Preschool Lead Teacher

The Preschool Lead Teacher , under the supervision of the Preschool Directors, is responsible for creating and implementing a developmentally sound educational program for an assigned class of preschool / Kindergarten school children. The program must meet the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language needs of both the individual child and the group.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child development, or related field.
• Current Early Childhood / Elementary Teaching Certificate
• Experience in and/or knowledge of emergent curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice
• Must be emotionally responsive in their work with children and wish to be part of a larger community that enriches children's lives by co-constructing meaningful learning experiences
• Must have effective and strong communication skills (orally and written)
• At least 2 years' experience working with preschool age children

Principal Responsibilities:

• Interact with children at eye level
• Use an appropriate voice when speaking with children
• Listen respectfully to ideas, thoughts, and feelings the children share
• Encourage children to be age-appropriately independent and develop their self-help skills
• Model appropriate conflict resolution techniques for children
• Validate the children's feelings
• Ask open-ended questions
• Be attentive to the unique needs of each child
• Be nurturing and help the children feel supported and secure
• Respect diversity in cultural and family backgrounds
• Actively engage in the children's play in the classroom, gym, and outdoor areas
• Treat every child equally with warmth, love, dignity, and respect
• Support children to participate in daily cleanup and maintenance of the classroom
• Provide children opportunities in decision making and issues concerning classroom behavior, plans, and activities

Relationships with Families:

• Be available to parents and easily approachable
• Be sensitive when delivering information to families
• Gain the confidence, trust, and respect of the parents
• Prepare regular informative newsletters that make the learning in the classroom visible and valued
• Value the importance of families feeling a part of our community and encourage parent involvement in the classroom, school, and Jewish community
• Plan and conduct meaningful parent-teacher conferences
• Articulate and educate families on information related to their child's development
• Articulate and educate families on Jewish values, holidays, and traditions
• Discuss concerns about children with Directors prior to any discussion with parents
• Respect confidential information

Relationships with Colleagues:

• Come to work with a positive attitude
• Be respectful of co-workers
• View self as a member of a team and work cooperatively with co-workers
• Prepare annual written evaluation of Assistant Teacher/s working with you
• Offer and share ideas and information with colleagues
• Approach constructive feedback with a learning attitude

Curriculum:

• Use the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards and The Creative Curriculum as a foundation for planning while looking through a Jewish lens
• Encourage imaginative use of materials and space and inspire children to extend their thinking
• Engage thoughtful curriculum planning and be flexible when modifications need to be made
• Plan and implement experiences that promote the development of the whole child: cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and spiritual
• Implement effective classroom management techniques
• Value the importance of process with less significance placed on product
• Develop emergent curriculum around the children's interests
• Document, analyze and plan based on classroom observations
• View the gym and outdoor areas as an extension of the classroom
• Offer varied experiences to respond to children's individual learning styles and developmental stages
• Encourage children to solve problems and explore
• Provide a consistent routine and appropriate balance between activities
• Plan predictable transitions and limit waiting time between activities
• Demonstrate preparation and organization of activities and materials in advance
• Seek out the children's ideas and discern how they understand by observing , talking, and listening
• Display children's work in an attractive manner that allows children to revisit it and parents and colleagues to gain a deeper understanding of the work
• Keep a 'portfolio' of each child's progress, including photographs, samples of their artwork, projects, writing, etc.
• Maintain all required reports pertaining to the class and/or individual children
• Submit a written lesson plan weekly to the Preschool Director for prior approval
• Keep informed of current trends in Early Childhood to continuously learn and improve
• Reflect on learning with children
• Use observation and documentation to design goals and guide curriculum planning and monitor progress

Environment:

• Design the room so that it is evident the children and families are entering a Jewish space
• Create and maintain a safe and inviting learning environment and follow agency security…