Float Teacher, Full Time – Early Childhood Education

Status: Full Time, Exempt, 40 hours per week, part year

Salary: $24.93 Hourly

Location: NW & SW Portland

Openings: 3
 

*This is a part-year position with an unpaid 9-week summer break

Our Head Start Program

Neighborhood House’s Head Start program provides an opportunity for participants to learn, grow, and thrive in an environment that emphasizes parents as primary teachers, a co-operative environment between families, teachers, family advocates, home visitors, and other staff, connection to community resources, and learning through child-led play. Our program is designed to meet the needs of and to provide school readiness skills to all eligible children, including those with special needs and disabilities, so our community’s children and families are stronger for life.  

Purpose of this Role

The Float Teacher will collaborate with the teaching team to support student’s learning and healthy development by stepping into various classrooms as needed. This position will play a vital role in fostering nurturing relationships with children, guiding them through daily activities, and offering support and encouragement while following State Licensing guidelines and adhering to Head Start Performance Standards under the direction of the regularly assigned staff. 

This Float Teacher should have knowledge of early childhood development and general principles of early childhood education and developmentally appropriate, child-led, multi-cultural, anti-bias curriculum, combined with experience teaching children under the age of 5.

Primary Responsibilities

The successful Float Teacher is flexible, maintains a calm demeanor and enjoys being in a supportive capacity with new experiences daily as they are tasked with moving from one classroom to another as needed; while modeling positive and appropriate interactions with children and other adults, including individuals from diverse communities and cultures, including communicating effectively with those whose English language skills are limited. 

Responsibilities are generally categorized as follows: 

Classroom Management – 75%

• Establish and maintain a positive classroom environment, utilizing PBIS framework.
• Ensure safety of children and staff in the classroom.
• Protect students, staff, equipment, materials, and facilities.
• Ensure the classroom supplies are within reach. 
• Follow a consistent routine which includes small and large group activities.
• Assist in setup and cleanup.
• Assist with general routine care of children.

Development, Implementation and Assessment of Education Services – 15%

• Collaborate with the established teaching team in developing and executing developmentally appropriate lesson plans using Creative Curriculum.
• Educate families and communicate regularly on kindergarten readiness and transition strategies.
• Complete reports according to program procedure, as needed.
• Facilitate parent-teacher conferences and home visits (when in a long term classroom assignment) as needed. 

Other – 10%

• Participate in monthly 1:1’s with Supervisor.
• Attend monthly all staff meetings. 
• Participate in required trainings and professional development opportunities.
• Participate in program self-assessment and strategic planning.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Associates or Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development.
  • A related degree that includes 30 quarter/20 semester college credits in ECE, Child Development, Elementary Education or Special Education may be considered. 
• 1 year experience teaching children under the age of 5 in an early childhood setting.  

In lieu of the above, documentation of attaining at least step 9 or higher in the Oregon Registry Online (ORO), combined with 4 years’ experience teaching children under the age of 5 years in an early childhood setting.

• Must be enrolled in the Oregon Childcare Division Central Background Registry (CBR) and always maintain enrollment during employment.
• Adult and Pediatric CPR & First Aid Certification (must obtain within 30 days of employment).
• Food Handlers Card (must obtain within 30 days of employment).
• Basic-Intermediate Proficiency of Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Power Point and Publisher.
• Basic-Intermediate Proficiency of Outlook Mail, Calendar, and One Drive.
• Successfully complete a pre-start date physical exam.

• Reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of research-based child assessment tools. 
• Experience working directly with parents.
   

Upon hire and as a condition of continual work, this position requires the ability of employee to frequently bend, stoop, twist, reach, run, kneel, crouch, walk, stand, and sit on the floor and in child-size chairs, as well as lift up to 50 pounds. The ability of the employee to speak, hear, see (close up, distance and depth perception) is required. This position may expose the employee to blood borne pathogens and communicable diseases.

Benefits

Neighborhood House offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package including:  

• 26 days PTO and 12 paid holidays
• Affordable health insurance with 95% of employee premium paid by NH.
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability plans
• 403b retirement plan
• Paid Life Insurance
• FSA and FHA
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees are eligible for credit in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.