Head Start Teacher

Early Childhood Educator Responsibilities

• Curriculum Development: Designs and implements age-appropriate educational programs for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, ensuring they are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically inclusive.
• Regulatory Compliance: Adheres to all relevant program regulations, including Early Head Start, Head Start, CDE, First 5 LA, Title 5, and Title 22 Community Care Licensing requirements, as applicable.
• Child Safety & Supervision: Ensures constant supervision and well-being of children, maintaining compliance with standards of conduct and safety protocols.
• Classroom Maintenance: Maintains a clean, safe, and organized learning environment, ensuring all equipment is properly sanitized and in good condition.
• Parent & Family Engagement:
  • Conducts home visits as required by funding sources.
  • Observes and documents children’s development, shares insights with parents and staff, and collaborates to meet each child’s needs.
  • Provides daily communication to parents about their child’s physical care and progress, both verbally and in writing.
• Incident Reporting & Confidentiality:
  • Completes and submits incident reports as needed.
  • Maintains strict confidentiality regarding children and families, in compliance with HIPAA regulations and company policies.
• Attendance & Compliance Tracking:
  • Records and monitors daily attendance, health, and behavioral observations.
  • Reports suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate specialists or Family Service Workers.
• Professional Development:
  • Stays up to date with best practices in early childhood education through continued learning and professional development.
  • Utilizes data from DRDP outcomes and other assessments to tailor lesson plans for each child.
• Nutrition & Meal Services:
  • Follows family-style meal requirements and ensures meal counts are accurately recorded at the point of service.
• Child-Centered Approach:
  • Builds strong, nurturing relationships with children and families.
  • Conducts ongoing objective observations to track development, support assessments, and create individualized lesson plans.
  • Establishes an inclusive and accepting environment, celebrating the diverse personalities, cultures, languages, family structures, and developmental needs of each child.

Additional Responsibilities

• Completes special projects and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Head Start Teacher:

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field (preferred).
  • Minimum 24 ECE units from a four-year university.
  • Associate degree/equivalent required, with continued enrollment in a BA program.
• Certifications:
  • Valid First Aid & CPR certification or ability to obtain within the introductory period.

Early Head Start Teacher:

• Education:
  • Associate degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field (required).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field, with 24 ECE units from a four-year university (preferred).
• Experience:
  • Prior experience working with infants and toddlers (preferred).
  • Minimum three semester units in infant and toddler development, with an additional three units required within the first year of employment.