POSITION SUMMARY: This position provides direct supervision of a group of children in licensed Before and Afterschool Enrichment or Early Learning program. Assistant Teachers create positive, nurturing relationships with children, while building cooperative relationships with parents/caregivers. Promotes and supports the potential of all youth in programs and facilitates peer-to-peer connections as part of the overall child experience. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Child/ Youth Growth & Development * Identifies and responds to individual differences in personalities, temperaments, development, learning styles, and culture. * Promotes growth and development using appropriate services and resources Learning Environments & Curriculum. * Supports developmentally appropriate learning environments and curriculum implementation. * Provides an engaging, physically and emotionally safe, and inclusive environment to encourage play, exploration, and learning. * Provides a safe learning environment where all children and youth can explore and develop cognitive, social, emotional, and physical motor skills. * Guides children and youth in expressing their feelings and asserting themselves in socially acceptable ways. * Helps children and youth communicate and get along with others in a safe and inclusive environment. * Support the diverse needs, abilities and interests of all participants Observation & Assessment * Identifies children and youth as individuals and acknowledges that individuals develop at their own pace. * Maintains confidentiality regarding observation and assessment information. * Assists with the collection of information about growth, development, and learning. Interactions with Youth * Provides a supportive environment in which children and youth can learn and practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors. * Provides individual guidance and support using appropriate methods, services, and resources. Youth Engagement * Supports active participation of children and youth in the program. * Develops relationships with children and youth while respecting cultural and ability differences in participation style. * Foster critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, and goal-setting skills * Maintains appropriate emotional and physical boundaries between children, youth, and adults. * Values cultural differences in children, youth, and families Family Engagement * Communicates respectfully and positively with families from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. * Develops and maintains open, friendly, cooperative, and respectful relationships with families. * Contributes to positive relationships between school and the afterschool program. Safety & Wellness * Follows all health and safety regulations and policies. * Identifies, documents, and reports suspected child abuse and neglect as mandated by law. * Responds calmly and effectively to a crisis. * Recognizes and maintains safe indoor and outdoor areas. * Supports the nutritional needs and healthy eating practices of children and youth. * Models healthy lifestyle practices. Program planning * Supports and implements the program's weekly lesson plans. Professional Development and Leadership * Promotes professionalism using appropriate skills, services, and resources. * Improves teaching and learning through professional work habits. * Performs other duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS: Education * High school Diploma or GED required Experience: * 1 year of experience working with children in a licensed child care center preferred. * PREVIOUS experience working with diverse populations preferred. Certification(s) and Requirements: * CPR and First Aid certification and Safety training required within 30 days of hire. * At least 18 years old. Technical Skills and Knowledge: * Demonstrate commitment to the mission, cause of the YMCA, and uphold its values and ethics. * Ability to work effectively work with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions and perceptions * Willingness and ability to be a mandated reporter for any signs or suspicion of child abuse and neglect. All employees are required to follow the child abuse and neglect reporting process: completion of Suspected Child Abuse/Neglect reporting form, calling children protective services (696-Kids) and notifying your immediate supervisor, branch executive, risk management and human resources department (s). PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Definition: 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. * Ability to lift/move up to 50lbs * Ability to perform frequent amounts of sitting, standing, waling, reaching, stooping, kneeling, bending and or instructing others for the duration of their shift. * Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound. * The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and extensive reading * Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. * The ability to perform frequent amounts of sitting, standing, monitor swimming in bathing suit in shallow water, walking, reaching, stooping, kneeling, bending and or instructing others for the duration of their shift WORK ENVIRONMENT: * Ability to occasionally travel to other locations/programs/administration offices * The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to noisy * May be required to work outside and on occasion may encounter inclement weather. * Maintain a clean and orderly work environment. * Performs work in an office setting with moderate levels of noise, sitting for long periods of time, repetitive motion using computers and phones, with exposure to fluorescent lighting. DISCLAIMER: The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time.