Job Description

ASSISTANT TEACHER

CHICAGO COMMONS HISTORY:

Founded in 1894, Chicago Commons was one of Chicago’s original settlement houses serving immigrants on Chicago’s northwest side. Today, Chicago Commons is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to partner with individuals, families and communities to overcome poverty, discrimination and isolation. To fulfill that mission, Chicago Commons provides high-quality early childhood education, family-centered adult education, and senior services to more than 3,000 individuals annually.

Chicago Commons’ Early Childhood Education Programs are Reggio inspired program that implement a problem-solving approach to learning, provide unique engaging environments, include extensive art studios and provide outdoor play through nature-based playgrounds. The Early Childhood Programs serve as the backbone of many at-risk Chicago communities, including West Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Bronzeville, and New City/Back of the Yards. These neighborhoods are impacted by high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic resources. Chicago Commons seeks to help families obtain the skills, resources and education needed to break the cycle of poverty.

OVERVIEW:

The assistant teacher assists the lead teacher in developing a classroom atmosphere where children can grow and develop in a safe and positive learning space. Candidates must have a passion for creating a safe and nurturing environment for children to receive a quality education.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Partners with the lead teacher to develop a classroom environment that is a welcoming learning environment for children and their families

· Assists lead teacher in planning, implementing and evaluating developmentally appropriate activities for young children including the following activities: Self Image, Language/Literacy Development, Music and Movement, Social Studies, Science, Math, Art, Large/Small Motor Activities, and In-Depth Projects

· Supervises and interacts with all children’s activities

· Develops strong partnerships with the families

· Assumes responsibility for the classroom in the absence of the lead teacher

· Attends home visits and conducts parent-teacher conference assessment reviews as needed

· Participates in Family Reviews and IFSP/IEP meetings as needed

· Shares responsibility for preparation and clean-up of all classroom activities

· Assists with responsibility of ordering supplies needed for the program

· Maintains reports on children’s growth and development

· Attends and participates in parent meetings, in-service trainings, and weekly team meetings

· Assists with implementation of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy, focusing on in depth studies and classroom explorations

· Performs other duties as assigned

Chicago Commons reserves the right to add to, delete, change or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR 0-3 YEAR CLASSROOMS:

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

REQUIRED:

· Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development

· In lieu of degree, 30 college credit hours, with a minimum of 15 credit hours in early childhood or child development

PREFERRED:

· At least one year of experience in an early learning setting

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

· While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to read and write English proficiently

· Must be able to read, produce and transmit data on a word-processing system

QUALIFICATIONS FOR 3-5 YEAR CLASSROOMS:

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

REQUIRED:

· Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development

· In lieu of degree, 60 college credit hours, with a minimum of 15 credit hours in early childhood or child development

PREFERRED:

· At least one year of experience in an early learning setting

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

· While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to read and write English proficiently

· Must be able to read, produce and transmit data on a word-processing system

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

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.

Physical: Candidates must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds and are frequently required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.

Chicago Commons is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, marital or parental status, sexual orientation including gender identity, gender expression, military discharge status, physical or mental disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by law. In addition, Chicago Commons provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws (including during the application or hiring process).

POSITIONS BY LOCATION: Guadalupano Family Center (GFC) 1814 S. Paulina Avenue, Chicago 60608 Assistant Teacher 0-3 years

Paulo Freire Family Center (PFC) 1653 W. 43rd Street, Chicago 60609 Assistant Teacher 0-3 years Assistant Teacher 3-5 years

Taylor Center for New Experiences (Taylor) 1633 N. Hamlin Avenue, Chicago IL 60647 Assistant Teacher 0-3 years (Bilingual Spanish Preferred)

Nia Family Center (Nia) 744 N. Monticello Avenue, Chicago 60624 Assistant Teacher 0-3 years

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• Customer Service: 1 year (Preferred)
• early childhood teaching: 1 year (Preferred)

Education:

• Associate (Required)

Language:

• Spanish (Preferred)

This Company Describes Its Culture as:

• Detail-oriented -- quality and precision-focused
• Innovative -- innovative and risk-taking
• Stable -- traditional, stable, strong processes
• People-oriented -- supportive and fairness-focused
• Team-oriented -- cooperative and collaborative

This Job Is:

• A good fit for applicants with gaps in their resume, or who have been out of the workforce for the past 6 months or more
• A job for which all ages, including older job seekers, are encouraged to apply

Company's website:

• www.chicagocommons.org

Work Remotely:

• No

HOW WE WORK: NONPROFIT HR’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & DIFFERENCE

It is a high priority for us to foster and maintain an environment where diversity and inclusion are valued and realized to the benefit of you and the clients that we serve.

We believe strongly in treating everyone fairly and value the full diversity of our colleagues, clients, partners and vendors. Inclusion is how we live our commitment to fairness and diversity. It shapes how we honor the perspectives, abilities and identities of our colleagues; how we listen to, engage and respond to our clients; and how we connect to and appreciate each other and those we serve. We define diversity as differences that influence and affect our firm, our workplace culture, and the communities and clients we engage in the following areas: race, color, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic status, pay and benefits, ability, military service, age, faith, gender, sexual identity, personal appearance, pregnancy, and political views. Continue reading our about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at nonprofithr.com/deinow.

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