Preschool Teacher's Aide

Description

Preschool Teacher's Aide

Reports to: Preschool Director

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Job Status: Full-time 

We believe it is the parents' responsibility to train up a child in the way they should go. Our role is to come alongside parents by providing a biblical foundation for the academic education they seek for their children. Our purpose is to partner with families in helping children grow in Christ.

Our goal is to provide students with a biblically based academic curriculum while teaching principles from God's Word that they can apply to every aspect of their lives. The Preschool Teacher's Aide strives at all times to understand, appreciate, support, and serve alongside the classroom teacher.

JOB DUTIES

Spiritual

• Maintain a daily personal devotional life to be spiritually prepared for the responsibilities of each teaching day.
• Demonstrate, by example, love for and obedience to Christ and His Word.
• Encourage students to accept God's gift of salvation and support their spiritual growth.
• Attend an evangelical church and serve in a church ministry as the Lord leads.

Instructional

• Follow the direction and supervision of the classroom teacher.
• Support the teacher during circle time, instructional activities, recess, lunch, and other classroom routines.
• Assist the teacher in clearly communicating lesson objectives and helping students understand the relevance of the material.
• Support the integration of biblical principles into classroom instruction as appropriate.
• Work with the teacher to ensure students understand the concepts being taught.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for learning and the subject matter being presented.
• Assist in utilizing a variety of teaching methods, instructional materials, media, and assessment tools.
• Reinforce learning by connecting lessons to other subjects and real-life applications.

Classroom Management

• Support the teacher in implementing effective classroom management and instructional practices.
• Demonstrate a Christ-like attitude in all interactions with students, parents, and staff.
• Recognize the importance of maximizing instructional time and maintaining student engagement.
• Assist in arranging and maintaining a classroom environment that promotes learning.

Communication

• Communicate regularly with the teacher regarding daily lesson plans and assist in gathering materials and supplies needed for instruction.
• Maintain accurate and complete school records as assigned.
• Foster effective communication with the teacher, students, parents, faculty, office staff, and administration.
• Communicate with compassion, empathy, and respect in all interactions, consistent with the mission of the school.
• Follow the principles of Matthew 18 when addressing conflicts or interpersonal concerns.

Professional Responsibilities

• Arrive on time and faithfully attend all assigned duties, meetings, programs, and professional development opportunities.
• Serve on committees as requested to assist with curriculum evaluation, operational procedures, special events, and school improvement initiatives.
• Pursue opportunities for professional growth through training, continuing education, and performance evaluations.
• Provide constructive feedback and recommendations to support the school's administrative and operational functions.

Supplemental Responsibilities

• Assist the teacher with extracurricular activities, field trips, special events, and other assigned functions.
• Supervise dismissal procedures while children are being checked out.
• Share responsibility for maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming classroom environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the administration.

Safety

• Support and uphold all school safety policies, training requirements, and emergency preparedness procedures to help maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.
• Provide continuous supervision of children in the classroom, on the playground, and during all school activities to ensure their safety and well-being.
• Understand and follow the school's emergency procedures, including fire, earthquake, and lockdown protocols, and provide leadership to students during emergencies.
• Fulfill assigned responsibilities within the school's emergency response and disaster preparedness plan.
• Comply with all mandated reporting requirements by promptly reporting any reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect.

Requirements

Education

• Minimum of 6 Early Childhood Education (ECE) units required.
• Must be continually enrolled in college until a minimum of 12 ECE units has been completed.

Experience & Qualifications

• Demonstrate Christ-like character in both speech and actions.
• Exhibit spiritual maturity, academic competence, and personal leadership qualities that support the mission of training children in the way they should go.

Pre-Employment Requirements

• Successfully pass pre-employment reference and background screenings.
• Provide proof of legal authorization to work in the United States.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL: The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands and fingers to handle or feel, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee will lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is regularly in a typical school/classroom environment with adequate light and moderate noise levels.

SITE: Teacher's Aide must be able to assist the teacher in gathering his/her children together on the parking lot into a cohesive unit and be able to move the children from an area in the parking lot to and into the building. An Aide must be able to take their students to local parks, the library, recreation facilities, and other local establishments for supervised activities. This requires the ability to escort and supervise children over a multi-block area as they cross busy streets in an urban environment. An Aide must be able to keep up with their students, control them until reaching their destination and remain with the students at that location.

BUILDINGS: Students in each individual classroom are required to move about in the buildings from the classroom to the lunchroom, the chapel and/or the school office. Teachers must be able to accompany students in the hallways or in other places in the building as they move from one location to another location.

CLASSROOM: Teacher's Aide must be able to assist the teacher to prepare bulletin boards (monthly) between 2 ½-6 feet in height so that students can see the necessary information. This includes reaching overhead, bending, and the ability to adhere items to board/wall with appropriate media. Must have sufficient vision and hearing to allow for active supervision and interaction with students. May be required to move children’s desks, worktables, chairs, or re-configure room.

TEACHING: Teacher's Aide must be able to assist teacher to demonstrate lesson concepts using chalkboards, media, hands-on materials, and computers. 

SUPERVISION: Indoor (classroom, play areas): Teacher's Aide must assist teacher in actively supervising students within the classroom or playground for indoor/outdoor recess or physical education. Outdoor (playground, parks): An Aide must assist the teacher in supervising students in their classroom or while on the playground or park. Overall Supervision (in all areas): Students must have adult supervision at all times. It is understood that students cannot be left unattended at any time and/or left alone without the presence of a teacher, aide, staff, or ACS approved/ fingerprinted adult(s). 

EMERGENCIES: Teacher's Aide must be able to quickly summon help when an emergency arises either in the classroom, gymnasium, or on the playground. Teachers are required to render minimal first aid to students who may be injured while in the classroom or on the playground.

ATTENDANCE: Teacher's Aides are required to be present daily half an hour before the children arrive until half an hour after the children depart. They are also required to be present for faculty meetings and other special functions after school, and occasionally for meetings or other functions in the evening.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.