Instructional Assistant -Bilingual Required - Head Start

Join our Head Start team! The Bilingual Instructional Assistant works to support classrooms with children who need additional support and attention due to behavioral, health, or disability related challenges. The person in this position will work in collaboration with the teaching team and management to support children utilizing the protocols created in response to their behavioral, health or disability needs. The role of the Instructional Assistant is to help the child throughout each part of the day, assisting them to be included in all activities and opportunities for learning and developing relationships with peers and staff.

Candidates must submit applications by 5/10/24 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

High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) and; an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education or a related field (Education, Human Development, Family and Consumer Studies, Child and Family Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, or Counseling) and 1 year of experience working with young children; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATION

• Registration with the Office of Child Care's Central Background Registry.
• Driver qualifications status is required for this position. Driver license and acceptable DMV record for previous three years required.
• Ability to obtain First Aid/CPR certification.
• Pre-employment physical examination.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Possess knowledge of child development and indicators of possible delays.
• Comprehend the importance of developmental screening procedures.
• Understand inclusion practices in an early childhood education environment.
• Bilingual English-Spanish skills are required for this position.
  • To qualify as bilingual, staff must pass a bilingual exam demonstrating fluent speaking, reading, and writing in English and Spanish. Posted rate is inclusive of 2% bilingual differential.

**ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Support to Children (80%)

• Provides individual support to assigned children that are reflective of the child's goals and needs based on supervisor direction and written plans. This includes assisting the child to achieve full participation in all classroom activities, support to make successful transitions, and modeling to assist the child in peer interactions.
• Assists assigned child or children throughout the day including inside, group time, free choice time, meal times, outside time and in the bathroom or on the bus if necessary. This may be in the form of one-on-one support, or in small groups to help the child with social interactions.
• Monitors children's interactions to prevent or promptly address any concerns that may arise, including behavioral incidents.
• May participate in home visits, conferences, or other conversations with parents to help articulate children's challenges and progress, and to seek parent input.
• Works with classroom teacher or family educator when necessary to complete referrals for mental health, health or developmental concerns.

Team Work, Communication and Paperwork (20%)

• Maintains on-going documentation of communications with parents in ChildPlus.
• Documents the assigned child's progress each day, taking note of things that went well, things that didn't go well, and providing examples.

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

• Required to frequently reach with hands and arms; regularly required to climb or balance; occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Physical ability to quickly evacuate children from the classroom in an emergency.
• Manual dexterity for handling office equipment.
• Ability to calmly manage frequent demands for time and attention

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This position requires on-site work and is not eligible for remote work.
• 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).

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 committed to promoting and achieving diversity, equity and inclusion with employees and with those we serve. The agency strives to be an employer of choice with a vision for all people to be respected for their infinite worth, and supported to envision and reach a positive future.

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, please apply at mwvcaa.org/careers/.