MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Satisfactory results from pre-employment physical required. Education and/or Training: High school diploma or recognized equivalent. Experience: Over one year paid or volunteer experience working with children. Credentials and/or skills: New employees must pass proficiency test. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: College coursework in general education, child development or special education. Experience: Experience working with handicapped children. Credentials and/or Skills: Bilingual Skills. SUMMARY OF POSITION: Under direction of the teacher, assists in carrying out educational plans for individual students. Performs a variety of routine tasks, such as feeding, toileting and busing, to assist and care for children assigned to school programs. This position is exempt from the classified bargaining unit. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 1. Assists, under the supervision of the teacher, in all types of classroom instruction, either individually or in small groups. 2. Interacts with students, encourages their performance, observes their progress and shares observations with the teacher. 3.Provides supervision in such activities as field trips, rest time, playground, meal service and busing as required. 4.Performs student care tasks, such as feeding, personal hygiene and toileting, as necessary. 5. Prepares materials necessary for instructional purposes. Duties may involve basic clerical tasks. 6.Performs a variety of classroom maintenance tasks, such as sweeping, storing materials and equipment, as required. 7. Attends and participates in staff inservices as required. 8. Performs other related essential functions as assigned. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Employees in this position must have the ability to: 1. See and read printed matter with or without vision aids. 2. Hear and understand speech at normal levels with or without hearing aids. 3. Speak so that others may understand at normal levels. 4. Sit, stand, walk, twist, bend over, crawl, grasp, reach overhead, stoop, kneel, push and pull. 5. Provide services to any age group of student as the need arises that may require the moving, lifting and/or carrying of up to 60 pounds occasionally, 40 pounds frequently and 20 pounds constantly to various heights. 6. Push and/or pull with a maximum force of 37.4 pounds on objects. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Employees in this position will be required to work indoors in a classroom environment consisting of, but not limited to, low tables, desks, chairs, orthopedic devices and playground toys and equipment; supervise student activities outdoors in varying degrees of temperatures; and come in direct contact with students, parents, MCOE/district staff, and the public.