Primary Caregiver - Infant Room

Summary

Have you always had the desire to make a difference in a young child's life ? Do you wish you could find a job where you can play all day? If yes, Next Horizons is looking for fun, energetic and enthusiastic individuals that have a deep desire to give back and do good for their community and the next generation! We would love to have candidates with a deep passion for making children's lives better. Please apply if you feel like this is something that would bring meaning to your life.
We are looking for fun, energetic and warm personalities to come play and interact with children ages 0-5yrs. You will assist lead teachers in supervision of children and help maintain a clean, safe and fun learning environment for the children in your classroom. Our center focuses on social-emotional development of young children and fostering healthy peer to peer and child to adult relationships. You must be outgoing and not afraid to be silly with children. Your job will primarily consist of having lots of fun and playing!!!!
We are looking for part time staff. We are also looking for staff that is interested in staying with a group of children continuously as they move up from age group to provide the children in our care with consistency and continuity of care.
Qualifications:
Must be at least 18 years of age. No previous child care experience is required but a desire to learn about children's growth and development is a must.
All staff working with children must test negative for TB, provide proof of immunizations and apply for a fingerprint clearance card. Next Horizons will provide information on how to obtain aforementioned criteria

Duties

The developmental range for infants 0-12 months of age is so wide that curriculum planning must be individualized to meet each child's needs. Primary caregivers set goals in the different areas of development (social-emotional, language, cognitive, physical and motor) based on the child's age, development and individual differences. Once goals are set, teachers plan activities to help children achieve those goals

Coordinate and implement educational curriculum by developing classroom activities based on developmentally appropriate practices and early learning standards.
Lead by example; encourage teaching team success through modeling and coaching.
Plan individual and group age-appropriate activities to actively engage children and encourage social, cognitive and emotional growth.
Maintain frequent communications with parents through informal discussions, progress reports, and parent-teacher conferences.
Ensure all center policies and state regulations are met.
Ensure a healthy classroom environment - including maintaining appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and safety and security of children.
Supervise teacher assistants and classroom volunteers to ensure they are following planned activities, hygiene and safety standards.
Maintain accurate records, forms and files.
Maintain personal professional development plan to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Requirements

Strong oral and written communication skills and basic computer skills.
High energy and the ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents) and to foster a team environment.
A strong understanding of child development.
Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification.


Must clear full background check and must pass health screening.

All staff working with children must test negative for TB, provide proof of immunizations and apply for a fingerprint clearance card. Next Horizons will provide information on how to obtain aforementioned criteria.

Requirements include the ability to take frequent walks, use hands and fingers, handle objects, tools or controls, talk to and hear voices at many levels. May also be required to kneel, bend, squat or crawl.
A specific vision ability will be required including the ability to see up close and up to a certain distance, to see colors, have peripheral vision and depth perception.

Nice To Haves

Associate's Degree in early childhood education or related field of study with a minimum of 30 Credits in ECE.

Benefits

Health insurance
Paid sick days
Vision
Dental
Free telehealth and virtual mental health provided to all staff.

About Us

Next Horizons is founded on the philosophy that childcare programs are an extension of home and family. In accordance with this philosophy, the center provides a family style environment that is warm and nurturing, as well as educational and stimulating. We believe that childhood needs to be a time of fun, joy, and exploration. Our goal is to partner with families to provide a safe, healthy and enriched environment for each child.

We follow a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Developmentally appropriate curriculum is based on the premise that play is the primary medium through which young children develop intellectual, social, and perceptual motor competence. Structuring the environment and planning activities for self-directed play is a fundamental part of the education program. Curriculum activities include pretend play, open-ended creative and sensory experiences (painting, sand and water play, modeling clay, collage activities, etc.) construction activities with blocks and manipulative toys, mathematics and language games, gardening, cooking activities, and science experiences.

Next Horizons also aligns its curriculum to match Arizona Early Learning Standards and Infant Toddler Developmental Guildelines.