Head Start Teacher

Center for Transforming Lives; Arlington (TX); On-site; USD 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Training & development

Vision insurance

401(k)

Dental insurance

Parental leave

Job summary

Center for Transforming Lives is seeking a Head Start Teacher to create a positive, high-quality early learning environment for preschoolers, delivering responsive caregiving and developmentally appropriate activities.

Responsibilities include implementing lesson plans aligned with Head Start standards and Texas PreK guidelines, collaborating with staff and families, organizing routines, and maintaining accurate records to support student progress and accountability.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, or related field.
• Minimum of 2–4 years of classroom teaching experience in a licensed Texas Child Care Center or EC–2 preschool experience.
• Must understand Head Start Program Performance Standards and Texas PreK guidelines.
• Ability to maintain accurate student records and communicate effectively with families and staff.

Responsibilities

• Articulating and demonstrating sound early childhood principles and best practices.
• Knowledge of, and adherence to, Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Implementing lesson plans, routines, and curriculum.
• Demonstrating professionalism in decision-making and leadership.
• Organize and lead activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.
• Meet with parents and guardians to discuss progress and needs.
• Collaborate with teachers and administrators in program development and evaluation.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by law.

Skills

Head Start standards knowledge

Lesson planning

Parent communication

Team collaboration

Classroom management

Record-keeping

Professionalism

Education

Bachelor's degree in Child Development or Early Childhood Education

Job description

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Training & development
• Vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Parental leave

The Head Start Teacher is responsible for creating a positive, high-quality early learning environment for school readiness and demonstrating competency in the provision of responsive caregiving, effective and nurturing teacher-child interactions, planning and implementation of learning experiences, curriculum fidelity, and the use of ongoing assessments that capture children’s progress in alignment with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five and the Texas PreK guidelines inclusively for children with disabilities and dual language learners. This includes the overall management, organization, and educational and emotional climate of the classroom that supports the healthy growth and development of preschool children in child development centers.

Responsibilities

• Articulating and demonstrating sound early childhood principles and best practices.
• Knowledge of, and adherence to, Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Implementing lesson plans, routines, and curriculum.
• Demonstrating professionalism in decision-making and leadership.
• Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, and storytelling.
• Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
• Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of Head Start programs.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by law, policies, and administrative regulations.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education or related field required.
• Minimum of 2-4 years of classroom teaching experience in a licensed Texas Child Care Center or experience teaching preschool children EC – 2.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Ability to obtain and demonstrate a basic understanding of child development, Center for Transforming Lives policies and procedures, and regulatory requirements (including but not exclusively Texas Child Care Licensing Minimum Standards for Child Care Centers).
• Ability to learn to appropriately offer basic feedback to parents about a child’s day-to-day interaction and begin to build expertise and understanding to suggest and recommend actions.
• With guidance and oversight from the Center Director, be able to implement specific lesson plans, and curriculum components, and encourage child participation in rules and daily routines.
• At the direction of the Center Director, to adjust routines, schedules, and environments, to adapt curriculum, environment, and daily routines for children with disabilities or with identified special needs.
• Ability to demonstrate understanding of how to coordinate with other classroom staff and classroom volunteers in the daily routines of children and staff.
• Ability to demonstrate decision-making processes that may affect the operation, care, and education of the children within their classroom with guidance from the Center Director.
• Ability to demonstrate professionalism in both appearance and demeanor.