Student Veterans of America Jobs

This position is a full-time position with work hours Monday to Friday and is located at our West location at Queen Louise Home for Children in Frederiksted. The federal Head Start program is a nationally recognized leader in the field of early childhood education for providing innovative, high-quality services to the children and families who will most benefit from early education and comprehensive services. This position is responsible for maintaining a safe, healthy, developmentally appropriate environment for infants and toddlers and enhance their growth and development while strengthening parent-child bonds and the parenting skills of at-risk parents by offering opportunities for parents to participate fully in their children's daily lives. Duties and Responsibilities: - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that builds trusting relationships, with and between, infants and toddlers, families and other staff that accept and respect gender, culture, ethnicity, language. family composition and special needs. - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that supports the cognitive and intellectual development of infants and toddlers by encouraging free exploration of a variety of developmentally appropriate toys, objects, and sensory experiences and ensuring opportunities for self-expression through art, music, movement, and communication activities that are appropriate to each individual child's development level. - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that provides a language-rich environment that encourages infants and toddlers to use emerging communication skills to express themselves freely and interact with others in a manner appropriate to their developmental level. - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that provides sufficient time, indoor and outdoor space, equipment, materials, and adult guidance for active play and movement, which supports the physical development of infants and toddlers and is appropriate for each individual child's development level. - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that meets the basic care needs of infants and toddlers including feeding, changing, sleeping, etc. using these times as valuable learning opportunities to strengthen relationships, enhance communication skills, support the development of independence and develop trust and security. - Assist teachers in developing and overseeing a daily routine that supports the full participation of all children regardless of their special needs, working closely and collaboratively with Department of Health Infants and Toddler Program staff to identify and evaluate children and implement the Individualized Family Service Plan for children with special needs. - Assist teachers in assessing the individual needs of each child through observation, parent discussions, and the use of developmental checklists and screening tools (E.g., the Ages and Stages Questionnaire) appropriate to infants and toddlers. This will help them plan daily routines and activities and assist families in meeting their child's goals. - Assist teachers in engaging in frequent and ongoing communication with families regarding the strengths, needs, abilities, and progress of their child, completing and maintaining necessary paperwork/records to support this task (Ex. Narrative observations, daily record form) and accept and encourage family participation in any and all aspects of the child's daily routine. - Engage in frequent and ongoing communications with the EHS Coordinator, Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist, and family Service Worker regarding the medical, nutritional, and mental health needs of the children in your care to facilitate collaboration with other community agencies in providing comprehensive services to infants, toddlers, and their families. - Assist teachers in working closely with the EHS Infant T ddler Developmental Specialist and Department of Health Head Start staff to ensure smooth transitions to preschool for the children in your care. - Ensure that all environmental materials and equipment are kept clean, safe, and in good working condition for infants and toddlers. Inform the EHS Coordinator of anything needing replacement or repair. - Carry out established procedures for health and safety (Ex. Universal precautions, SIDS). - Carry out established procedures for handling emergencies (E.g., fire drills, accidents, injuries, suspected child abuse or neglect, late pick-ups, etc.). Assist agency and client families in preparing for hurricanes or other natural disasters. - Assume responsibility for personal and professional growth. Attend required meetings and training sessions. - Accept supervision and direction from supervisors. Know and follow Lutheran Social Services personnel policies. Perform other related duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: - Knowledge of theories and principles of child growth and development, early childhood education, and family support. - Knowledge of best practices for working with infants and toddlers. - Ability to deal with infants, toddlers, and their families in a patient and understanding manner. - Ability to communicate effectively with staff, children and families. - Ability to respect and help others respect individual and cultural differences. - Ability to read and write clearly and to complete objective assignments. - Willingness to include all children with and without special needs in all developmentally appropriate activities, practicing full inclusion. - Willingness to work closely with parents considered at risk for abusing an/or neglecting their child recognizing the special needs and fragility of these families and willingness to support the principles of family preservation. - Willingness to practice a hands-on approach by playing with infants and toddlers at their eye level. - Ability to handle sensitive information and follow confidentiality guidelines. - Ability to do physical work to include lifting infants and toddlers, changing infants and toddlers, pushing strollers, moving equipment, participate in all play activities. - Ability to be flexible and available on an "as needed", and sometimes last-minute basis. Minimum Qualifications: - Minimum of a CDA Infant/Toddler Credential. - Maintain compliance with valid CPR/First Aid certification and Virgin Islands Food Handler's Card. Benefits: - 401(k) - 401(k) matching - Dental insurance - Health insurance - Life insurance - Paid time off - Parental leave - Vision insurance