Center Manager​/Lead Teacher: Fort Scott

Classification:
Full-time Status:
Exempt

The Center Manager/Lead Teacher provides daily leadership and support to staff, ensuring high-quality, developmentally appropriate services for children and families. This role promotes a positive, collaborative environment for the center. This position also oversees one classroom as lead teacher. The position ensures the early childhood program meets all Head Start and state licensing standards.

• Lead and supervise classroom staff, custodian, cook (in conjunction with Nutrition Manager).
• Provide regular supervision and support through reflective supervision, training, and performance appraisals.
• Directly supervise teaching positions and cross-train for all center roles.
• Facilitate and plan classroom team meetings, guiding problem-solving and ensuring service delivery.
• Serve as the first line of communication with classroom staff.
• Ensuring other lead teachers in the center are compliant with their assigned duties, which may include but not limited to some of the following below.

• Promote excellence and ensure daily program operations that support quality services for children and families, while fostering a thriving environment for all staff.
• Implement and maintain Policies and Procedures and Programs which include the following:
  Head Start Performance Standards, KDHE Licensing, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Personnel Manual, Social/Emotional strategies, Reflective Supervision, ERSEA, APRICOT, Frog Street, Cognitive Toybox and recruitment plans to ensure compliance.
• Responsible for requesting, ordering, or purchasing items needed for classroom and center through database.
• Support management decisions both in actions and words.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Utilize Social/Emotional strategies to prevent and reduce challenging behavior.
• Model for staff and family’s appropriate ways to engage with children 0-5 years old.
• Obtain and share knowledge of theories and techniques regarding Early Childhood development.
• Basic care for the needs of children including but not limited to toileting, family style meals, and daily routines.
• Engage with children in ways that support their language development, learning, and overall growth.
• Demonstrate patience and understanding based on each child’s developmental level.
• Ensure active supervision of children using indoor/outdoor zoning.
• Create and implement developmentally appropriate weekly lesson plans individualizing for children’s needs by using observations and information from Cognitive toybox.
• Set up a developmentally appropriate classroom based on Head Start Performance Standards-using Frog Street, Social/Emotional supports and other identified strategies identified by Center Supervisor and Head Start Management Team as needed.
• Screen and observe the developmental level of each child by making appropriate referrals to the local Special Education Services.
• Individualize teaching to enable children to attain school readiness and social emotional goals with the assistance of families.

• Conduct two educational home visits and two parent teacher conferences throughout the program year for assigned classroom.
• Work cooperatively with Family Services and other professionals.
• Be responsible for ensuring communication between early childhood resources and the families that we serve (Examples: Nutrition, health, and special services).
• Works directly with Family Advocate to ensure recruitment hours are being achieved and any volunteer hours are documented for center.
• Model for staff appropriate ways to engage with families.
• Provide information from Cognitive Toybox reports during parent teacher conferences, home visits and/or upon request of parent.
• Ensure parents/primary caregivers are informed of all policies included in the Parent Handbook.
• Develop relationships with education and administrative staff at local schools to ensure smooth transitions to new educational settings for all Head Start children.
• Participate in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and/or Individual Family Service Plan…