Kindergarten Paraprofessional (2026 - 2027 School Year)

Crossroads Charter Schools is looking for highly effective, highly qualified and highly motivated individuals to join our organization. Ideal candidates will have experience in urban education and be committed to our four core values: High Expectations, Real World Learning, Creative Culture, and Belonging.

Crossroads Charter Schools organization is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor prohibited by law.

Job Description: Paraprofessional - Kindergarten

Direct Supervisor: Principal, or designee

School Summary:
At Crossroads Charter Schools, we…

• Understand the significant difference between equity and equality. Every student deserves to receive what he/she needs to succeed (equity), not that every student receives the same amount of resources, instruction, attention, etc. (equality).

• Develop school environments where all students are actively and meaningfully engaged in rigorous instruction and authentic learning tasks.

• Interrupt the “school to prison pipeline” – policies and practices that are directly and indirectly pushing the most at risk students out of school and on a pathway to the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

• Engage families as partners in meaningful ways.

• Build the capacity of diverse teams that are more reflective of our students.

• Nurture an open, collaborative, and trusting environment because the work is enormous, deeply personal, emotional and often difficult.

• Engage in on-going job embedded professional development through co-teaching and co-planning

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Position Summary:

The primary responsibilities are to provide support in the instructional process by serving as a facilitator of learning, developing lesson plans and delivering group and individual student instruction within established curriculum guidelines; collaborating with other teachers, other professional staff, and administrators in addressing classroom and school issues; and responding to a wide range of inquiries from parents or guardians regarding academic and social-emotional issues. The ideal candidate has experience with the workshop model and project-based learning. The teacher must be a hardworking, goal-oriented and enthusiastic professional with excellent subject knowledge and a sound understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards and Common Core Standards. The teacher is a motivated individual with a keen interest in encouraging and inspiring students to love learning and excel both academically and socially. The teacher collaborates with staff to co-plan, co-deliver, and individualize instruction for all students in a class; work together creatively to accommodate special needs, diversity and educational backgrounds of the students; and overcome instructional challenges constructively. The teacher is a hardworking, goal-oriented and enthusiastic professional with excellent subject knowledge and a sound understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards and Common Core Standards.

Position Responsibilities:

• Works with individual, small groups, or whole classes of students to reinforce learning of materials or skills

• Assists the certified staff in devising special strategies for reinforcing learning materials and skills based on a sympathetic understanding of individual students, their needs, interests, and abilities

• Monitors work, corrects papers, and supervises testing and makeup work as assigned by the certified staff

• Manages classroom technology and student platform data

• Assists in planning details of field trips.

• Coordinates volunteers for daily support and field trips.

• Supports during conferences, parent meetings, and assists with parent communication

• Serves as a substitute teacher when requested and serves as the chief source of information and help to any guest teacher assigned in the absence of the regular certified staff.

• Performs clerical, classroom maintenance, and instructional duties as assigned by the certified staff.

• Alerts the certified staff to any problem or special information about an individual student.

• Performs assigned supervision of students during lunch periods, recess periods, specials classes and field trips.

• Participate in meetings, training, and professional development

• Meet professional obligations through efficient work habits such as meeting deadlines, honoring schedules, coordinating, etc.

• Act in a professional and ethical manner at all times and comply with school policies, procedures, and expectations.

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by their supervisor.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Holds a valid Missouri substitute certificate

• Experience teaching elementary preferred

• Experience working with students with special needs

• Aptitude for the work to be performed

• Understanding of child development

• Ability to build a trusting, supportive relationship with children, parents, and colleagues

• Desire to assist students with special needs in a learning environment

• Emotional maturity and stability necessary for the specialized work involved

• Desire to continue professional development

• Excellent organization skills and an ability to coordinate multiple tasks and activities

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and an ability to keep multiple stakeholder groups, including parents, teachers, staff, volunteers and partners, informed of critical issues, activities and schedules.

• An ability and enthusiasm for promoting the school and its mission to a broad and diverse group of people.

• Excellent work ethic, positive attitude, flexibility and willingness to perform tasks assigned

• Demonstrates ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students and teachers in the school environment and community

• Must pass extensive background check.

Core Physical Demands

Standard physical benchmarks required to successfully assist in a kindergarten environment:

• Lifting and Carrying: Must routinely be able to lift and move materials, classroom equipment, or students up to 50 pounds. When handling weights greater than 50 pounds, districts expect a collaborative team lift.

• Mobility & Posture: Kindergarten spaces require a high degree of flexibility. You will frequently be required to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, bend, and sit on the floor to align with low tables and young students.

• Endurance & Stamina: Expect extensive periods of standing and walking. You must be physically agile enough to navigate stairs and move quickly from one area to another to ensure child safety or redirect runners.

• Sensory Capacities: Standard requirements demand close and far-range vision (with or without corrective lenses) and hearing within normal limits (with or without aids) to effectively monitor a loud, dynamic room.

Key Working Relationships in Addition to Supervisor:

Teachers, Students, Parents, Volunteers, Office Staff, Support Staff, Assistant Principals, Principals, District Leadership Team, Central Office Team

Both federal and state law requires all public school personnel to submit to and pass a criminal background check prior to employment by the school. Crossroads Charter Schools is required by law to exclude from employment any person who has pleaded to or been found guilty of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude under the laws of the State of Missouri, any other State of the United States or any other country, whether or not a sentence is or was imposed.

Please be advised that Crossroads Charter Schools does not seek information related to the conviction of crimes unrelated to those described in this question. Your conviction of a crime not otherwise listed above is not an automatic disqualification from employment consideration. The school will consider the nature of the offense and the relationship between the offense and the position for which you are applying.