Founding Lead Kindergarten Teacher

The Shefa School is a Jewish community day school in Manhattan, serving students in grades K-8. Since opening in September 2014, Shefa has enrolled children who benefit from a specialized educational environment in order to develop their strengths while addressing their learning challenges. We specifically serve students with language-based learning disabilities who have not yet reached their potential levels of success in traditional classroom settings.

Shefa is a pluralistic community school, serving families across the range of Jewish involvement and observance.

The Shefa School is seeking a highly experienced Kindergarten educator to serve as our Founding Kindergarten Teacher. This role is ideal for a veteran teacher with deep expertise in early elementary special education who is ready to take the next step in their professional growth. The position offers a unique opportunity to help shape and build an early elementary program while developing leadership skills for those interested in pursuing future administrative or instructional leadership roles.

The Founding Kindergarten teacher will collaborate closely with the school’s senior leadership to make key programmatic and curricular decisions.

The Founding Kindergarten Teacher will teach a small classroom of students to explore, share, learn, and think creatively. The teacher will provide developmentally appropriate, multisensory instruction across core subject areas, including early literacy, foundational writing and language skills, mathematics, social studies, and Judaic studies. Using structured, explicit teaching methods tailored to diverse language and learning needs, the teacher will design and adapt curriculum to support each child’s academic, social, and emotional growth.

The Founding Teacher will also mentor and support the second teacher in the classroom. Responsibilities include ongoing assessment of student progress, implementing individualized supports and accommodations, and creating a nurturing, structured classroom community with clear routines and positive behavior supports that fosters students’ curiosity, creativity, and love of learning. The teacher should excel in building strong partnerships with families through consistent communication and collaborate closely with specialists and colleagues to ensure a coordinated, student-centered approach to learning.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience and advanced training in early childhood and Kindergarten education, with particular expertise in supporting students with language-based learning disabilities. Candidates should have a strong background in multisensory instructional methodologies and a demonstrated ability to differentiate instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of young students.

This role requires a passionate, nurturing educator who deeply understands child development and thrives in a highly collaborative environment. Successful candidates will be reflective practitioners who are flexible, innovative, and comfortable navigating the ambiguity and problem-solving that come with building and growing a dynamic Kindergarten program. Strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to teamwork are essential.

Salary Range: $80,000.00 - $ commensurate with experience

The Shefa School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs