Offering New Employee Bonus! $300 after successful completion of 60 days of employment.

Benefits are for Employees who work 30 hours a week

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance 
• PTO 
• Paid Holidays
• Discounted child care
• 401k with 2.5% match
• Employee Assistance Program
• $10,000 Basic Life Insurance
• Voluntary STD, LTD, and additional life insurance
• Quarterly passes to Columbia Sportwear and Adidas employee store

SELF Mission:

Support for Early Learning and Families (SELF) convenes and mobilizes partners and stakeholders throughout Southwest Washington to promote community awareness and advocacy for early learning, kindergarten readiness and school success for all children.

How we do this? 

We work in partnership with the Educational Service District (ESD) 112 to staff and facilitate numerous childcare centers in the southwest Washington area. Our programs are designed to support children at ages ranging from birth, to preschool, to school age. We have program types to support children of all backgrounds and needs.

Position Summary:

The Working Day ECEAP Lead Teacher is responsible for providing a safe and engaging educational and care setting for children ages three to five years in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). The Working Day ECEAP classroom is a full day program focused upon providing a responsive, balanced, and supportive learning and care program to meet the needs of children with families who work or attend school. The Working Day ECEAP Lead Teacher must demonstrate exemplary teaching and care practices that are woven together to create quality education experiences, consistent and stable relationships, and while maintaining all necessary documentation within program requirement and DCYF licensing standards. The Working Day ECEAP Lead Teacher works within the framework of age-appropriate curriculum and lesson plans, to promote the health, nutrition, and education of ECEAP children in their care who may exhibit complex behaviors and who remain in care for 10 or more hours each day. The Working Day ECEAP Teachers must foster and encourage parental involvement in educational planning, goal setting, and center activities. Responsibilities include functional supervision and delegation of classroom responsibilities to classroom staff members.

Qualifications and Skills:

• High school diploma or GED.
• Must meet one of the following:

• AA or higher, 20 credits must be in ECE
• Short or higher Washington State Early Childhood Education Certificate

• 18 years of age or older.

• Ability to work within a team and work effectively with other people.
• Ability to follow directions and follow through efficiently on assigned tasks.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, busy environment with constant interruptions, while maintaining a focus on children and meeting program requirements

• Regular attendance during scheduled work hours.
• Must present a professional and positive demeanor in behavior and dress.
• Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation for diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds of families served.

Essential Functions:

Teaching and Care Practices:

• Model relational stability through consistent caregiver presence during all child direct service hours to create a safe and predictable daily routine.
• Create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment featuring well-defined interest areas with toys and learning materials set up for intuitive and accessible use by children.
• Utilize a balanced and informed approach in order to create and implement weekly curriculum that is focused upon emergent child interests and programmatic objectives.
• Demonstrate responsivity in curriculum plan development to meet the needs of the individual children with concerns for interests, disabilities, special talents, cultural backgrounds, and individual styles.
• Build on children’s strengths and areas of interest, while helping them gain new skills with a focus on social emotional learning and self-regulation.
• Support and follow the guidance techniques posted in the classroom.
• Implement trauma-informed practices and strategies.

Family Engagement and Integrative Services: 

• Establish and maintain positive communication using collaborative methods to problem solve and interact with families, children, and staff.

• Work alongside specialists and consultants to support the needs of young children.
• Participate regularly in staff meetings, in-service programs, and workshops. This may require the ability to work occasional nights and weekends.
• Refer children/families for services and implement suggested strategies.

Documentation:

• Submit and post lesson plans and class schedules weekly.
• Maintain all required records and child files in an accurate and timely manner, including daily observations and the collection and assemblage of child portfolios.
• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries regarding the exchange of pertinent information.
• Assist with child assessments and conducting child-center observations as required throughout the program year. Includes supporting other centers throughout SW Washington.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a complete listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

Physical Demands:

The physical demands listed here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• The candidate must be able to observe and evaluate activities with accuracy in order to effectively supervise child behaviors and classroom activities. Candidate must be able to effectively communicate with coworkers, children, and families both verbally and in writing.
• This position requires the candidate to engage physically and mentally in activities with staff and children. Must possess the ability to lift and/or move materials necessary to meet requirements of Essential Functions of position, which includes exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, 20 pounds of force frequently, and up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects including the human body. Must be able to assist in facility evacuations in the event of an emergency.
• Working with young children requires sound judgment, self-control, emotional competence, and the ability to adjust cognitive patterns to meet the needs of children with diverse backgrounds, varying social-emotional skills, and behavioral challenges.
• Moderate or frequent exposure to loud noises, outside weather elements and temperature changes, and exposure to bodily fluids.
• Job involves sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, reaching, grasping, bending, stooping, crouching, pushing, and/or pulling. Position involves physical mobility with or without reasonable accommodation to perform essential functions of the job.

Employment Requirements:

• Successful completion of a portable background check (PBC) and clearance through the Department of Children Youth and Families prior to working in program.
• Participation in Washington’s State Training and Registry System (STARS) program required.
• Valid CPR certification including child/infant prior to working in program.
• Valid Food Handler’s Card required prior to working in program.
• Negative TB test completed within the previous twelve months prior to working in program.
• Initial health exam completed by medical provider showing you are free from communicable diseases.
• Documentation showing immunity to Measles, Mumps, & Rubella (MMR), either vaccination records or results of a Titer test prior to working in program.
• Completion of HIV/Blood Borne Pathogens training prior to working in program.