43-week program Early Learning Lead Teacher (3-5)

Metropolitan Family Services; Illinois; On-site; USD 45,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Coverage

Dental Coverage

Vision Coverage

HSA contributions (employer)

Job summary

Metropolitan Family Services is seeking a full-time Preschool Lead Teacher for our 43-Week Program at the Glen Ellyn location in DuPage. The role requires a Bachelor’s in early childhood education and a PEL or Gateways level 5 credential in progress.

You will plan engaging learning experiences, maintain a safe classroom, and collaborate with staff and families. The position offers a salary range of $45,000–$47,000 annually with a $3,000 sign-on bonus, in a on-site DuPage setting.

Qualifications

• Ability to plan and implement learning experiences that advance development and literacy
• Maintain a safe, healthy learning environment
• Support social and emotional development of children
• Engage families and involve them in Head Start activities

Responsibilities

• Support a team approach to planning and implementing program activities
• Collaborate with families, staff, and site supervisor for classroom success
• Participate in CLASS implementation and monitoring
• Maintain child and teacher files and ensure safety practices

Skills

Plan learning experiences

Safe learning environment

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or education

PEL or Gateways level 5 credential

Tools

Teaching Strategies Gold

CLASS implementation

Job description

Job Category: Early Childhood Education/Head Start

Requisition Number: 43WEE005391

• Posted : August 3, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site

Locations

Showing 1 location

DuPage
Wheaton, IL 60187, USA

Description

Join our team as a full-time Preschool Lead Teacher for our 43-Week Program, serving children at our Glen Ellyn location in the DuPage area.

SALARY: The average starting salary for this position will fall in the range of $45,000 and $47,000 annually. Where candidates fall in this range will be based on skill and experience level.
$3,000 sign-on bonus ($750 first paycheck, $1,250 after 6 months, $1,000 after 1 year)

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Responsible for supporting a team approach to planning and implementing program activities.
• Collaborates with Family Support Workers, Teacher’s, Program Aide, site partners, and site supervisor for the betterment of the classroom and families.
• Participates in ongoing CLASS implementation and monitoring.
• Guide and facilitate activities of the children and ensures appropriate child guidance and discipline and proper ratios are maintained at all times.
• Attend all mandated trainings.
• Set and achieve professional development goals. All professional development to be tracked in Gateways.
• Share resources with other staff members as appropriate.
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to maintain ongoing, high quality documentation of school readiness skills and maintain interrater reliability.
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to communication with families through monthly newsletters and family conference forms.
• Responsible for the implementation of the program’s Planned Language Approach which is specifically designed to support dual language learners.
• Schedule and conduct education home visits with teaching staff to discuss individual development and progress, assist parents in developing educational goals for their child.
• Maintain accurate teacher and child files.
• Ensure all transportation safety procedures are followed including utilization of the bus attendance log if applicable
• Ensure accurate completion CACFP documents in conjunction with the teaching staff.
• Builds and ensures positive and on-going relationships with parents, volunteers, and other staff members.
• Works with site supervisor and family support worker to exchange information pertinent to the identification and services of children with disabilities.
• Conducts and/or oversees screening of all children within prescribed time frames using the developmental, social emotional and other prescribed screenings tools.
• Ensures the curriculum is used to fidelity and that submission of weekly lesson plans including individualization for all children, including monitoring and facilitating accommodations listed in IEPs and IFSPs.
• Provides a supportive, caring and safe environment for children.
• Use the playground as an extension of the classroom; assures that the playground is safe.
• Provides active supervision to ensure the safety of children while in the classroom, during transitions, at time of transportation, and while on the playground. Ensures that no child shall be left alone or unsupervised.
• Ensures the usage of agency technology equipment and time are utilized for agency business.
• Ensures compliance with the agency’s code of conduct.
• Ensures agency’s fiscal integrity by adhering to purchase approval requirements and procedures.
• Assists in the development of the agency’s annual program self-assessment.
• Ensures all content area data is accurately reflected in the agency’s Program Information Reports within set time frames.
• Participate in program recruitment efforts to maintain full enrollment.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITITES:

• Ability to plan and implement learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children, including improving the readiness of children for preschool by developing their literacy awareness and their approaches to learning.
• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment for children.
• Support the social and emotional development of children.
• Encourage the involvement of the families of the children in a Head Start program and supporting the development of relationships between children and their families.
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a complex environment.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team setting.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or education from an accredited college or universityrequired.
• Lead Teacher working with children ages 3-5: PEL or a Gateways ECE level 5 Credential while working towards receiving PEL required.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Satisfactorily pass all screenings and criminal background checks.

TRANSPORTATION/TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Driving for work required with a personally owned vehicle. Travel between sites required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel and crouch. The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing and viewing a computer terminal.

Metropolitan Family Services puts our people first with a top-of-the-line benefits package.

Some highlights include:

• Medical Coverage, Dental Coverage, and Vision Coverage.
• Metropolitan Family Services contributions of $2,000 to individual, and $4,000 to family, HSA accounts, pro-rated to your benefits start date.
• FREE General Medicine and Behavioral Health Teladoc services provided to all team members.
• Ascensus 401K plan services with a 4% employer match, vested at 100% on day one of eligibility.

And so much more!

• Some of the above benefits are available for part-time and temporary workers, but not all. Be sure to inquire upon your hire as to which benefits apply to you.

MORE ABOUT US:

Metropolitan is Illinois' first comprehensive human services agency and reaches more than 122,970 individuals and families in Chicago, Evanston/Skokie, the southwest suburbs, and DuPage County with services promoting education, economic stability, emotional wellness, and empowerment

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.