Substitute Teacher

Substitute Teacher Job Description

Little Sharks Learning Center

Job Overview: We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Substitute Preschool Teacher to join our educational team. A preschool substitute teacher steps in to provide continuity in early childhood education when regular teachers are absent. This role involves implementing lesson plans left by the primary teacher, managing classroom activities, and ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for young children, infants to 5 years old and potentially after school. The substitute must quickly adapt to different classroom settings and maintain order while fostering a positive learning atmosphere. Effective communication with other staff and providing timely feedback about the day's events are also key responsibilities. This job requires patience, adaptability, and a genuine passion for early childhood education, along with relevant qualifications and background checks.

Criteria:

• Must be 21 years or older
• Have a fun, flexible, kind & caring heart towards children and others.
• Desire to pour into the young lives of our future generation, through developmentally appropriate practices.
• Background in working with children.
• Able to pass background & fingerprint screening, as well as, a drug test.
• Ability to work well with others.
• Ability to follow daily routines and lesson plans.
• Complete the mandatory DCF requirements and hours.
• CPR & First Aid Certification.

Purpose: To maintain the classroom in the teacher’s absence. You will be providing a warm and nurturing environment in which the child can feel safe in lue of the teacher's absence, and grow physically, emotionally and intellectually.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Policies, Professionalism and Procedures

• Organizes the group's environment and takes responsibility for maintaining it, including general upkeep.
• Practices personal health and safety procedures throughout the day.
• Maintains proper sanitation in the classroom.
• Practices effective hand washing.
• Initiates conversation about good nutrition.
• Enforces safety rules.
• Notifies leadership team of count or if out of ratio.
• Sits with class to eat and serves in a relaxed atmosphere.
• Helps maintain a meal roster.
• Willing to make changes in approach.
• Flexible in job assignment and cooperative with leadership team and other team members.
• Involves group in general upkeep and tidiness.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Dresses appropriately according to dress code.
• Exhibits flexibility with other team members.
• Maintains a positive attitude toward work, coworkers, children, and families.
• Is able to follow the general center routine.
• Helps maintain classroom arrangement to encourage children to participate.
• The use of television, films and video tape is limited in ages 3 , and prohibited in ages 2 and under.
• Plans include provision for children who do not wish to participate in a particular activity.
• Come into training, prior to assisting in a classroom.

Parent Interaction

• Has consistent professional, child/work-related, and positive interaction with all parents.
• Consistently follows the pick-up procedures.
• Reads communication log sheets consistently each day.
• Completes needed daily reports and incident reports.
• Communicates with a First Aid/Meds person regarding all accidents and illnesses.
• Interaction is usually child/work related and positive.

Interaction with Children

• Classroom and day is child oriented.
• Classroom activities encourage the development of language skills.
• Incorporates open-ended questions on a daily basis.
• Children have opportunities to talk about their experiences and engage in conversation.
• Describes objects and events and adds to what the child says.
• Read books and poems to children.
• Accepts and encourages pre-writing efforts (scribbling, drawing, copying, and inventive spelling).
• Encourages thinking, reasoning, and self-expression.
• Accepts/respects children’s questions.
• Encourages children to express possible solutions/answers.
• Has frequent and positive interaction with children.
• Assists in transition into group setting.
• Engage in meaningful conversation.
• Speaks to the child at child’s level (bends low).
• Upon arrival and throughout the day initiates contact with all children.
• Demonstrates affection by smiling, appropriate touching, and speaking in a calm voice.
• Is an example before the children.
• Balances time spent with each child.
• Helps to promote cooperative and positive social behavior among children.
• Plans activities that encourage cooperation rather than competition.
• Acknowledges sharing, caring and helping.
• Creates spaces for children to work and play together.
• Assists children with entering a play situation.
• Assists children in problem solving.
• Helps a child understand the actions of another.
• Plans activities that encourage cooperation rather than competition.
• Is aware of medications, allergies, food intolerances, etc.
• Avoids unnecessary conversation with team members while supervising children.
• Makes sure all areas are supervised.
• Aware of the presence or absence of all children while supervising.
• Interacts with children while supervising.
• Is responsive to children.
• Listens to children with attention and respect.
• Responds to children’s ideas and suggestions.
• Acknowledges/verbalizes children’s feelings.
• Children are generally comfortable, happy, relaxed, and engaged in activities.
• Materials, activities, and interactions promote positive self-esteem.
• Materials and activities enable children to experience success most of the time.
• Uses children’s names in positive interactions.
• Displays children’s artwork at children’s eye level.
• Listens and responds respectfully to other adults and children.
• Attentive and loving to children; smiles, holds, and touches when children require.
• Maintains child hygiene.
• Encourages children to develop self-help skills that are appropriate to their age. (Washing their hands, taking care of personal belongings, picking up learning materials, wiping spills, etc.)
• Transitions between activities are not overly regimented or structured.
• Prepares new activities ahead of time. Does not always move children as a group from one area to another
• Gives children advance notice about change of activity.
• Does not require children to “wait” for long periods of time for another activity to begin.
• Displays respect for cultural diversity.
• Includes materials and activities that promote understanding of diversity in curriculum.
• Makes opportunities to discuss the value of differences.
• Intervenes to stop teasing and rejection due to race and/pr physical characteristics. .

