Paraeducator

Job Description

Position: Early Childhood Paraprofessional (Teacher Aide)
Supervisor: Principal and Teacher
Location: As assigned by Principal

Position Summary: Assists one or more Early Childhood teachers in the education, care, supervision, and instruction of pre-school aged children, in classrooms, common areas, and playgrounds. Maintains and prepares classroom and related environments, materials, and control of forms. Assists in developing play-oriented curriculum and is an example and model of Christ’s love and grace.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Assists one or more teachers to implement lesson plans by providing positive, play-based learning and reinforcement experiences for children in classroom and community environments.
• Assists with organizing specific activities such as, but not limited to reading stories, basic arts and crafts, individual and group play and games.
• Assists in maintaining classroom order by observing and focusing the activities and behaviors of the children toward group activities. Provides interventions to children whose behavior is linked to a disability.
• Assists in preparing and modifying play-oriented curriculum to meet needs and challenge children.
• Responds to each child’s particular needs and characteristics.
• Gives extended individual attention to children with extra needs. Talks to, comforts, and gives emotional support to children.
• Responds to the physical and hygiene needs of children by escorting, assisting, and attending to routine health care needs.
• Assists in administering a variety of informal and formal cognitive and physical assessments and tests such as the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment and other screening tools.
• Reports signs of illness or distress observed in the children. Assists in dealing with the situation, as appropriate.
• Sets up and arranges supplies and equipment used in the classroom or other environment for instruction and projects.
• Prepares teaching aids, labels, charts, bulletin boards and displays. Performs various clerical duties such as maintaining charts and logs, preparing forms, and basic correspondence.
• Assists with recording attendance and obtaining parent signatures.
• Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

Knowledge and Skills:

The position requires basic knowledge of the goals, principles, and practices for implementing age appropriate child development and guidance in a pre-kindergarten environment. Requires a basic knowledge of play-oriented subjects and learning sufficient to assist children with individual and group activities. Requires basic knowledge of child mobility, cognitive, and hygiene needs. Requires basic knowledge of arithmetic, spelling, language and reading sufficient to assist pre-k students with reading, games, and projects. Requires sufficient human relations skills to work cooperatively and exercise patience and sensitivity when interacting with students, staff and parents.

Abilities:

Requires the ability to perform the essential responsibilities and work tasks of the position. Requires the ability to understand and interpret an instructor’s instructions in order to work with small groups of children. Requires the ability to understand the needs and differences of children and to reach and motivate them. Requires the ability to balance emotional support and discipline to deal with behavior problems. Ability to perform clerical and classroom support duties with minimum supervision.
Work is performed in a classroom setting, presenting minimal exposure to health or safety hazards.

Physical Abilities:

Requires the ability to perform work indoors and outdoors in a classroom or playground environment engaged in work of a moderately active nature. Requires normal hearing and speaking skills to communicate with staff and students. Requires near visual acuity to read and write printed materials and observe the activities of children. Requires sufficient ambulatory ability to move about classroom, common area, and playgrounds, assist with presentations, and reach classroom materials. Requires the ability to stand, walk, and sit upright on a floor-level surface for extended periods of time (greater than 1 hour), and to lift, push, and pull light to medium objects on an occasional basis (10-50 lbs). Requires personal appearance, grooming, attitudes, and language patterns that provide a suitable example to children.

Experience and Education Qualifications:
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Have earned a high school diploma
• Some post-high school education, preferred
• One year of experience in a preschool age enrichment program or child care setting is preferred.
• Ability to report to work or assigned duty as scheduled
• Exhibit personal standards of grooming and dress appropriate to the professional position

All school employees must have:
1. A current medical examination with TB test
2. Background check
3. Other forms required by DCFS

St. James Lutheran School strives to provide a Word-based, Christ-centered, and Grace-filled Lutheran education so that students and their families can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Students will be educated in all dimensions of life: spiritual, academic, emotional, social, and physical.