Day care teacher job description

This post includes 3 parts: duties list, job qualification and job description writing tips for Day care teacher in details. A complete job description concludes Day care teacher key duties/responsibilities, Day care teacher job qualifications (knowledge, education, skills, abilities, experience…KSA model) and other ones such as daily tasks, key activities, key/core competencies, job functions/purpose…

I. List of Day care teacher duties:

1. Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
2. Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped.
3. Sanitize toys and play equipment.
4. Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
5. Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention.
6. Observe and monitor children's play activities.
7. Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
8. Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits.
9. Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
10. Organize and participate in recreational activities, such as games

II. List of Day care teacher qualifications

1. High school diploma or equivalent required.
2. Two year or four year degree, with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education preferred.
3. Must meet other state qualifications as mandated by law
4. Must have flexibility with schedule and be available to work when needed

III. Tips to write job description

1. Too-long job description:

Looking at a too-long job description can frighten the candidates off and drive the away. A job description, no matter how important the job is, should not be included in more than 3 pages. If one focuses on too many things at a time, he shall definitely lose focus on the main items and get overwhelmed by the remaining; So, keep it concisely.

2. Too-short job description:

While too-long can be a problem, too-short is more a problem. It will ruin the meaning of the job description. A too-short one means it lacks necessary details and therefore, the candidate will not be able to understand while reading it.

3. Listing unnecessary functions or job duties:

Just classifying these into the “others” category will save you a lot of effort and space. On the other hand, the job description will become more dilute and easy to be neglected.

4. Key functions

Not listing key functions as required for the job can be a fatal mistake to a job description.

5. Grammar and spelling

Poor grammar and having spelling errors can ruin the job description, too. Never think that as you are the employer, you may have the right to make grammar or spelling errors while requires other not to. A job description with such errors is easily to be mistaken as a fake or ghost ads; as a result, the candidate will turn away from it.

6. Not specific enough:

Be specific and concise; if you don’t address the specific, then what the job description is for. It is for the candidate to understand just exactly what he needs to do or needs to have. Lacking details can confuse the candidates very well.

7. Not having the job description reviewed by others:

This is also a common mistake. One may be subject to bias, but more than one, especially with the help of those external advisor, the job description can be more perfect.

8. Using buzzwords or abbreviations:

In fact, it is not necessary at all to use such in a job description.

9. Using slang or legal words:

Just use common wording to communicate with others and don’t do anything extraordinarily.

10. Not updating the job description:

The same job may require different duties and responsibilities in different times, so, you cannot use the same job description for 2 different times.