Lower School Assistant Teacher

The Co-op School was founded in 2003 by a group of parents who saw the need for a high-quality and affordable preschool option in the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene neighborhoods. Since then, the Co-op School has matured from a small, parent-run playgroup to a fully staffed and licensed non-profit school.

After residing in two prior homes in Clinton Hill, The Co-op School moved into 87 Irving Place in the fall of 2009. In 2011, The Co-op School launched the first kindergarten class of its elementary program at 40 Brevoort Place. In 2019, we opened our doors at 644 Gates Avenue in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood—in a 3,500-square-foot building with a double-height gym, a rooftop library, and two playgrounds—housing our preschool, lower school, and middle school students under one roof.

The mission of The Co-op School is to inspire passion and teach children to become protagonists in their own educational journey by fostering their innate sense of curiosity and creativity. The Co-op School facilitates joyful learning through a unique and rigorous constructivist approach that listens to and honors the individual interests and strengths of each child. The Co-op School doesn’t just belong to the students and educators but extends to the family community as a whole.

It belongs to those who participate in it and is a more resilient and creative place because of it.

Assistant Teachers share with the Head Teacher the task of maintaining and organizing materials and preparing for the week's lessons. Assistant Teachers also spend a great deal of time helping their students with classwork and projects, as well as facilitating social interactions between students. All Assistants have opportunities to teach small and large group lessons alone or with the assistance of the Head Teacher.

Assistants partake in the planning of the curriculum for the week or the month and have the opportunity to plan and execute their own unit of study at some point during the year. While communicating with parents and guardians via email, telephone, or in person is usually the responsibility of the Head Teacher, they should also be included in family communication.

Assistants participate in parent conferences and contribute to the writing of student reports. Assistant Teachers attend staff meetings, curriculum nights, teacher meetings, and planning after school one hour a week.

• Working with the Division Head and Teachers to ensure The Co-op School’s mission and values are upheld inside and outside the classroom
• Working with the Division Head and Teachers to ensure that The Co-op School maintains a healthy and safe environment in which the children can learn, play, and grow
• Assisting in fostering an open forum of communication between the staff and Co-op parents and guardians
• Working with the Administration and Teachers to ensure that all families and children are warmly greeted during drop‑off and pick‑up times
• Implementing an age‑appropriate curriculum that embodies social‑emotional learning, inquiry‑based social studies, literacy, and math skills
• Assisting Lead Teachers in prepping, implementing, and planning lessons
• Updating displays of current projects around the classroom
• Working collaboratively with the Lead teacher to provide student observations
• Documenting learning experiences and conversations among peers
• Supporting lead teacher with the student documentation process
• Working collaboratively with the lead teacher to provide data for developmental progress reports and narratives
• Assisting in class and behavior management of class
• Teaching class if the lead teacher is absent and the Division Head is unable to find a substitute

• Participating in all professional development provided to the staff within or outside of the school
• Meeting weekly (1 hour after school) with the teaching team to plan, update documentation, and maintain a clean learning environment
• Attending monthly staff meetings, open house, curriculum night, professional development, and parent‑teacher conferences (twice a…