Discipline Methods

• Acts as a role model.
• Understands and properly uses the discipline policy.
• Looks for cause of behavior
• Redirects.
• Restates rules.
• Recognizes positive behavior.
• Is consistent and follows through.
• Uses positive language.
• Exhibits self-control.
• Has knowledge of rules and policies and follows them in all circumstances.

Reporting Relationships:

Reports directly to the lead teacher and indirectly to all leadership team members.

Does not directly report to parents. If the lead teacher is not there, will leave a note at the end of the day, summarizing the day’s activities not already logged in BrightWheel.

Reporting Authority:

Directly responsible for aids or staff as assigned

Limits of Authority:

1. Must have prior approval- when disciplining a child, discussing a child's activity with a parent.

2. Must inform leadership - for them to call parents about a sick child, or behavior issues.

Requirements:

Must be willing and able to respond in a timely manner if available to come into the center, when called upon. This could be early in the morning to late at night.

Skills and ability

• Must have one of the following:
• An Associate degree in Child Care Administration or Early Childhood Education.
• A CDA or related credential or be enrolled and actively working on
• A NAC Credential from NICCM or another organization
• Specific requirements set by minimum standards and/or accreditation
• A minimum of 1 years experience as a worker in the field of early childhood in an organization of comparable scope
• Ability to relate joyfully and sensitively to children.
• Good spelling, and grammar.
• Ability to organize the flow of a busy classroom.
• Ability to handle detailed work.
• Must be able to relate and interact appropriately and professionally with children.
• Must be able to lift a minimum of 35 pounds and do position as physically required.
• Physical stamina – must be able to bend, stand, sit on the floor etc.
• Must be available for continuous employment without gaps other than those allowed in the “Employee Temporary Leaves and/or Absences” section of the Employee handbook.
• Tact, discretion and good judgment.
• Ability to speak distinctly and to communicate verbally with clients.
• Evidence of emotional maturity and stability including the ability to separate personal (emotional) with business/work (facts).
• Professional in dress, appearance and overall speech.
• Ability to train and supervise other employees of varying educational and socio-economic backgrounds as requested.
• Evidence of sufficient security and judgment to handle crisis situations.
• Be in agreement with philosophy, mission and overall direction of the program.
• Must be able to support the director and owner/board in all decisions.

Professional Development

• Maintains necessary and needed training annually to stay current in professional area
• Maintains First Aid and CPR.
• Maintains state minimum required training hours for child care worker/teacher
• Attends mandatory substitute teacher training.
• Maintains Universal Precautions training.
• Maintains Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Training.

Time Commitment:

As needed/ On Call.

Join our Family, as we make a positive impact on the lives of young children throughout the community! We are looking to hire by early April, and begin training soon thereafter, as we prepare to open up our new facility in Port St. Joe.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $13.00 - $15.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• No weekends
• On call

Experience:

• Early childhood education: 1 year (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Required)

License/Certification:

• CPR Certification (Required)
• First Aid Certification (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Port Saint Joe, FL 32456 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $13 - $15