Job Description

Day Care Aide
Part-Time
City & State: Hummelstown, PA
School:St. Joan of Arc School

Payroll Grade 11 FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

A Day Care Aide is responsible for assisting in planning and implementing daily activities, supervising and monitoring children to ensure their safety during both indoor and outdoor activities, and maintaining a clean and healthy environment by adhering to safety and sanitation guidelines. They support routine activities such as eating, napping, and personal hygiene, while also observing and reporting on children's behavior and development to the lead teacher or supervisor. Engaging with children through reading, playing, and encouraging creativity and learning is a key part of their role.

Reports to: Director of the Day Care Program

Nature of Position: Many working parents choose to send their kids to a day care program headed by a team of care providers. As the job title implies, their first job is to take care of kids, which can include a number of different activities.

Playtime: One of the main duties for day care aides is planning and supervising activities for kids. This can mean fun play such as arts and crafts, or activities that focus on skills in sports, music, or dance. Children in day care spend a lot of time outside the home and away from parents, so it's important that during these activities, aides keep a close eye on the kids, watching out for any behavioral or emotional issues they may need to discuss with parents.

Meals & Snacks: Day Care providers are often responsible for planning and serving snacks and meals for kids. They may need to prepare food and drinks, clean dishes, and put away food. Depending on the environment, providers may also be responsible for getting the kids to help serve and clean up after eating.

Safety: As the responsible adults in the room, Day Care Aides need to be able to respond to basic emergencies and to look out for children's welfare while in their care. Aides are often trained in CPR and basic first aid, which may be required upon hiring or for licensing. Care providers need to be apprised of state laws on child safety procedures and on creating a safe environment for children. If kids need to take medications, the aides also need to know the protocols involved and know how to respond to a health emergency.

Logistics: Taking care of children's needs is a Day Care Aide's first duty -- but she often has other logistical aspects to her job. Aides will be responsible for setting up and breaking down the care space. They may also be responsible for writing daily, weekly, or monthly reports of children's behaviors and habits, and communicating that information to parents and educators. Some aides also keep track of payments and help schedule the right number of staff for the number of kids attending the program.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Lift 35 pounds using proper technique.
• Must have adequate vision to effectively review documents in varied formats, i.e, paper and digital.
• Must have adequate hearing to respond to children, staff, and interact with the public.
• Ability to stand for up to 3 hours.
• Currently have excellent health and is free of communicable diseases.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must be 21 years old or older
• At a minimum, have a high school degree, GED, or equivalent.
• Experience working with young children preferred.
• Need to be friendly and inviting. Need to adapt easily and enjoy learning.
• Must comply with PA State clearance requirements.
• Must be willing to respect the Catholic Church and comply with our code of conduct.