Lead Teacher- Foundations Early Learning Center

River Valley Regional YMCA; Towanda (Bradford County); On-site; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

River Valley Regional YMCA is seeking a Preschool Lead Child Care Teacher to guide a developmentally appropriate daily program for children, in collaboration with an Assistant Teacher. You will support nurturing, safe care and engage families through open communication.

The role emphasizes planning, supervision, and ensuring a positive, inclusive classroom environment that fosters social, emotional and cognitive growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education or Human Services; teaching certification preferred.
• Compliance with Act 33, FBI fingerprinting, and background checks.
• CPR, First Aid, AED, Bloodborne Pathogens training within 30 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Lead classroom activities and guide assistant teachers to support a developmentally appropriate daily program.
• Maintain a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment for all children.
• Communicate regularly with parents and program staff about children's progress.
• Plan activities, goals, and long-range objectives aligned with child development.
• Maintain accurate records and participate in staff meetings and trainings.

Skills

Supervision

Communication with families

Classroom management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education / related field

Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education / related field

Job description

Description

The Preschool Lead Child Care Teacher is responsible for guiding and instructing children through creative planning and implementation of a developmentally appropriate daily program of activities promoting each child's affective, cognitive, physical, perceptual-motor, communicative and social competence. The position involves the close supervision of the Assistant Teacher enhancing a team teaching approach to ensure the safe and healthful care and management of children in a nurturing environment. Involvement includes maintaining contact and open communication with parents, program staff and community resources.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The preschool lead child care teacher supervises other assistant teacher(s) in their classroom. All department staff are responsible for each other’s safety and well-being.

Essential Functions

• Interacts frequently with children showing affection, interest, and respect.
• Makes self available and is responsive to children.
• Speaks with children in a friendly, courteous manner.
• Talks with individual children, and encourages children of all ages to use language.
• Treats children of all races, religions, family backgrounds, and cultures equally with respect and consideration.
• Provides all children with equal opportunities to take part in all activities.
• Encourages independence in children, as they are ready.
• Uses positive approaches to help children behave constructively.
• Refrains from use of physical punishment or negative discipline methods that hurt, frighten or humiliate children.
• Helps children deal with anger, sadness and frustration by comforting, identifying, reflecting feelings, and helping children use words to solve their problems.
• Encourage prosocial behavior in children such as cooperating, helping taking turns, talking to solve problems.
• Expectations of children's social behavior are developmentally appropriate.
• Encourages children to talk about feelings and ideas instead of solving problems with force.

Establishes And Maintains a Safe And Healthful Learning Environment

• Maintains an efficient, well-arranged classroom including interest areas that provide direction and a sense of organization.
• Keeps equipment and materials in good repair and stored in a safe, orderly fashion.
• Keeps equipment and materials sanitized and clean.
• Provides materials and activities appropriate for the children's developmental progress and individual learning styles.
• Implements a well-established positive routine adapted to the needs of children.
• Encourages daily health routines with children including tooth brushing and hand washing.
• Provides adequate supervision ensuring the safety of active children.
• Plans emergency procedures, maintains emergency information and initiates emergency action when necessary.

Advances Children's Physical And Intellectual Competence

• Promotes language understanding and use in an appropriate atmosphere (flannel-board, puppets, songs, story records, etc.).
• Provides opportunities for development of cognitive skills and awareness of concepts.
• Promotes physical development of children (large and small muscles).
• Attends to the physical needs of the children by providing a pleasant rest time daily.
• Provides a variety of opportunities for creative expression (dramatic play, movement, art, music, language, etc.)
• Plans for a multi-sensory classroom environment (activities for visual, auditory, tactile development, etc.)

Supports Children's Social-emotional Development And Provides Positive Guidance

• Provides children with opportunities for success through individual, small group and large group activities, including free play.
• Involves children in all phases of self-help training (dressing, toileting, eating, etc.).
• Utilizes appropriate group management techniques.
• Eats with children modeling proper table manners and sharing the same menu.
• Includes multi-cultural and multi-ethnic materials, displays and activities in curriculum input.
• Provides educational opportunities through individualized hands-on food experiences that integrate curriculum areas into nutrition (reading readiness, science, math, language, etc.).
• Provides guidance in nutritional experiences including family-style meals (self-service, passing, pouring, table setting, table cleaning, etc.).

Establishes Positive And Productive Communication With Families

• Maintains contact with parents through calendars, verbal and written communication, phone calls, posted information, etc.
• Involves parents in the education plan for their children by sharing individualized developmental information (parent-teacher conferences).
• Provides opportunities for parents to participate in program planning and classroom activities (fundraisers, party donations, game loans, etc.).
• Speaks with families in a friendly, courteous, and respectful manner.

Carries Out Supplementary And Planning Responsibilities

• Evaluates each child and conducts formal observations as required.
• Plans developmental goals for each child through the uses of daily curriculum, individualized objectives and long range goals.
• Carries out Individual Education Plans for special needs children, when appropriate.
• Evaluates the success of the plans.
• Maintains accurate, up-to-date records (children's files, time sheets attendance, meal participation forms, inventories, etc.).
• Plans, organizes, reports and participates in educational field trips.
• Make referrals to appropriate community agencies.
• Reports immediately any child suspected of being abused to the Preschool Director.
• Attends and participates in pre-school staff meetings, teachers' meetings, agency staff meetings and other appropriate meetings.
• Coordinates activities of Assistant Lead Teachers and supervises execution of activities as assigned by the Preschool Director.
• Helps with maintainging cleanliness of classroom (washes tables before and after snack, sweeps floor, cleans up any spills promptly, etc.)
• Follows appropriate dress code set forth by the agency.
• Completes required number of training hours annually.
• Adheres to policies and procedures as outlined in the Employee Handbook and Poicy and Procedure Manual.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Completion of an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree and/or teaching certification in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education, Elementary Education or the Human Services field OR the completion of an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university with an Associate's Degree, or its equivalent, in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education, Elementary Education or the Human Services field and two (2) years' work experience related to the care and development of children.
• Compliance with Act 33, to include documentation of Child Abuse History (Form CY-113) and Criminal History (Form SP4-164) and FBI fingerprinting.
• Biannual physical examination and initial TB (Mantoux) Test and freedom from any infectious or communicable disease.
• Ability to work with and relate well to young children and coworkers.
• Ability to supervise adults.
• Successfully complete the New Staff Orientation.
• At least 18 years of age.
• CPR, First Aid, AED certifications, Bloodbourne Pathogens, and Child Abuse prevention training within 30 days of hire date.
• Ability to plan, organize and implement age-appropriate/developmentally appropriate program activities.
• Previous experience with diverse populations. Ability to develop positive, authentic relationships with people from different backgrounds.