Toddler 1 Assistant Teacher PT

The YMCA Early Learning Center in Downtown Bellingham is currently seeking applicants to open our Toddler 1 classroom.  Toddler 1 is a classroom of up to 14 children, ages 12-20 months.  Toddler drop off's can be emotional, so applicants MUST be comfortable with infants and toddlers younger than 2 years of age, as well as their parents.  Applicants must be comfortable with some light cleaning/organizing, engaging with young children, greeting and communicating with parents, diaper changing, and have a LOVE for this age group.  

The daily schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, 6:30 am-9:00 am (including WWU/BTC/WCC breaks/summer) with the opportunity to pick up more hours, as desired.  Applicants must be comfortable with an early morning shift, and have reliable transportation to this location, as public transportation does not run to this area until 7:15 am.  This is a wonderful job for a student who has mornings available.

This position begins in Spring Quarter, but we would love to train applicants prior to the quarter beginning.  If you would love a job where you get to engage with a group of amazing toddlers, please review the job description below and apply!

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position supports the work of the Y, a leading nonprofit, charitable organization committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Assistant Toddler I Teacher at the Whatcom Family YMCA maintains a supportive, positive atmosphere that welcomes and respects all individuals, promotes the potential of all youth, and provides a quality experience to both youth and their families.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises the children, classroom, and all program activities.
• Follows all procedures and standards as established by the law or the Y; makes ADA accommodations where appropriate; maintains the program site, equipment, and required program records.
• Work alongside the Lead Teacher and other classroom teachers to engage children in a play-based curriculum, with an emphasis on language and early social skills and arrange the environment using the ITERs-R environmental rating scale.
• Follow toddler daily schedules of feeding and meals, diapering, and napping using best practices in early childhood learning and development.
• Assists the Lead Teacher in collecting documentation for use in child assessment and portfolios.
• Provides and welcomes ongoing dialogue with parents and caregivers about their childs needs and progress; connects families to the Y.
• Attends and participates in family nights, program activities, staff meetings, and staff training.
• Complete and record daily cleaning list, consistently cleaning, sanitizing, and organizing classroom materials and surfaces.
• Administer first aid, complete accident forms, and notify the Lead Teacher, Program Supervisor, or Director.
• Follow organizations policies and procedures regarding protecting youth from abuse; including screening and selection, training and supervision, and responding to allegations. Communicate to all staff and volunteers the organizations commitment to protect youth from abuse.
• Follow mandated reporting requirements.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY:

Everything we do at the YMCA is based on the ideal that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or identity, diverse abilities, age, religion, socioeconomic status or any other statuses or identities. Our work is focused on eliminating barriers to access, eliminating disparities in health, providing educational support, supporting working families, and growing our next generation of change makers for our country.

YMCA COMPETENCIES (Leader):

Advancing Our Mission & Cause: Engaging Community

Building Relationships: Collaboration, Communication & Influence, Inclusion

Leading Operations: Critical Thinking & Decision Making

Developing & Inspiring People: Developing Self & Others, Emotional Maturity

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Must be 18 years of age or older and a high school graduate (or equivalent).
2. Previous experience working with children in a developmental setting preferred.
3. Ability to plan, organize and implement age-appropriate/developmentally appropriate program activities.
4. Previous experience with diverse populations. Ability to develop positive, authentic relationships with people from different backgrounds.
5. Current CPR (Adult, Infant & Child) and First Aid, AED certifications.
6. Complete Praesidium Child Abuse prevention training within 15 days of hire.
7. STARS 30 Hour Childcare Basic Training (Must be completed within 3 months of hire date)
8. Must have or be in the process of obtaining the following:

___ Negative TB Test

___ HIV/Bloodborne Pathogen training

___ Safe Sleep                          

___ MERIT ID account 

___ Food Handlers Card  

___ Cleared Portable Background Check from MERIT

___ MMR Immunization Record

       9. Willingness to obtain the ECE initial certificate or equivalent (approximately 12 credits).

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee needs sufficient strength, agility and mobility to perform essential functions and to safely supervise program activities.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach, and must be able to move around the work environment.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.