Position Title: Program Aide         

Employee Type: Full-Time Regular

Supervisor Title: Manager, Education & Inclusion or Center Director

Division: U.S. Programs & Advocacy

 Staff whose work requires or potentially could require any in-person interaction with Save the Children colleagues, partners, or beneficiaries must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless otherwise required by law. Save the Children complies with federal, state, and local laws with regard to accommodations related to this policy.

Summary

Program Aides are generalists, responsible for providing educational, relational and social experiences for infants, toddlers and/or preschool-aged children to foster growth and development in all developmental domains. This position reports to the Education and Inclusion Manager or Center Director and may be expected to travel to the various program sites and/or home visits.

You may be assigned to various classrooms/centers/bus routes/cafeterias/kitchens as deemed necessary for the functioning of the program operations, and will also assist with daily classroom management and other duties and may be assigned to various classrooms/centers as deemed necessary for program operations.

As a frontline representative of Save the Children, Program Aides are required to ensure the safety and security of children and families that he/she comes in contact with and adhere to the agency’s values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity and Integrity.

As a Save the Children employee who will come into contact with children on a routine basis, the position is expected to prevent child abuse in every situation by striving, through mental awareness, good practice and training, to minimize risk to children. The position must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern and report, respond to any instance of child abuse, and promote training and awareness around all child-safeguarding obligations.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Application of clear practice and procedure in day-to-day execution of job.
• Organize self and manage time to get things done.
• Keep manager informed of important issues.
• Build effective relationships within workgroup and with children/families.
• Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions.

Classroom Assistance

• Assist classroom staff in all classroom activities.
• Assist the Teacher in any aspect of the program as the need arises (e.g., at Family Nights, copying newsletters, cutting out classroom materials, making phone calls, etc.).
• Serve as a temporary substitute in the periodic absence of the Assistant Teacher or Teacher.

Janitorial Assistance

• Provide custodial support as needed; this could include but is not limited to: picking up trash, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming or using industrial cleaning equipment to clean floors, clean and stock bathrooms, ensure buildings are secure, clean windows and minor building maintenance and repairs.

• May serve as custodian in the absence of the regular custodian on a periodic basis.

Kitchen Assistance

• Complete routine kitchen/dining room/food chores as assigned (e.g. dishwashing, portioning foods, taking and logging temperature of foods received from vendors, etc.).
• Prepare food and serve items for service prior to or after use. These duties may include the preparation of food to meet the needs of children with special needs or disabilities.
• Participate in food service clean up, inventory and other food service tasks as requested.
• Substitute for regular Cook or Assistant Cook as needed.
• May be asked to assist Cook and or Assistant Cook to fulfill kitchen duties, in any capacity.
• Responsible for complying with all local, state and federal standards regarding hygiene and sanitation.

Other General Job Duties

• May be required to serve as a Bus Monitor.
• Attend all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary.
• Attend required staff and parent meetings and activities.
• Responsible for gaining understanding Head Start Program Performance Standards and local child care licensing regulations.
• Expected to be knowledgeable of the regulations associated with prevention of occupational disease and injury, including the exercise of universal precautions and the prevention of contamination.
• Positively promote Head Start in the community.
• Maintain strict confidentiality with respect to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Become thoroughly familiar with Save the Children Head Start Employee Handbook, Save the Children Head Start Human Resources Policies and Procedures, manuals and resources and adhere to them.

Required Qualifications

• Must be at minimum 18 years of age.
• Minimum high school diploma or G.E.D.
• Certification as applicable by federal, state or local Head Start or child care regulations, now or as amended in the future.
• Within 90 days of employment, must obtain and continually maintain basic first aid and pediatric CPR certification (or sooner if required by local/state regulations).
• Demonstrated knowledge of the basics of working with infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to relate sensitively with children and to work well and communicate effectively with staff, parents and families.
• Proven ability to follow directions and take initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to keep all information on families strictly confidential.
• Demonstrated ability to work with children with disabilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging

Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment. 

This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job.  The incumbent should maintain a valid driver’s license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

 Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more. 

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond.  As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.