Toddler/Preschool Teacher

UTEC; Lowell (MA); On-site; USD 49,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401K retirement plan with match

Paid time off

Job summary

UTEC seeks an experienced and caring early childhood educator to teach in our new Early Education Center in Lowell, MA. You will join a co-teacher to implement developmentally appropriate, constructivist, play-based learning focused on socioemotional, cognitive, physical, and communication development.

The role requires leading a curriculum for infants to preschoolers, engaging families, and maintaining a safe, positive program with ongoing professional development and adherence to policies.

Qualifications

• Must be "Lead Infant Toddler Qualified" by EEC.
• Must have at least 2 years of successful experience teaching in a toddler or preschool classroom.
• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree and 30 or more college credits in ECE.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement a developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive curriculum that engages children.
• Work with a co-teacher in developing and implementing lesson plans and daily activities.
• Welcome families into the classroom and promote family engagement.
• Maintain a safe and positive program.
• Exhibiting a warm, engaged attitude toward the children in the classroom and their parents.
• Taking a prosocial approach to working with individuals as well as groups of children.
• Implement assessment tools for evaluating child progress and teaching strategies.

Skills

Flexibility

Perspective Taking

Coachable

Commitment

Controlled Response

Relationship Builder

Drive

Team Player

Organized

Child-Focused

Family-Focused

Sense of Humor

Education

Lead Infant Toddler Qualification (EEC)

Bachelor’s Degree in ECE

30+ college credits in ECE

Job description

UTEC’s promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disengaged youth to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. UTEC’s outcomes-focused model begins with intensive street outreach, reaching proven high-risk youth where they’re at. UTEC engages youth in workforce development and educational programs and provides mental health services and intensive case management. Social justice and civic engagement are embedded in all programming. For more info, please visit www.utecinc.org.

UTEC is committed to its vision for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which pledges to honor the lived experiences and expertise of individuals; create community and celebration of cultures; challenge all forms of oppression; and embody a culture that leans into discomfort and recognizes it as a growth opportunity. UTEC is dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practice, the health, mental health, and overall well-being of young adults and staff and to creating an environment that supports work-life balance and the individual and professional growth of all.

We strongly encourage people of color, individuals from historically marginalized communities, and those with lived experience related to the communities we serve to apply. UTEC is also proud to be a second-chance employer. We believe that past involvement with the legal system should not be a barrier to meaningful employment, and we welcome applicants regardless of criminal record.

Job Summary

UTEC seeks an experienced and caring early childhood educator to teach in our new Early Education Center. Our center is designed to serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers whose parents are enrolled in our Workforce Development and Social Enterprise program. You would be part of an innovative, big thinking organization whose mission is to help young adults and their children attain social and economic success.

As a classroom teacher, you will work with a co-teacher to implement effective educational practices. The center promotes developmentally appropriate, constructivist, and play-based learning with a focus on socioemotional, cognitive, physical, and communication development.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Create and implement a developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive curriculum that engages children.
• Work with a co-teacher in developing and implementing lesson plans and daily activities.
• Welcome families into the classroom and promote family engagement.
• Maintain a safe and positive program.
• Exhibiting a warm, engaged attitude toward the children in the classroom and their parents.
• Taking a prosocial approach to working with individuals as well as groups of children.
• Implement assessment tools for the purposes of evaluating individual child progress, as well as the effectiveness of different teaching strategies.
• Encourage problem-solving and self-help skills in children
• Use redirection, logical consequences, and natural consequences to guide children
• Offer reminders and choices to children to foster their positive self-esteem development
• Maintain program equipment, supplies, and physical environment, including daily clean up and proper use of materials
• Implement special event programs for parents and the school community
• Respond immediately to the individual needs of children and families
• Participate in staff meetings
• Regularly approve timesheets of direct reports
• Manage the performance review process for direct reports
• Participate in at least 25 hours of professional development
• Training annually
• Maintain current first aid and CPR certification and ensure equipment/kits/materials are maintained and available.
• Follow all company and state policies and procedures.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Flexibility: Thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced environment; understands that the process is just as important as the end
• Perspective Taking: Comfortable working in a diverse environment and considers divergent opinions
• Coachable: Open to feedback and actively seeks out personal and professional improvement
• Commitment: Cares about children’s and families’ success
• Must have prior experience in an Early Head Start setting or willing to learn.
• Controlled Response: Remains calm and objective when confronting difficult situations; tolerates stress
• Relationship Builder: Values and nurtures relationships between oneself, children, parents, and colleagues
• Drive: Hunger to do an excellent job; a passion to own one’s work; proactively comes up with ideas to enhance children’s educational experiences
• Team Player: Upholds UTEC’s mission, values, and vibe; collaborates well with others; willing to provide reflective feedback
• Organized: Prepared for every day; maintains organized files, physical space, and lessons
• Child-Focused: Makes curriculum and operational decisions centered on the children’s interests and needs
• Family-Focused: Truly believes that guardians and parents are partners in children’s learning and demonstrates warmth, friendliness, and care toward families
• Sense of Humor: The ability to laugh at oneself is a must!

Education and Experience

• Must be "Lead Infant toddler Qualified" by EEC
• Must have at least 2 years of successful experience teaching in a toddler or preschool classroom
• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree and 30 or more college credits in ECE

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift small children ages infant through preschool

Compensation

The salary for this role is $48,500-$55,000K plus benefits. UTEC offers a competitive benefits package that starts with 3 weeks of vacation plus a week off between the Christmas and New Year holidays, 12 holidays, 10 sick days, 2 personal days, and 3 bereavement days, as well as health, dental, and vision insurance starting day one. We also offer life insurance, first-time homeowners down payment assistance, cost-of-living increases, a paid sabbatical after three years, and a 401K retirement plan with up to $2,000 savings match. See more about our benefits here.

UTEC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, UTEC complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location where the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.