Teacher Assistant

El Hogar del Niño, now part of Brightpoint, has been a leader in providing high-quality early childhood care and education services, with an expert focus on the needs of Latinx and newly arriving families in the Pilsen community for 50 years. Brightpoint and El Hogar Del Niño believe that family is the most important asset for child and youth wellbeing, which is rooted in each organization’s commitment to early childhood care and education. Our greatest strength is our shared commitment to support strong families which create thriving children and communities.

In conjunction with the classroom team, the Teacher Assistant plans, prepares, and implements developmentally appropriate child-initiated and teacher-directed activities using Early Head Start and Creative Curriculum® to enhance the physical, emotional, and cognitive growth of children through play and hands-on experiences. As an Assistant Teacher, you will gain experience in an early childhood classroom and be supported in working towards your career goals in the Early Childhood field. The Teacher Assistant provides a learning environment that is safe and inclusive for all students, assists with the completion of applicable screenings, evaluations, and documentation, actively supervises the safety and wellbeing of children in both classroom and outdoor settings, maintains student portfolios, and develops relationships with parents and families, encouraging their involvement in the early childhood education program. 

Candidate qualifications:

• Child Development Associate credential OR a minimum of 2 years of college, including 6 hours of early childhood education or child development courses required.


• For 3-5 year old classroom Teacher Assistants: Illinois State Board of Education Paraprofessional Educator license required


• Ability to communicate in both English and Spanish preferred.

Job responsibilities:

• Familiarizes self with Center philosophy and classroom operations.


• Assists in implementing the guidelines and goals for the classroom by contributing ideas for lesson plans.


• Responsible for conducting small group activities.


• Supervises children engaged in play activities.


• Observes and reports children’s behavior to the teacher.


• Familiarizes self with educational approaches in early childhood education.


• Ensures that safety rules are observed and guards against harmful situations on field trips, walking trips, and on the playground.


• Assists in serving meals and snacks.


• Implements acceptable child management techniques.


• Recognizes the stages of development of young children and maintains knowledge of basic child development of the age group assigned.


• Sets up and monitors equipment and materials in classroom and playground area.


• Attends to physical care and health needs of the children and keeps records as required.


• Reports any concerns or issues to the Lead/designated supervising Teacher.


• Assists in collecting child’s information for portfolio and writing child’s assessment and conducting parent/teacher conferences

Job details:

• Compensation: Hourly: Range is between $16.31-$18.50 per hour, offers are commensurate with experience and bilingual candidates may receive additional compensation. The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.


• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here). 


• Location:  1710 S Loomis St, Chicago, IL 60608


• Schedule: Full-time, hourly. 


• Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).