Job Description

Join our Head Start team! The Head Start Teacher works with children to promote their growth in the areas of social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development.

** Now offering a $1,500 hiring incentive bonus for new Preschool Teachers hired!

Candidates must submit applications by 09/26/25 to be considered for first-round interviews.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, or a related field (Education, Human Development, Family and Consumer Studies, Child and Family Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work).
• Two years of experience in early childhood programs.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Driver qualifications are required for this position. Valid driver license, insured vehicle available for use on the job, and a satisfactory drive record for the previous three years are required.
• Successful registration with the Central Background Registry of the Child Care Division.
• CPR/First Aid Certification or the ability to obtain within 60 days of hire.
• Food Handlers Card or the ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment physical examination.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Intermediate proficiencies in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, database software, online tools, and video conferencing platforms.
• Effective interpersonal communication skills, in both oral and written form.
• Demonstrates tact, diplomacy and empathy when communicating with parents, staff and community partners.

**ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee will also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.

Classroom (50%)

• Ensures safety in the classroom at all times, with appropriate supervision of children, utilizing the transition and counting form and procedure. Ensures children are released only to parent/guardians or authorized adults.
• Records children's daily attendance, working with site team to determine the cause of absences.
• Provides for the development of children's cognitive, physical, social-emotional and language skills through implementation of curriculum, lesson planning and individualization.
• Conducts and records child observations to utilize in setting goals, individualizing and creating assessments.
• Creates lesson plans utilizing a variety of curriculum to address children's individual goals, taking into account each child's characteristics, strengths, and needs.
• Works with classroom team during pre-service, to set up classroom environment, and maintain the environment by regularly changing/rotating materials, supplies and props, utilizing the Creative Curriculum, and the Monthly Environment Checklist.
• Participates in family style meals, taking USDA required meal counts, and leading conversation at the table to enhance the social and emotional growth of children.
• Conducts, in the classroom, monthly emergency drills to prepare children and staff for fires, earthquakes, and lockdown situations.

Office/Paperwork (35%)

• Effectively uses the ChildPlus and Teaching Strategies Gold databases to enter or obtain information.
• Completes Progress Checkpoints for child assessment, using information obtained from child observations. Shares information with program administration and parents.
• Uses office time efficiently to make and receive parent phone calls, order supplies, preparing children's work to go home, preparing materials for activities, and other office work as needed.
• Verifies and submits weekly Meal Counts and Attendance forms.

Staff Development/Meetings (10%)

• Attends a variety of classes, workshops, seminars, pre-service training and other Head Start Teacher trainings, and keeps current on developments in early childhood education, and developmentally appropriate practices.
• Attends and contributes to child/family staffing meetings.

Parent Involvement (5%)

• Provides regular opportunities for parent participation by training parents who volunteer in the classroom.
• Participates in planning for and implementing monthly parent meetings.
• Develops and maintains relationships with parents/guardians, to ensure consistent and frequent communication.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

There are no supervisory duties in this position.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision and ability to adjust focus; hearing abilities required.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Manual dexterity for handling office equipment.
• Occasional driving
• Ability to remain calm and quickly evacuate children from the classroom in an emergency.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Mostly indoor classroom and bus riding environment.
• Frequent outdoor supervision of children and monitoring pick up/drop off.
• Occasional exposure to cleaning chemicals, creative substances such as paints.
• Occasional exposure to body fluids/biohazards (such as saliva, vomit and urine.

**Candidates will be sent bonus program information prior to the interview.

** Enrollment in the Central Background Registry is beneficial if you are even considering working with children in the State of Oregon, since it will be required before you can start a position. Enrollment is free and it is recommended that you start now as the process can take time. Start enrollment online at: oregonearlylearning.com

MWVCAA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, veterans, and people with disabilities or any other protected category. We welcome all people to join us in achieving our Mission. If you require any assistance in the application process, or reasonable accommodations to perform the essential duties of the position, please notify a member of our team at (503) 585-6232.

**This is a partial list of essential duties and responsibilities. To review the full job description, download below.

If you need ADA accommodations to apply for MWVCAA job openings, please contact Human Resources at HR@mwvcaa.org or call 503-585-6232 to ask for a HR Team Member

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