obtained to meet Head Start and ISD standards.
7. Successfully completes and maintains basic First Aid and CPR certification and required licensing training.
8. Actively participates in opportunities for continuous professional development.

Parent Involvement and Community Relations:
1. Facilitates and supports monthly Parent Club meetings at the center.
2. Schedules and arranges meetings and documents parent-teacher conferences and home visits as required.
3. Writes a monthly classroom newsletter that provides center and classroom news.
4. Models, mentors, and supervises all classroom volunteers, including parents, assigned in cooperation with the position with the responsibility for program volunteers.
5. Works closely with the local school system(s), as appropriate, for shared activities, registration, and smooth transition.
6. Supports family safety, health, financial stability, life goals, and aspirations.
7. Facilitates networks and group activities that support families’ strengths, interests, and needs.
8. Supports families in using community resources that enhance family well-being and children’s learning and development.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Direct supervision means that employees take the position, direct, and evaluate the duties. This position is the first step for conflict resolution.

Positions supervised:
● Associate Teacher
● Program Support Aide in the classroom (if applicable)
● Classroom Volunteers (if applicable)

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of social work, human behavior, customer service delivery, and health services available in the Saginaw area. Knowledge of computer data entry processes, filing, and record keeping. Must have knowledge of family-centered practices. Knowledge of local resources, customs, and language is helpful.

● Exercises professional judgment in evaluating before making decisions.
● Computer data entry functions.
● The ability to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to Head Start children, families, and staff in accordance with established policies, procedures, and other legal requirements, i.e., FERPA and HIPAA.
● Possess a valid driver’s license and have minimum automobile coverage required by the state of employment. To drive agency vehicles (if applicable), must be insurable by the Saginaw ISD Head Start insurance carrier.
● To read, analyze, and interpret reports, regulations, and periodicals. Write reports, business correspondence, and manuals.  Present information and respond to questions.
● To add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure.
● Extensive knowledge and skills in the field of early childhood development.
● Extensive computer knowledge of Word and Excel. Also, the ability to access e-mail and knowledge of ChildPlus and Teaching Strategies Gold and/or willingness to learn programs as needed.
● Knowledge of basic supervision.
● Ability to use Active Supervision strategies to keep children safe by: Setting up the environment to be able to see children around the room at all times, positioning yourself to see and hear all children in your care, counting and using Face to Name while transitioning in and out of the classroom, listening for potential danger, anticipating children’s behavior to predict what the child will do next, and engaging and redirecting to assist the children and help solve problems.
● Knowledge of state and federal regulations pertaining to child abuse and neglect reporting and child care licensing requirements.
● Ability to demonstrate extensive knowledge, skills, and a positive attitude in the field of early childhood education.
● Ability to exhibit patience and tact when communicating with children, families, staff, management, referral sources, and the public.
● Ability to project professionalism in conducting daily activities.
● Knowledge of basic food preparation, serving, and sanitation procedures.
● Ability to follow directions and take initiative.
● Ability to engage in mutually respectful goal-oriented partnerships with families to promote parent-child relationships and family well-being.
● Respect and respond appropriately to the culture, language, values, and family structures of each family served.
● Enhances the parent-child relationship and supports the parents’ role as the first and lifelong educators of their children.
● Acts as a member of a comprehensive services team so that family service activities are coordinated and integrated throughout the program.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Acceptable tuberculosis screening results, a clear criminal records check, an initial health exam, and a drug screen are required post-job offer and prior to employment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS
● Travel time is required to make contact with families and agencies.
● Some evenings and weekend work may occasionally be required for events such as home visits, parent-teacher conferences, Parent Club meetings, social and community events.

● Travel by car, bus, airplane, or train may be required for attendance at conferences, meetings, or other duties at distant locations, in and out of state. In some cases, overnight travel may be required.
● Exposure to communicable diseases.
● Noise levels in the work environment may be moderate to loud.
● Riding the bus may be required.

This position works in a preschool classroom with child-sized furniture and seating. The position requires sitting in child-sized chairs and on the floor; adverse driving conditions; bending; stretching; extended sitting; extended standing; stair climbing; kneeling; crouching; reaching; fine and gross motor skills; coordination of hands-fine and gross; eye/hand/foot coordination; visual memory and discrimination; auditory memory and discrimination; reading and writing ability; judgment; simple and 
complex decision making; and lifting up to 75 pounds. This position is covered by the OSHA Final Rule  such as head lice. This position is a mandated reporter of child abuse/neglect and must have a Department of Human Services child abuse and neglect clearance. Personal qualifications require emotional maturity, a willingness to cooperate with the program's aims, respect for children and adults, flexibility, patience, good personal hygiene, and physical and mental health that does not interfere with responsibilities. Also, education or experience in collaborating with parents in the education of their children.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor or Advanced Degree in Early Childhood Education or Bachelor’s and coursework equal to a major in Early Childhood Education with experience teaching preschool. ZA or ZS endorsement is strongly preferred. Must be willing to obtain  Administrative training within six months of employment. Previous experience working with young children, preferably preschool. Bilingual (English/Spanish) abilities. Previous case management experience with young children & families and previous supervision experience preferred. Must be willing and able to obtain Basic First Aid and CPR Certification and maintain certification. Acceptable tuberculosis and drug screening results, a clear criminal records check, and an initial health exam are required after the job offer and prior to employment. Current and former Head Start employees, students, and parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION

Saginaw Intermediate School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, disability, age, or national origin in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of Human Resources
Saginaw Intermediate School District
Email:  [email protected] Web: www.sisd.cc