Early Childhood Therapeutic Teacher

*Talitha Koum’s Nurture Center *opened in 2003 to provide weekday therapeutic care to children at risk of or exhibiting trauma-affected behaviors with the goal to send them to kindergarten with a brain developed for self-regulation and strong neural pathways for learning.
We work toward that goal every day with love and respect for each child and every parent as well as our colleagues on staff.
*THERAPEUTIC TEACHER * *Job Description* *PRIMARY PURPOSE / FUNCTION: * Provide a safe and enriching, therapeutic early childhood experience for children.
Teaching assignments range from infancy through kindergarten-age children whose families often live under high levels of stress.
*\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * *QUALIFICATIONS:* *Education/Certification *(preferred) *: * ● BA/BS or Master’s Degree ● OR Associate Degree in Child Development *Special Knowledge/Skills: * ● Capable of maintaining emotional control under highly stressful situations.
● Able to learn new methods through an intensive on-the-job training program.
● Able to sustain a clear focus on the best interests of our children and families.
● Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
*Reports to:* Talitha Koum Nurture Center Director *Hours*: 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.
m.
to 4:30 p.
m.
Overtime very seldom occurs, is paid at time and a half, and must be pre-approved.
*Starting Salary: *$30,000 - $33,000 dependent on education and experience *Extensive paid leave:* 18 days PTO + 20 paid closed days + 13 paid holidays *Eligible Employer: * Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
*WORKING CONDITIONS: * *Mental Demands:* ● Strong cognitive learning skills for comprehending multiple modalities of therapeutic intervention.
● Skilled at self care and coping with the day-to-day stress of working with children who have challenging behaviors and require a substantial amount of supervision and nurturing care.
● Ability to understand, set, and maintain appropriate emotional boundaries with children and their families.
● Hold firmly to a non-judgmental attitude toward families and their situations.
*Physical Demands/Environmental Factors: * Must be able to fulfill the physical demands of: ● maintaining the classroom ● working with children who can temporarily lose control or lash out ● getting up and down off the floor ● enduring periods of heat on the playground or in the gym ● lifting and carrying 50 lbs.
*MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:* 1.
Learn and follow all Talitha Koum methods, policies, and procedures for providing high-quality, responsive, developmentally-appropriate early childhood education.
2.
Support and partner with the Talitha Koum Therapeutic Team to implement strategies to support each child’s therapeutic plan.
3.
Collaborate with co-teacher to design and implement lesson plans in conjunction with the HighScope® approach and curriculum.
4.
Attend and participate in all scheduled professional development training and retreats to build the skills necessary for assessing and teaching children using Talitha Koum’s therapeutic practices.
5.
Help to assess each child’s developmental progress using the methods in place for data collection and analysis.
6.
Maintain confidentiality and respectful, professional boundaries with parents and guardians, volunteers, and all Talitha Koum staff members.
The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities of this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills that may be required.
*Equal Opportunity Statement * Talitha Koum Institute is committed to achieving a diverse workforce.
All aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, discipline, terminations, wages, salary, and benefit administration are based on individual qualifications and performance and the needs of our trauma- affected children.
Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.
We embrace these differences and seek to hire applicants who are similarly convicted.
Our safe and nurturing environment prohibits harassment of any kind, which aligns with our bywords: _“Love every one, every time.
”_ Job Type: Full-time Pay: $30,000.
00 - $33,000.
00 per year Benefits: * Paid time off * Professional development assistance Schedule: * 8 hour shift * Monday to Friday * No nights * No weekends Ability to commute/relocate: * Waco, TX 76706: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred) Education: * Associate (Required) Work Location: In person