Lead Preschool Teacher

CommonSpirit Health; Durango (CO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercy Hospital in Durango, CO seeks a Lead Teacher to manage a developmentally appropriate learning environment for diverse children. You will lead classroom activities, implement engaging curriculum, and foster emotional growth daily.

Strong leadership in early childhood education, expertise in child development, and exceptional classroom management are required to create an inclusive, supportive experience with the guidance of the Directors and teaching team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or equivalent with ECE credentials as listed.
• Multiple credential paths including supervision hours and vocational sequences accepted.
• Experience in leadership and classroom management in early childhood settings.

Responsibilities

• Monitor welfare, health, and safety of all children and report to the Director.
• Ensure safety through supervision, space arrangement, equipment maintenance, and regular fire drills.
• Be warm, supportive, patient, and responsive to each child’s needs.
• Greet and communicate with parents daily, providing timely information about their child’s experiences.
• Implement Conscious Discipline practices with guidance from Directors and other teachers.

Skills

Leadership in ECE

Classroom management

Inclusive teaching

Nurturing child development

Education

Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education

ECE 101

ECE 103

12 hours college level credits in child growth and development with ECE101, ECE103, and 1395 hours of supervision

Associate Degree with 60 hours of Early Childhood Education (including ECE 101 or ECE103) and 910 hours of supervision

3640 hours of supervision + Level One credential

Child Development Associate or Child Care Professional credential

Vocational sequence in child growth and development with 1,820 hours supervision

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Lead Teacher, you will manage the classroom to create a loving, developmentally appropriate learning environment that meets the diverse needs of each child.

Every day you will direct classroom activities, implement engaging curriculum, nurture individual child development, and foster a positive atmosphere that supports learning and emotional growth.

To be successful in this role, you will possess strong leadership in early childhood education, expertise in child development, exceptional classroom management skills, and a passionate commitment to creating an inclusive and developmentally appropriate learning experience.

• To monitor the welfare, health, and safety of all children and report all situations to the Director.
• To ensure the safety of children through constant supervision, effective arrangement of space, proper maintenance of equipment, and regular practice of fire drills. To be warm, supportive, patient, and caring with every child and respond to their needs quickly and appropriately.
• To carry yourself as if each child’s parent was standing right next to you.
• To never use corporal or harsh punishment, never being even a little rough with a child, and to never withhold food from a child.
• To greet and communicate with parents daily, making an effort to ensure parents receive adequate information about their child’s experiences at the Center in a timely manner.
• To be trained and gain an understanding of all the necessary information on Conscious Discipline. Understanding that you will be required to implement the practices of this guidance model on a daily basis with the help of the Directors and other teachers.

Job Requirements

Required

• Lead Teacher qualifications combinations: Bachelor Degree (Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Special Education, Family and Child Development, Child Psychology) OR other Bachelor Degree with (ECE 101, ECE 103, 970 supervision hours) OR twelve hours college level credits in child growth and development with ECE101, ECE103, and 1395 hours of supervision or Associate Degree with 60 hours of Early Childhood Education (including ECE 101 or ECE103) and 910 hours of supervision OR 3640 hours of supervision plus a current Level One (1) credential, or two (2) to three (3) college credit courses (including ECE 101 or ECE103) OR Child Development Associate or Child Care Professional or other approved credential OR Completion of vocational educational sequence in child growth and development and 1,820 hours of verified experience OR Completion of a course of training approved by the department that includes training and work experience (1,820 hours of supervision)

Where You'll Work

Mercy Hospital is an 82 bed, acute care hospital located in the scenic southwestern Colorado town of Durango. It is the only hospital in Colorado to be rated by Medicare with five stars for overall hospital quality. It is recognized for excellence in orthopedic and spine surgery and for outstanding patient experience and patient safety. Mercy has also received ten consecutive 'A' grades for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. Our providers use state-of-the-art technology in an environment designed to promote wellbeing and healing of body, mind, and spirit. Among the many specialty services available at Mercy are emergency care (Level III trauma designation), surgical care, cardiac care (including interventional), Orthopedic and Spine Centers of Excellence, a Family Birthing Center, home care, hospice care and more. Durango offers an exceptional quality of life with small town charm, excellent schools, and year-round, world-class outdoor recreation opportunities including snow sports, river sports, hiking, biking, camping and more.