Kindergarten Aide

Swampscott Elementary School | Swampscott Public Schools

 

Position Type: Part-Time (19.5 Hours per Week)

 

Position Overview

Swampscott Elementary School is seeking a patient, proactive, and positive Kindergarten Aide to join our early childhood team. In this role, your primary function will be to assist classroom teachers with daily instructional preparation, support young students with activities of daily living, and ensure safe, positive, and structured supervision during learning time, meal services, and recess.

 

Guided by the district’s C.O.R.E. values—Community, Opportunity, Respect, and Equity—you will foster a safe, clean, and welcoming environment where our youngest students can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

 

Essential Functions

Classroom & Instructional Support

• Teacher Assistance: Assist in daily kindergarten classroom activities, including preparing, copying, cutting, and organizing instructional materials.
• Daily Living Support: Assist young students with essential daily tasks (e.g., zipping coats, tying shoes, opening lunch and snack containers, and practicing personal independence).
• Classroom Supervision: Monitor and guide student behavior within the classroom setting to maintain a safe, focused, and non-discriminatory learning environment.

 

Cafeteria, Recess, & Meal Service Supervision

• Active Meal Oversight: Monitor and manage student behavior and manners during lunch in the cafeteria or classroom, maintaining safety standards and orderly meal flow.
• Cafeteria Support & Cleanliness: Circulate throughout meal areas to assist students; maintain cleanliness by wiping tables, chairs, and cleaning floor spills where students eat; dismiss classes in an orderly manner on schedule.
• Recess Supervision: Supervise students during outdoor/indoor play times, encouraging positive social interaction and facilitating the peaceful resolution of peer conflicts.
• Positive Communication: Interact with students and staff using appropriate interpersonal skills, positive modeling, and strong customer service.

 

Professional Reliability

• Consistent Presence: Maintain strict punctuality and daily attendance for all scheduled 19.5 hours to guarantee student safety supervision ratios and classroom operational continuity.
• Meetings & Directives: Participate in required training sessions, staff meetings, and scheduled cleaning/prep days. Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

 

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Skills & Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate positively, professionally, and empathetically with young children and school staff.
• Strong organization, classroom support, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Commitment to non-discriminatory and inclusive practices.

• Compliance: Successful completion of a Massachusetts CORI and fingerprint-based national criminal background check.

 

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

• Stamina & Mobility: This position requires long periods of standing, walking, and sitting; reaching with hands and arms; regularly required to stoop, kneel, bend, crouch, and lift or move up to 25 pounds.
• Communication & Senses: Clear talking or hearing in person and by telephone to interact with students and direct cafeteria/recess environments.
• Vision: Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus to ensure continuous visual tracking of young children.
• Environment: Exposure to indoor cafeteria/classroom environments and outdoor playground weather conditions; possible exposure to ultraviolet light from monitors/copiers and typical building hazards.

 

Non-Discrimination Statement

The Swampscott Public Schools does not discriminate or tolerate harassment against students, parents/guardians, employees, or the general public. No person shall be excluded from or discriminated against in admission to the Swampscott Public Schools, or in obtaining the advantages, privileges, and courses of study of the Swampscott Public Schools on grounds of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, genetic information, ancestry, children, marital or civil union status, veteran status or membership in the armed services, receiving of public assistance, homeless, or disability.