Lead Preschool Teacher- Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center

Job Details

Job Location:

Legal Address - Princeton, NJ 08540

Salary Range: $40,000.00 - $44,000.00

YWCA Princeton is a mission-driven organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. We advance this mission through a wide range of programs that foster equity and expand opportunity for women, girls, and marginalized groups at every age and stage of life. Our offerings include early childhood education, English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, a Breast Cancer Resource Center, economic empowerment initiatives, racial and gender equity advocacy, and opportunities for professional development and community connection.

The Lead Preschool Teacher is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe, nurturing, inclusive, and engaging learning environment that supports the social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development of young children.

As the instructional leader of the classroom, the Lead Preschool Teacher plans and implements developmentally appropriate learning experiences using The Creative Curriculum and utilizes the Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment system to observe, document, and support each child's growth and development.

The Lead Preschool Teacher provides day-to-day leadership within the classroom, works collaboratively with assistant teachers and other Early Childhood team members, and develops positive, respectful partnerships with children and families. The ideal candidate demonstrates patience, creativity, flexibility, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to high-quality early childhood education.

This position requires flexibility to work scheduled shifts within the Center's operating hours of approximately 7:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

• Plan, prepare, and implement developmentally appropriate daily learning experiences aligned with The Creative Curriculum, Center goals, and YWCA policies and practices.
• Create an engaging classroom environment that encourages exploration, curiosity, creativity, independence, problem-solving, and a love of learning.
• Develop lesson plans and learning experiences that reflect children's individual developmental levels, interests, cultures, abilities, learning styles, and needs.
• Provide opportunities for children to develop age-appropriate social-emotional skills, including self-regulation, communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and positive peer relationships.
• Adapt curriculum, activities, and classroom strategies as necessary to meet the individual needs of each child.
• Maintain appropriate classroom routines and transitions that provide children with consistency, stability, and opportunities for both structured and child-directed learning.
• Ensure classroom materials, books, displays, and learning experiences reflect the diversity of the children, families, and communities we serve.

• Conduct ongoing observations of each child's development and maintain accurate and timely documentation.
• Utilize Teaching Strategies GOLD to document observations, assess developmental progress, identify areas for growth, and inform individualized lesson planning.
• Maintain required classroom and child records, including attendance, daily care information, incident and accident reports, medication documentation, and other records required by the Center and New Jersey childcare licensing regulations.
• Maintain confidentiality of all child and family information.
• Participate in developmental screenings and other assessment activities as required by the Center.

• Maintain active supervision of children at all times, including in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, during walks and transitions, and on field trips or special activities.
• Ensure the physical and emotional safety, security, and well-being of every child in the classroom.
• Treat every child with dignity, respect, patience, and compassion, recognizing each child's unique strengths, abilities, culture, personality, and needs.
• Interact with children at their eye level whenever appropriate and use calm, respectful, and developmentally appropriate language and tone.
• Provide individual attention and meaningful interaction with each child throughout the day.
• Support children's daily care needs, including toileting, diapering when applicable, feeding, handwashing, dressing, and other personal hygiene routines.
• Follow all Center policies and state licensing requirements related to health, safety, supervision, sanitation, emergency procedures, and mandated reporting.

• Provide positive day-to-day leadership within the classroom and establish clear expectations for classroom routines, responsibilities, and instructional practices.
• Work collaboratively with assistant teachers, substitutes, floaters, specialists, interns, and other staff assigned to the classroom.
• Model effective teaching…