Lead Teacher

Acquire4Hire; Essex Junction (VT); On-site; USD 34,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time

Sick time

Vision coverage

Dental coverage

Paid holidays

Job summary

Frog &Toad Child Care & Learning Center, LLC is seeking a Lead Teacher to uphold Vermont ECE standards, plan and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum, and supervise assistants. The role emphasizes teamwork, family communication, and ongoing professional growth.

You will work in a professional, academically oriented setting and may participate in optional curriculum platforms or develop curriculum from scratch based on child development best practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of professional child care experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• High energy and the ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents).
• A strong understanding of child development.
• Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification.
• Must clear full background check and health screening.

Responsibilities

• Uphold state regulations and school policies.
• Develop a cohesive teaching team and coordinate curriculum.
• Complete child observations and assessments.
• Manage day-to-day classroom operations.
• Communicate with children and adults to meet learning needs.
• Maintain classroom cleanliness and organize materials.
• Provide loving care and positive interactions with families.

Skills

Child care experience

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Understanding of child development

CPR and First Aid certification

Background check & health screening

Stamina and physical activity

Education

Vermont ECE credential / license

Apprenticeship program qualification

Associate or Bachelor degree in ECE or related field

Job description

About This Role

Frog&Toad is a play and nature based Early Education Program, and we are seeking a Lead Teachers who can help us grow along that path! Our program prides itself on always providing engaging and appropriate curriculum, with a focus toward our natural environment. We work closely with the Vermont Early Learning Standards, Teaching Strategies Gold, ASQ's, and have Creative Curriculum available to guide teachers in curriculum development as needed.

Don’t know what any of these things are? That’s okay! Frog&Toad has an amazing on-site Curriculum Coach to guide our staff! We will be happy to teach you how to build fun, engaging, sensory rich, and meaningful curriculum that propels your students through their academic journey, how to ensure that the curriculum that you’ve created is in fact well-rounded, and how to assess the progress of your students so that you know where to go next as their teacher!

Not a fan of Creative Curriculum? That’s okay too! This is not a required platform for our educators. Our more seasoned educators often enjoy the process of creating curriculum from the ground up! In that case this platform can be utilized to fill in any little gaps, to gain inspiration, or not at all!

Are you an experienced early educator looking to work in an environment that is professional and academically based? Have you recently finished your degree and are now looking to start your career in Early Childhood Education? Maybe you have completed, or have nearly completed, the Apprenticeship Program? If you have (or think you have) the credentials to qualify as a Lead Teacher under the Child Development Division regulations, and you have a strong desire to make a profound difference not only for young children, but their families, and the community at large, we urge you to apply!

Candidates must meet the standards set by the Vermont Early Childhood Regulations. If you are unsure about your qualifications please feel free to send us your resume and cover letter, and we will be happy to assist you. If you are working toward meeting qualifications for this position and are interested in this opportunity we still urge you to apply as it may be possible to obtain a variance from the Child Development Division provided that you are willing to continue moving toward qualification through professional training. Interested persons should be hard working, dependable, team players, and be willing to advance academically as training is an annual state requirement.

This position is full-time, pays $25.00 - 34.00 per hour (based on credentials), and is paid bi-weekly on Wednesday. The lower end of the pay range would apply to a candidate that perhaps has some college credits (21) that apply toward ECE whereas the higher end of the pay range would apply to a candidate that is a Vermont state licensed educator in ECE, ECSE, or both. More mid range of this scale would apply to those candidates that have an Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in ECE, ECSE, or related field.

What You’ll Do

The Teacher is responsible for upholding state regulations and school policy, developing a cohesive teaching team, coordinating the curriculum, completing child observations, child assessments, and managing the day-to-day operational activities of the classroom. Teachers must understand children's cognitive, social, emotional and physical development in order to ensure a safe and stimulating classroom environment where children are actively engaged and encouraged to succeed. The Teacher must be skilled in communicating with both children and adults in order to meet the needs of the children, effectively guide teacher assistants, and resolve parental concerns. All teachers of Frog&Toad are responsible for maintaining classroom cleanliness and organization, communicating positively and professionally with families and co-workers, and of course providing loving care to the children in our school!

