Lead Teacher

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Teacher to create a nurturing and developmentally appropriate environment for children. This role involves implementing an anti-bias curriculum and ensuring high-quality care and education. The Lead Teacher will guide a diverse team, engage with parents, and contribute to the NAEYC Accreditation process. If you are passionate about early childhood education and committed to fostering inclusive environments, this opportunity allows you to make a meaningful impact on young lives while collaborating with dedicated professionals.

Qualifications

• Experience in developing and implementing anti-bias curriculum.
• Strong understanding of NAEYC Accreditation standards.

Responsibilities

• Oversee classroom operations and staff direction.
• Ensure compliance with YWCA policies and procedures.
• Foster children's social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Skills

Child Development

Cultural Sensitivity

Curriculum Development

Staff Management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education

Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

Responsible for developing and implementing a high quality, nurturing, anti-bias, developmentally appropriate environment, utilizing the YWCA’s anti-bias curriculum for a diverse classroom. Maintain a safe and high-quality environment for children by providing work direction to staff. Responsible for the daily care, education and nurturing of children enrolled in the classroom along with a team of staff and for reporting the child’s progress in social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development to parents/guardians. It is an expectation that this position will fluctuate hours based on the ECE Center’s needs; work in various classrooms and at the other sites as the need arises. The Lead Teacher is also expected to occasionally fulfill the duties of the Assistant Director or the Director during their absence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Ensure smooth operation of the classroom as described below:

• With the classroom staff team, enforce and implement developmentally appropriate, anti-bias, multi-cultural curriculum, following the YWCA’s play based, anti-bias curriculum, for the classroom.
• Foster a classroom environment conducive to the curriculum objectives and NAEYC Accreditation standards.
• Ensure nurturing, culturally sensitive care for each child.
• Foster, assess and report children’s progress in social, physical, emotional, physical, and cognitive development to parents/guardians.
• With the ECE Specialist or Assistant Director or Director, consult with parents and provide an individual developmental plan and services for special needs and at risk children.
• Foster and model cultural sensitivity to the families we serve.
• Coordinate staff requests for time off within the classroom and communicate these requests to the ECE Assistant Director or Director as needed.
• Partner with center team in planning parent events or other special center activities.
• Ensure classroom representation at events and encourage family participation.

Provide work direction to classroom staff:

• Provide direction to staff to ensure compliance with YWCA policies and procedures

• Maintain overall knowledge of classroom routines, schedules, activities, and procedures and direct staff as needed to complete various duties to meet the children’s needs.

• Coach and mentor classroom staff such as leading by example, modeling appropriate care and education of children, and providing suggestions for professional development. .

• Participate in the retention of staff. Recognize quality performance and partner with Director/Assistant Director in handling performance management aspects for staff.
• Understand the dynamics of providing work direction to a diverse staff.

Handle overall site needs and all record keeping as described below:

• Maintain a high level of health and safety and assure emergency procedures are known and practiced.
• Contribute to the NAEYC Accreditation process including the completion and updating of Classroom Portfolio.

• Ensure all child assessments and child portfolios are up to date and current.

• Monitor and provide information to the Director or Assistant Director regarding supply, equipment, and repair needs for classroom.
• Coordinate with and participate on center, department, and agency teams.
• Understand and interpret the YWCA mission to children, staff and families.
• Complete DHS required amount of in service training hours per year.

COMPETENCIES:

• Exhibits ethics, integrity, and values
• Maintains confidentiality
• Takes responsibility for words and actions
• Customer focused-- listens attentively to parent needs, is responsive and follows up to ensure customer satisfaction
• Values inclusion and equality, advancing the mission of YWCA
• Enables and encourages others to voice concerns and opinions
• Uses time efficiently, effectively and wisely
• Communicates progress toward goals to those who need to know
• Manages conflict and deals with issues respectfully and directly
• Listens and gains perspective from others; uses resources wisely
• Creates respectful and trusting working relationships
• Offers constructive inputs for good solutions and actively engages with the team
• Communicates across the center while utilizing others for a healthy interdependence
• Actively seeks and accepts feedback; looks at mistakes as learning opportunities
• Uses good judgment in solving problems, building solutions, and in recommending or making decisions
• Considers the broad impact of problems, decisions and actions
• Embraces change and uses it to create new solutions or opportunities

RELATIONSHIPS:

This position reports to the Early Childhood Education Director who reports to the ECE Director of Operations. Lead Teachers will interact with Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Associate Teachers, and Teacher Aides, ECE Specialist, volunteers, students, and parents.