Assistant Lecturer - PFA Master Teacher (Lead)

Plan and implement the Preschool for All Program.

1. Provide and maintain daily care, safety, and well-being of all children in the classroom.
2. Create and maintain a classroom environment for the active needs of young children that includes constant supervision, physical and emotional support, care of the children, and daily interactions with families and caregivers.
3. Perform daily tasks of book reading, singing, dancing, feeding, carrying, calming, and comforting children, cleaning classroom materials and spaces, and providing a safe, supportive, and educational environment.
4. Make referrals to Special Education and other community services.
5. Involve parents in planning and programming and share information about their child’s overall development.
6. Collaborate with team teacher and Instructional Leader/Family Support Specialist to plan and document appropriate family involvement activities, which include personal visits, parent workshops, field trips, and other programming based on the needs of families.
7. Create and maintain developmental portfolios that document and assess the needs, interests, and development of each child.
8. Supervise, mentor, and provide feedback for multiple university practicum students each student (as the Cooperating Teacher), which includes documentation of implementation, midterm and final documentation and conferences.
9. Prepare and disseminate a monthly newsletter/calendar to families, Instructional Leader/Family Support Specialist, Regional Coordinator, and School Administrators.
10. Provide parents, upon program entry, with program and other information regarding guidance, program requirements, and program policies.
11. Record all family involvement.

Support Southern Illinois University Mission

1. Supervise, mentor, and provide feedback to university practicum students (as the Cooperating Teacher), which includes documentation of implementation, midterm and final documentation and conferences. Oversight will also be provided to high school and elementary students, and others who are volunteering or otherwise participating in the program.
2. Participate in university recruitment events, programs, etc.
3. Support the Early Childhood program by collaborating with Early Childhood instructors to visit classrooms with children, present to classes, support student observations at the lab, etc.
4. Build connections to university programs to provide services or experiences for students (hearing and vision, dental, exercise science, food and nutrition, Clinical Center, etc.)

Participate in the recruitment and screening of participants.

1. Collaborate with local agencies and community programs to identify and recruit families.
2. Conduct screenings and evaluating results to determine program eligibility utilizing the Brigance Screens III or the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Family Interview, and Home Language Survey.
3. Work with the team teacher and Instructional Leader/Family Support Specialist to enroll the most at-risk children, as determined by the eligibility point system for the Preschool for All/Expansion (3-5) program.
4. Provide families with enrollment paperwork and complete other forms of documentation.
5. Participate in Child Find Screenings and provide ongoing screenings of children and document observations, working with the team teacher to submit the Monthly Screening Eligibility Form to the Regional Coordinator/Center Director.

Administrative responsibilities.

1. Meet the needs of the families involved in the program.
2. Participate in ongoing team development with the other Prekindergarten Teachers, and Instructional Leader/Family Support staff and attend all staff meetings, regional meetings, reflective supervision, and Professional Learning Community meetings.
3. Maintain ongoing communication with Regional Coordinator, Instructional Leader/Family Support Specialist, Program Director, and central office.
4. Complete and submit program paperwork such as absence requests, physical forms, annual inventory forms, meal records, transportation, substitute teacher paperwork, etc., in a timely manner.

Professional responsibilities.

1. Serve as a model of professionalism through ongoing communication and interactions with children, families, program staff, and collaborative partners, and all written documentation.
2. Follow all PFA /PFA-E and ECERS rules and regulations, including but not limited to maintaining accurate and complete records and children’s files and ensuring compliance with classroom material requirements.
3. Participate in annual performance evaluation process, including the annual program evaluation, professional development plan, self-reflection, and professional portfolio.
4. Participate in appropriate professional development opportunities such as workshops, conferences, and university classes.
5. Perform all duties as requested by the Program Coordinator, Instructional Leader, and/or Program Director.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree with an Active Illinois Professional Educator License AND endorsement in Early Childhood Education by date of hire
• At least 5 years of experience working in a prekindergarten classroom setting
• Experience with DCFS licensing standards in a childcare/prekindergarten setting
• Experience working with diverse populations of families with young children

Preferred Qualifications:

• Early Childhood Special Education Approval/Endorsement and/or experience working with children with IEPs or 504 plans At least 5 years of experience working in a prekindergarten classroom setting
• Bilingual Endorsement and/or ability to speak and/or write in Spanish
• Experience implementing Creative Curriculum and Developmental Assessments (Early Learning Scale, TS Gold, Developmental Portfolios, ASQ/ASQ-SE, Brigance Screens III, etc.)