ABOUT COMMUNITY PROGRESS COUNCIL:

Community Progress Council invites you to be part of its team of dedicated professionals who work to help low income individuals and families reach self-sufficiency. Our workforce of 240 employees is mission-driven to provide client-centered, coordinated services by building trusting relationships with those in need.

Community Progress Council is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization to serve our community. CPC works to ensure all staff have the knowledge, values, and skills to empower clients and one another - respecting and welcoming each person's unique experiences and cultural differences.

As the community action agency of York County, CPC offers services in more than 20 locations throughout the county. We provide our neighbors with opportunities in early childhood education, nutrition counseling, workforce development, housing and financial education and our Self-Sufficiency Program, all which support low-income individuals toward their goal of achieving financial stability.

*This position and others are currently offered as remote work positions due to Covid-19 pandemic. Employees hired for remote work will be provided with technology necessary to perform work activities from home.

SUMMARY: To provide a successful, safe and supervised educational setting for children while they are in the Head Start environment (classroom, outdoors and  field trips); To promote the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of Head Start children; To develop individual goals for children, provide on-going assessment on progress and facilitate transition from Early Head Start into Head Start, other community preschool, or home and from Head Start into kindergarten; To mentor the assistant teacher; To encourage and engage parent involvement and program volunteers in all aspects of the program.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with diverse individuals, including children, families, co-workers, and staff in related agencies and the general public;
• Demonstrate knowledge of Early Childhood theory, child development, developmentally appropriate practices and behavior management, and responsive caregiving,
• Develop and maintain a clean, safe and positive classroom environment that facilitates respect, active learning, group management, self-expression, cultural responsibility, child-initiated learning and responsive caregiving, provide an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces parental involvement and parent child bonding and attachment;
• In collaboration with parents and other teaching staff, plan and prepare for developmentally appropriate learning experiences and routines for children, in accordance with the program curriculum, designed to stimulate problem-solving, language acquisition, experimentation, social development, group cooperation, self-esteem, cultural pride, independence, intellectual and physical development, aesthetic and sensory awareness, and awareness of feelings;
• Prepare classroom materials prior to the children's arrival to support developmentally appropriate experiences within written lesson plans; adapt and change learning centers, including rotating materials, to address and meet individual and group needs, special needs, specific interests, strengths, and concerns;
• Conduct parent conferences and home visits to share and gain information on children's progress (assessment), needs, and interests; with parents, utilize assessment information to design and implement an individualized plan for education for each child that includes educational goals with strategies for school and for home; facilitate parent understanding and skills in working with their child;
• Assess physical, social, emotional and cognitive development and learning readiness of children using assigned tools, sharing results with parents; collaborate with parents, other program staff, and community agencies to plan and implement an individual plan for each child to meet child's special needs at school and at home;
• Prepare and maintain required paperwork: lesson plans, daily observations of children (anecdotal records), children's education records, attendance reports, medication log, meal counts, toileting/diapering, health checks, contact sheets and other documents and records; update and maintain files and records; review paperwork, files and records completed by Assistant Teachers for completion, accuracy and for meeting deadlines;

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's degree (B. A.) in Early Childhood, Child and Family Studies  plus one year related work experience with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers preferred; or Associate's degree (A.A.) in the same fields with two years related experience with pregnant women, infants and toddlers.