Inspiring Minds Job Description
Job Title: KidsBridge Early Childhood Teacher Assistant
Range $17-$23 per hour
Status: Seasonal, Full-time, must be available July 1- August 16 (program closed July 4, July 5, August 12)
Location: Providence Public Elementary School
Reports to: Teacher
About Us: Inspiring Minds is a non-profit education agency founded in 1963. We are a student-centered organization, ensuring our programs promote positive outcomes for the youth we serve.
Inspiring Minds Mission: Inspiring Minds empowers students to succeed and thrive in school and life by developing trusted relationships with community members who are knowledgeable of the culturally responsive, academic, and socio-emotional needs necessary for student success.
Vision: Inspiring Minds is an antiracist organization committed to closing equity gaps based on race, ethnicity, first language, and economic status that impact RI students and families. We believe in the power of relationships, and that caring and committed adults can empower our students to achieve with the right guidance, training, and support.
Inspiring Minds delivers effective programs that build academic and social-emotional skills using a developmental relationships framework. We serve a diverse population of exceptional, intelligent, and resilient students. We believe all students deserve an educational environment that fosters a sense of belonging and purpose shared with everyone who is part of the school community and the community at large.
We recognize the impact that systematic barriers such as racism, poverty, housing insecurity, and hunger have on learning, especially in under-resourced schools. Therefore, we partner with school districts, higher education institutions, civic groups, and the community to provide quality programs that empower students to succeed and thrive in school and life.
Only extraordinary people work here. Our goals are ambitious but achievable. We have high expectations for ourselves, our students, and our volunteers. We do whatever it takes to achieve our mission ethically. Our ideal candidate is someone who works hard and will have fun while dreaming big.
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The ECE Teacher Assistant supports the classroom teacher with preparing and implementing the approved curriculum and monitors and maintains a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities. The ECE Teacher Assistant supports the summer food service program, arrival, and dismissal of students, and attends family partnership events. The ECE teacher assistant is a role model for volunteers and youth workers and builds positive relationships with families. These responsibilities include the following:
- Assist in the classroom with preparing and implementing the approved curriculum. Support teachers to direct and utilize classroom volunteers to enhance student learning.
- Monitor and maintain a positive classroom environment that supports the school-wide behavior expectation in which most students are engaged, incorporates mutual respect, and provides cooperative learning opportunities.
- Work with other classroom staff and volunteers to ensure the health, safety, and social-emotional well-being of children.
- Assist children with individual health, safety, and social-emotional needs, such as toileting, hygiene, social-emotional supports, and developmentally appropriate conflict resolution.
- Follow policies and procedures related to first aid, CPR, choking, and medication administration.
- Support the teacher with student assessments.
- Provide consistent, immediate feedback to student learning and asks analytical questions that elicit students’ responses that incorporate prior knowledge, life experience, and interests that are directly related to the content objective.
- Hold all students to high behavioral and academic expectations.
- Manage the food service for breakfast and lunch daily according to USDA requirements. Attend required Sodexo food training or demonstrate an understanding of USDA requirements.
- Demonstrate an understanding of chronic absenteeism. Collect attendance daily. Follow up with families to ensure children’s safety and knowledge of the importance of daily being in school on time.
- Ensure all students are picked up daily by an authorized parent or another parent-authorized adult. Supervise all children until they are picked up each day.
- Build a positive relationship with school personnel at the assigned site.
- Establish and maintain appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff, and community members by communicating tactfully, courteously, and confidentially.
- Maintain a professional appearance and demonstrates behavior that is conscientious and responsible.
- Does not engage in discriminatory practices, including race, origin, gender, socio-economic status, disability, religion, or political beliefs.
- Communicate with the teacher, program director or assigned site supervisor if a child develops COVID symptoms and follow procedures.
- Work with volunteers and youth workers to ensure proper sanitation of classroom supplies and furniture.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Other Required Responsibilities
- Participate in antiracist and department professional development. Recognize vulnerability, both in yourself and in others.
- Adhere to organizational policies and protocols. Challenge them by lifting your voice and the voice of the community.
- Listen and learn from our community. Research and implement best practices.
- Support the organization’s fundraising events. Inspiring Minds pays all staff for working at fundraising events.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- You believe all students can succeed with the right resources and support.
- You exemplify our core values of continuous learning, antiracism & equity.
- You can describe your personal and professional racial equity journey related to undoing racism and dismantling oppression in marginalized communities. You can readily share your learnings from various resources that have most profoundly led you to learn about antiracism and anti-oppression.
- You are skilled at lifting up the power and promise of marginalized groups vs. focusing on the problems and pathologies put on them by the dominant society.
- Minimum of two years of experience leading youth in a formal setting.
- High School Diploma or GED and Para-Professional certification
- Spanish-speaking preferred
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
- You have excellent verbal and written communication.
- You know how to slow down and help your colleagues pause to disrupt any false sense of urgency or push for productivity at the expense of personal and collective well-being.
- You are skilled at prioritizing and setting boundaries so you can focus on each project with clarity and a feeling of accomplishment.
- You have a working knowledge and application of appropriate early childhood teaching strategies and methods.
- You can build effective relationships and communications with co-workers, vendors, students, parents, the general public, and others having business with Inspiring Minds.
- Show respect for all children and families.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
- Attend and actively participate in pre-service training. Attend weekly staff meetings.
- Follow RI DOH and CDC COVID guidelines.
- Must be able to pass background clearance checks.
- May be required to work outside normal working hours.
- Participate in additional activities, including daily enrichment time, parent-engagement events, and other required programs as needed throughout the program.
- Submit bi-weekly timesheet for approval.
To Apply: Email your resume and cover letter to jobs@inspiringmindsri.org.