Washington County School District

Washington County School District

Job Description

Job Title: Child Development Associate (CDA)

Department: Special Education Department & Title I Department

Reports To: Early Childhood Coordinator II & Title I Director

FLSA Status: Non Exempt

Salary Schedule: SC (CDA Salary Schedule Assignment & Training Schedule section)

Prepared By: Early Childhood Coordinator II & Title I Director

Prepared Date: February 20, 2015

Approved By: Human Resources Executive Director

Approved Date: February 25, 2015

SUMMARY Under the direction of the Certified Early Childhood Specialists, the Child Development Associate provides students with learning opportunities through the Washington County School District approved curriculum.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES may include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Regular attendance and timeliness is an essential job function to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the position.

Prepares classroom lesson plans based on the approved curriculum under the direction of the Certified Early Childhood Specialists.

Prepares and organizes materials necessary to implement the Early Childhood Curriculum.

Directly teaches the Early Childhood Curriculum to students under the direction of the Certified Early Childhood Specialists.

Provides a safe environment and teaches children safe practices to prevent and reduce injuries. Provides an environment that promotes health, prevents illnesses, teaches children about good nutrition, and promotes wellness.

Organizes and uses relationships, physical space, materials, daily schedule, and routines to create a secure, interesting, and enjoyable environment that promotes engagement, play, exploration, and learning of all children including children with special needs.

Utilizes a variety of developmentally appropriate equipment, learning experiences, and teaching strategies to promote the physical development (fine motor and gross motor) of all children.

Implements and maintains systems for classroom and student management using positive behavior principles.

Uses a variety of developmentally appropriate teaching strategies to:

Promote curiosity, reasoning, and problem solving to lay the foundation for all future learning by implementing a curriculum that includes mathematics, science, technology, social studies, and other content goals.
Promote language and early literacy learning and helps children communicate their thoughts and feelings both verbally and nonverbally. Assists dual language learners make progress in understanding and speaking both English and their native language.
Explore music, movement, and the visual arts to develop and express their individual creative abilities.

Follows approved daily schedule of learning activities.

Uses approved assessments and data collection procedures as scheduled by the Early Childhood Program.

Guides students in functioning effectively in the group, learning to express feelings, acquiring social skills, and promotes mutual respect among children and adults.

Provides a supportive environment and uses effective strategies to promote children’s self-regulation and support acceptable behaviors. Effectively intervenes for children with persistent, challenging behaviors.

Establishes a positive, responsive, and cooperative relationship with each student’s family, engages in two-way communication with families, encourages their involvement in the program, and supports the student’s relationship with his/her family. Helps parents to understand the specific needs of their child, how the classroom addresses those needs, and apprises them of progress.

Uses observation, documentation, and planning to support the student’s development and learning, and to ensure effective operation of the program. Competently organizes, plans, documents, communicates, and cooperates with co-workers.

Makes decisions based on knowledge or research-based early childhood practices. Promotes high quality services and takes advantage of opportunities to improve knowledge and competence, both for personal and professional growth and for the benefit of children and families.

Supervises students in all areas of the school.

Operates various types of office equipment such as computers, copy machines, etc.

Completes required paperwork within the required time frame.

Attends and participates in staff meetings and in-services as directed. Participates in Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s).

Supervises, plans and organizes for paraprofessional responsibilities for the best possible result.

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must demonstrate an acceptable level of maturity, good judgment, and emotional stability.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

A minimum of an Associate’s degree, 48 semester hours from an accredited college/university, or has passing results (460) on the ETS Paraprofessional Assessment.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Must obtain Child Development Associate (CDA) certification within 2 years. See Child Development Associate (CDA) Salary Schedule Assignment and Training Schedule section of this position description.

Once obtained, the CDA must maintain an active CDA certification.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical journals and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from parents, community, and staff members. Ability to effectively present information parents, community, and students.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to work with mathematical concepts. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems. Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism in its most difficult phases. Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently is required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 80 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and color vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Child Development Associate (CDA) Salary Schedule Assignment and Training Schedule

Child Development Associates must be actively progressing in the district CDA Certification Program towards the CDA Certification. The CDA Certification must be obtained within the 2 years allotted.

Lane 3:

A minimum of an Associate’s degree, 48 semester hours from an accredited college/university, or has passing results (460) on the ETS Paraprofessional Assessment.
Signed Training Agreement

Lane 5:

Completed requirements outlined for Lane 3
60 hours of Professional Development related to the 13 CDA Functional Areas