• Lead by example; encourage teaching team success through modeling and coaching.
• Coordinate and implement educational curriculum by developing classroom activities based on developmentally appropriate practices and early learning standards.
• Plan individual and group age-appropriate activities to actively engage children and encourage social, cognitive and emotional growth.
• Maintain frequent communications with parents through informal discussions, progress reports, and parent-teacher conferences.
• Ensure all center policies and state regulations are met.
• Ensure a healthy classroom environment – including maintaining appropriate hygiene and cleanliness standards and safety and security of children.
• Supervise teacher assistants and classroom volunteers to ensure they are following planned activities, hygiene and safety standards.
• Maintain accurate records, forms and files.
• Maintain personal professional development plan to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Requirements

All candidates must meet the state requirements for each position as outlined by the Child Development Division. That being said, we are here to help! We can look at your resume with you, and review the state requirements for any position to see where your qualifications take you. If you are under qualified, we are able to request a variance from the Child Development Division with a concise plan to increase your education and/or training so that you meet the qualifications within a given timeframe.

• Minimum of 2 years of professional child care experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and basic computer skills.
• High energy and the ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents) and to foster a team environment.
• A strong understanding of child development.
• Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification.
• Must clear full background check and must pass health screening.
• Requirements include the ability to take frequent walks, use hands and fingers, handle objects, tools or controls, talk to and hear voices at many levels. May also be required to kneel, bend, squat or crawl.
• A specific vision ability will be required including the ability to see up close and up to a certain distance, to see colours, have peripheral vision and depth perception.
• Excellent leadership, organisational, and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

It is always nice to interview candidates that have experience working with larger groups of children as this is a very different experience than being a parent, babysitting, nannying, or any other such scenario where children are of the same family.

Benefits

• Vacation - each full-time staff member is entitled to one week paid vacation (5 days) after the first year of service.
• Sick Time - each employee is entitled to one week paid vacation (5 days) after probationary period.
• Full Vision - each full-time employee is entitled to full vision coverage after 90 days.
• Full Dental - each full-time employee is entitled to full dental coverage after 90 days.
• If an employee declines vision and dental insurance after their 90 day waiting period they receive an additional $0.25 in hourly wages.
• After 2 years of service, full-time employees are eligible to participate in the company medical savings plan.
• After 2 years of service, full-time employees are eligible to participate in the company simple IRA (Individual Retirement Account) program.
• Holidays - each full-time staff member is entitled to eight (8) paid holidays per year. They include: New Years, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, and the following Friday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.
• Professional Days - each full-time staff member will receive additional paid vacation days as per our school closing calendar.
• Paid Professional Development - Each employee will receive up to 15 paid hours of professional development each year.
• Paid Volunteer Time - each full-time staff member is entitled to 2 paid volunteer days each year.
• Roving Holiday - Each full-time employee is entitled to one paid holiday of their choosing each year.
• Cash Bonuses - At 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service employees receive additional hourly pay rate bonuses.
• Referral Program - Each employee is entitled to $250.00 for each new client that we sign on due to their referral.
• Discounted Child Care Tuition - Full-time employees with children at Frog&Toad receive a 50% discount on services (restrictions apply).
• Paid Travel - For traveling that occurs outside of normal commute to and from work (ex. training held outside of Chittenden County).
• Healthy Lifestyle - each full-time employee is entitled to $100.00 annually for things like (new sneakers, state park passes, fishing license, massage etc).
• Telehealth and Teletherapy - Each full-time employee is entitled to this benefit that works with or without other health related insurance.

About Us

Frog&Toad Child Care&Learning Center, LLC is a high quality (at least 4 STARS) Early Education Program serving children birth to 5 years of age. We have been in operation since 2005, and have expanded into 2 wonderful sites in order to better serve our community. Both of our sites are ACT 166 partners, as well as sponsor sites for the TEACH program. Our staff is full of loving, creative, motivated, and dedicated teachers with a focus on child-centered and nature based curriculum. As an employer, Frog&Toad puts high value on teacher health and well-being as well as community service.