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Call 570-992-6206 for Enrollment and Employment Information | Call 570-402-0127 for Pre-K Counts
Kresgeville, Brodheadsville, & Stroudsburg PA

The Growing Place is Hiring
If You Have Joy to Share PLEASE CONSIDER WORKING FOR US

570.992.6206
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NO NIGHTS
NO WEEKENDS

OPEN M-F
6:45am-6pm
We are hiring assistant teachers. Please scroll down to learn more or apply here. You must be at least 18 with a high school diploma or GED. Experience with children is preferred. Come talk to us and let your friends know!
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When would the job be available?Most of our positions are available when they are posted, so we like to fill openings sooner rather than later. If we make a job offer, then it is on the candidate to complete their paperwork and get their required clearances as quickly as possible. New hires cannot be with the children until they have applied for all four clearances, received two of the four responses, and gotten their physical and TB test. The fastest employee completed everything and was ready to start working in one week! If you already have clearances and a physical that is less than one year old, then you are one step ahead.
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What if I don’t have any experience working with children?That’s ok, we would still like to talk to you! It means that, until you have two years of experience, you must always be in sight of another teacher. This is called a teacher’s aide. We are limited in the number of aides we are able to hire, but we are very committed to teaching and growing good employees who are willing to learn and bring joy to the job!
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What does Pennsylvania consider “experience”?Teaching, volunteering, coaching, tutoring, babysitting, nannying, giving swimming lessons, or working in a church nursery are examples of things that count as experience. It does not have to be a paid job. Pennsylvania considers two years of experience to be 2,500 hours. Raising your own children or watching blood relatives who live with you does not count.
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How do I prove my years of experience with children?This is different from a reference, which might just say that you are a wonderful person, and you would be great working with children. (Which of course we love to hear.) The documentation, or verification, of experience must be specific. A former employer, co-worker, supervisor, or volunteer manager must document it. We have a form that you can use for this, but we can also accept a signed letter or email that contains their name, address, phone number, and relationship to you. The documentation must include the specific time period in which you completed the hours (from January of 2017 to December of 2019, for example) the average number of hours per week or total number of hours worked, and your role with the children.
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Why is the documentation of experience so important?The first reason is that child care centers are very strictly regulated in Pennsylvania. In order for a staff person to be alone with the children we must have documentation on file that they have two years of experience with children. (The regulations are different for those with related college credits or degrees.) During a state inspection, the employee documentation will be compared with the staff who are in the classrooms. The second reason is that The Growing Place sets starting rates based on years of experience and relevant college credits, so your experience may help increase your starting hourly rate.
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How do you train new employees?If the children are safe and you are being kind, we can teach you everything else if you are willing to learn! We have a formal orientation period with items that must be completed within 90 days of hire. Your first few days or weeks will be a combination of on-line training and observing and working in the classroom. New hire training includes in-person training on our emergency plan; a 10-hour online orientation training; a three-hour training on recognizing and reporting child abuse; and CPR/first aid. You are not able to be alone with the children until all of these are complete. The Growing Place pays for the trainings as well as the employee’s time completing them. In the classroom, you will learn from the other teachers and from your center director. We encourage new employees to focus first on learning the children’s names, the classroom routines, and the layout of the building. We will not leave you alone in a classroom full of children, regardless of experience and training, until we all agree that you are ready.
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What kind of benefits do you offer?Permanent Full Time Each eligible employee receives an individual offer for their Health Insurance that is based on their rate of pay. An employee pays no more than 9.2% of their salary towards the premium. We currently have a Geisinger Preferred Provider Organization Plan (PPO). For example, an employee who makes $12 per hour would pay about $140 per month towards the current $634 premium. The Growing Place pays the remainder of the premium. The Growing Place pays for $10,000 of Group Life Insurance coverage. Employees have access to purchase additional life, vision, and dental insurance through our group plans. Employees are eligible for Tuition Assistance to fund college credits towards a Child Development Associate Certificate (CDA), associate and bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Permanent Full Time and Permanent Part Time Eligible employees start earning Paid Time Off when they begin working and are able to use it after 90 days of employment. (May be different for Pre-K Counts lead and assistant teachers.) Employees are eligible for 11 Paid Holidays equal to their scheduled hours on that day. All Employees Employees receive a shirt allowance two times per year towards Growing Place uniform shirts. The Growing Place pays time and training fees for annual professional development requirements. Employees may contribute pre-tax dollars towards a 401(k) when they become eligible after one year of employment, meeting minimum hours worked, and are 21 years old.
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Can I enroll my children in The Growing Place for a discount?We currently have waiting lists for all of our programs, and we are not always able to enroll staff children. The lists are different for each age group at each center, so please let us know if you have a child care need so we can investigate. If we are able to enroll your child(ren), the rate is discounted for infant and toddler care, and free for one child in preschool or school age. The reduced or free rate applies only to the hours you are working. If you have ELRC assistance, we normally waive your co-pay.
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How do Growing Place teachers manage behavior issues in the classroom?We use positive guidance to help the children. This is considered best practice in early childhood education. Young children face the challenge of learning self-control as well as how to play and share in a group setting. Positive guidance is the usual technique for managing children with challenging behaviors, rather than punishing them for having problems they have not yet learned to solve. The Growing Place emphasizes age-appropriate rules so the children can understand and remember what we expect of them. We have basic rules that apply to all Growing Place Centers, and we encourage families to use these when appropriate at home. These rules are all proactive things we teach the children to do, rather than a list of “don’ts.” The Growing Place Rules: Inside voices: When children get excited while playing, we remind them to use inside voices; outside play is the time for louder voices. Walking feet: This phrase works well for children whose natural speed is a run. Gentle touching: When groups of children play together there are sometimes moments of frustration when hitting may occur. Sometimes this is easier for children to understand than repeating, “No hitting.” Polite talking: At times children say unkind things to friends and teachers. Explaining that we must all use polite words and tones helps. We assist the children with the words they need to express their feelings in a more appropriate way. We also teach the children to respect the toys and books that belong to the school so that everyone can enjoy them.
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What does it mean that Growing Place centers are “high quality”?High quality in child care means that the center goes above and beyond the state licensing laws. The higher standards apply to all aspects of care, including teacher qualifications, professional development, child assessment, curriculum, parent engagement, safety, and classroom materials and environment. Not necessarily in that order! All three Growing Place Centers are rated a STAR Four in the Pennsylvania Keys Program. This is the highest rating in PA. We are also nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. There are currently only about 330 NAEYC-accredited centers in Pennsylvania, out of around 7,000 licensed centers in the state.
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Why does quality matter in early care and education?A high quality child care program promotes a safe, nurturing environment where children can play, learn, and build trusting relationships with their caregivers. Research tells us that 90% of brain development occurs in the first five years of life, and what children experience in these early years shapes their brains and affects their future.
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What is the most important element in the quality of child care? Our Teachers!In spite of the current staffing crisis in child care, we interview and hire very carefully. Our teaching staff is the most important component of quality in our program. One of our professional development goals is that all teachers cultivate or gain a foundational knowledge of child development and are able to lead age-appropriate activities that promote children's learning.
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