Childcare teacher assistants are required to have a high school diploma or a GED and must have at least six months of successful experience working with preschool children. They must have had an annual physical examination that included a TB test. They must pass a criminal background check. According to state licensing requirements, a teacher assistant is expected to complete required training in child abuse and neglect awareness, how to do CPR on preschool age children and basic first aid. If these trainings are not completed within 30 days of employment, the teacher assistant will not be allowed to work until they are completed.
A childcare teacher assistant has a number of responsibilities including: 1) collaborating with the classroom teacher to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate curriculum, 2) monitoring and being actively involved with the children, 3) taking the lead in helping children organize activities as individuals and in groups, 4) working with the teacher to plan special activities for the children and families, 5) maintaining a clean and organized classroom environment, 6) ensuring toys and equipment are working, safe, and clean, 7) knowing how to respond in emergency situations and attending all required meetings and trainings.
Typically developing children go through a number of different developmental stages during the preschool years. It is not uncommon for childcare teacher assistants to have to deal with behaviors such as hitting, biting, yelling, refusal to follow teacher direction, refusal to share with other children and refusal to follow teacher directions. A teacher assistant must have knowledge of typical child development and follow the behavior system set up by the teacher. They must know how to redirect children when behaviors occur and know how to prevent inappropriate behaviors from occurring in the first place. Yelling, shouting and belittling children is strictly prohibited. The teacher assistant is required to go to a child who is acting out or about to, get down on their level and address the situation calmly.
It is important for a teacher assistant to be able to react to situations quickly and rationally. Young children place themselves at risk for injury on a daily basis. The teacher assistant must be able to get to a dangerous situation quickly and to do what needs to be done to reduce the danger or harm. They may need to pick a child up off of the floor or playground and carry them to a place to assess the damage and make a decision about what to do next. There is a great deal of getting up and down off of the floor and teacher assistants are expected to sit on the floor and participate in play and learning activities with the children.
The assistant teacher is responsible for organizing the classroom into the centers or activity areas defined by the teacher. They are to ensure all areas have adequate supplies and that toys are clean, working and safe. They must wash all toys at the end of the day and prepare the classroom and materials for the next day prior to leaving the childcare. They organize and maintain all child files, teacher reports, and required licensing reports on a weekly basis. They make recommendations to the teacher regarding needs for more supplies and ways to enhance the learning environment for the children.