HEAD TEACHER

Position Summary

Hamilton-Madison House's Early Childhood Services is seeking a full time Pre‑K Head Teacher in our Early Childhood Program which serves children between the ages of 3‑5 years old. We are seeking a warm, responsible, dedicated teacher, sensitive to the needs of young children and their families and able to work well with others. The Head Teacher sets the tone for the class, creating and implementing a developmentally‑appropriate curriculum that meets the needs and interests of a given group of children.

The Head Teacher also ensures that all paperwork is completed in a thorough and timely manner and that all health and safety regulations are observed. This position reports to the Education Director.

• BA in Early Childhood Education or related field and NYS Education Department Early Childhood Certification.
• Certified with MA in Early Childhood Education or in a program which will guarantee permanent certification at its completion preferred
• Ability to work positively and patiently with children, parents and staff
• Possess good computer skills
• Bilingual English / Asian language a plus

Work within the framework of the sponsoring agency of the child care center and carry out its functions, policies, and procedures

• Interact frequently, affectionately and respectfully with all children every day

• When in close proximity to children, speaking in a calm, friendly, soft and courteous manner
• Be available and responsive to children's needs, questions and requests
• Encourage and model social behavior and expectations that are developmentally appropriate
• Intervene in plan in order to maintain safety
• Communicate directly with each child at the child's level

• Supervises given group of children at all times
• Maintain accurate attendance records
• Complete appropriate paperwork (accident reports, allergy lists, etc.)
• Maintain a clean and safe environment for children at all times. Encourages respect for classroom materials and notifies supervisor in advance when supplies are needed
• Arrange the space in clearly defined, well‑organized centers to promote optimal program functioning
• Organize a variety of materials and equipment as to encourage maximum constructive use
• Understands the responsibilities as a mandated reporter

• Must be able to:
• Stand for a majority of the day
• Bend to be a child's eye level
• Perform all activities with the children including: running, dancing, walking, jumping, etc.
• Move from a seated position to a standing position promptly to respond to emergency situation
• Must possess acceptable hearing and visual capabilities in order to monitor the environment and children's well‑being

• Create and implement a rich and developmentally appropriate curriculum based upon the needs and interests of the students, with a focus on intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth
• Plan and implement child-oriented, self-initiated activities while limiting large group, faculty-initiated activities
• Provide more than one option for group activity and maintain flexibility in changing planned activities, according to children's interests
• Assess the skills, abilities, interests and needs of children consistently throughout the year
• Create documentation of children's accomplishments through anecdotal notes, work sampling and / or portfolios
• Plan the use of community resources to enrich the educational content of the program
• In a timely fashion complete all documentation, including, but not limited to, weekly lesson plans, anecdotal notes, checkpoints, home visit forms, parent‑teacher conference forms.
• Take into consideration the individual needs of children and differentiate instruction to meet student needs
• Design and environment that responds to the children's individual developmental levels, physical needs and interests
• Provide a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and activities that foster social skills, encourage children to think, problem solve, question and experiment
• Foster positive self‑concept development by…