Montessori Teacher, Alpha - $120,000/year USD

Alpha School; Illinois; On-site; USD 89,000 - 121,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision coverage from #

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Alpha School in New York City is seeking a full-time Montessori-style Pre-K guide to lead in-person sessions that foster love of learning. You will plan play-based activities, document progress weekly, and adapt to each child's development while maintaining emotional safety and curiosity.

Ideal candidates hold an appropriate ECE credential and have at least two years of experience with 3-5 year olds. The role offers relocation assistance, comprehensive benefits, and a competitive six-figure

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, OR CDA/Montessori/Reggio credential
• Minimum 2 years of experience working with 3-5 year olds in a structured group environment (classroom setting, not exclusively one-on-one care)
• Documented success leading play-based learning that produces measurable developmental progress
• Proven capacity to record developmental milestones objectively and reliably on a weekly schedule using a structured framework or rubric
• Strong relationship-building and emotional sensitivity: Capacity to establish trust rapidly, interpret emotional signals precisely, and apply personalized motivators to drive engagement
• Co-regulation and frustration support: Help children navigate emotional challenges using calm demonstration and systematic emotional coaching
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Able to work full-time on-site in New York City, NY

Responsibilities

• Plan and lead 30-60 minute play-based learning sessions
• Establish a classroom environment with movement and sensory opportunities
• Conduct real-time observation and documentation: record observations linked to developmental domains and weekly milestone tracking
• Leverage data to inform teaching: review weekly documentation to identify next developmental opportunities
• Develop individualized, interest-driven activity modifications grounded in each child's motivations
• Support children through challenging moments using co-regulation and emotional guidance
• Share student progress and developing concerns with families in a clear, proactive manner

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, OR CDA/Montessori/Reggio credential

Minimum 2 years of experience with 3-5 year olds

Documented success leading play-based learning

Record developmental milestones weekly

Strong relationship-building and emotional sensitivity

Co-regulation and frustration support

Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

On-site work in New York City, NY

Job description

• $120,000 annual salary, paid weekly. Full health, dental, and vision coverage from day one.
• Considering relocation? We provide relocation assistance.

• On-site position in New York City, NY
• $120,000 annual salary, paid weekly. Full health, dental, and vision coverage from day one.
• Considering relocation? We provide relocation assistance.

Do you believe meaningful learning begins with joy, movement, and trust?

Alpha School is transforming education—where children achieve academic mastery quickly and dedicate more time to developing life skills. In Pre-K, this begins with something even more essential: emotional security, curiosity, and the resilience to keep trying.

Your role: guide an in-person NYC Pre-K group that develops a love of learning while demonstrating accelerated early-development outcomes—approximately 2x the gains of traditional preschool programs. You'll create purposeful, sensory-rich play experiences that integrate developmental objectives, document progress on a weekly basis, and adapt quickly to each child's needs.

NYC offers: Parks ideal for outdoor exploration, diverse communities with engaged families, exceptional public transportation, and proximity to innovative early childhood education networks.

Foster joy. Drive growth.

What You Will Be Doing

• Plan and lead 30-60 minute play-based learning sessions that cultivate joy, emotional security, and quantifiable developmental progress
• Establish a classroom environment rich in movement and sensory opportunities that sustains engagement and supports four-year-olds learning through varied modalities
• Conduct real-time observation and documentation: Record same-day, objective observations linked to developmental domains, then refresh each child's milestone tracking weekly
• Leverage data to inform teaching: Review weekly documentation to pinpoint each child's next developmental opportunity and plan targeted instructional responses
• Develop individualized, interest-driven activity modifications grounded in each child's motivations, integrate one specific developmental objective, and reassess effectiveness within two weeks
• Support children through challenging moments using composed co-regulation and emotional guidance instead of reactive behavioral management
• Share student progress, daily routines, and developing concerns with families in a clear, proactive manner

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Approach Pre-K as custodial care instead of purposeful early education
• Default to scripted worksheets or compliance-focused teaching methods
• Spend the majority of your day supervising academic apps instead of facilitating live, experiential learning
• Apply reactive behavioral control instead of composed co-regulation and emotional guidance

Montessori Teacher Key Responsibilities

Ensure NYC Pre-K children develop a love of learning while achieving accelerated early-development gains through purposeful play.

Basic Requirements

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, OR CDA/Montessori/Reggio credential
• Minimum 2 years of experience working with 3-5 year olds in a structured group environment (classroom setting, not exclusively one-on-one care)
• Documented success leading play-based learning that produces measurable developmental progress
• Proven capacity to record developmental milestones objectively and reliably on a weekly schedule using a structured framework or rubric
• Strong relationship-building and emotional sensitivity: Capacity to establish trust rapidly, interpret emotional signals precisely, and apply personalized motivators to drive engagement
• Co-regulation and frustration support: Help children navigate emotional challenges using calm demonstration and systematic emotional coaching
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Able to work full-time on-site in New York City, NY

About Alpha

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real-world skills.

Join the team building school around student growth

Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members.

Education work that pays like it matters

Alpha offers six-figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience.

A culture built for builders

Alpha is fast-moving, ambitious, and student focused. It is for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it.

Alpha is where you can do the most meaningful work of your career.

There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited.

Working with us

This is a full-time, W2 employee position with immediate access to benefits (https://support.crossover.com/article/7581-w2-benefits-u-s-paychex-paid-only). All roles are year-long positions. The compensation level for this role is $120,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.