Summary 
The purpose of this position is to provide general supervision and management of an assigned group of children ages birth to five, and ensuring their health, safety, welfare in the absence of the regular classroom teacher and/or provide assistance in the CDC kitchen maintaining NC child care rules/regulations, health & sanitation regulations, and the Child and Adult Food Care Program requirements. This position will work under the supervision of the JCC Child Development Center Director.

Knowledge & Responsibilities:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain constant supervision of children.
• In absence of the regular classroom teacher, implement approved developmentally appropriate activities balancing children's needs for individual and group activities, physical and quiet play, and child initiated and teacher initiated activities.
• Keep classroom, bathrooms, kitchen, and storage areas neat and organized.
• Sanitize/clean materials and laundry duties as needed
• Keep center director informed of situations and problems that arise in the classroom.
• Give each child attention needed to assure his/her best welfare including needs related to learning experiences, eating, diapering/toileting, sleeping, playing, healthcare and safety.
• Assist in preparations of Prepare daily meals as assigned while maintaining sanitation rules/regulations and the Child and Adult Food Care Program requirements.
• Maintain cleanliness of kitchen, classrooms, bathrooms and other assigned areas.
• Record keeping for CACFP (food program) as needed
• Participate in professional development / training based on NC license rules and regulations.
• Participate in all staff meetings as requested by the JCC CDC Director and/or Director of Education Programs.
• Ability to exercise confidentiality, honesty, and consistent and sound judgments regarding the care of children, families, colleagues and adult college students.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

 
Supervisory Responsibilities: 
This job has no employee supervisory responsibilities, but would have direct supervision of children ages one to five years of age and assist in supervision of classroom volunteers, visitors, students, etc. 

Additional Information:

Language Skills                                            

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. 
• Ability to write simple correspondence. 
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of data such as NC Child Care rules and regulations, accreditation guidelines, sanitation requirements, etc.
• Quality oral and written communication skills for modeling for children as well as communicating with outside agencies, students and families.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity required of situations involving the direction, implementation and planning of the classroom environment and activities and use a variety of behavior guidance strategies.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. 
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Computer Skills and Additional Tools

• Ability to operate children's electronic educational tools such as Smart Tables, computers and other similar electronic media as well
• Ability to operate additional office equipment such as fax, copier, and printer.

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.
 
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands and fingers; reach with hands and arms; and talk to hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. 

• Ability speak and hear (with or without assistive devices)
• Ability to be mobile including standing for potentially long periods of time, walking, kneeling, crouching, stoop, reaching, crawling, getting up and down from the floor level, etc.
• Ability to lift/move up to 35 pounds
• Employee must be able to obtain physician approval for physical and mental health upon employment and thereafter as needed or required.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Typical work environment includes early care and education classroom settings and a group of children in the JCC Child Development Center on the main campus.
• Kitchen duties may include hand washing and sanitizing dishes and food delivery carts, using appliances, and food prep using sharp instruments.
• Field trips and other external excursions may be required on alternative on-campus or off-campus locations.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high.