Early Childhood Assistant Educator

The Kaplen

JCC on the Palisades is a 501c3 non‑profit social service agency serving Tenafly, NJ and surrounding areas. Among the largest JCCs in North America with an operating budget of $20 million, 150 full‑time and 300+ part‑time staff, the Kaplen JCC operates 22 business units and offers over 350 activities weekly, serving more than 5,000 people per day. Deeply rooted in Jewish values and tradition, the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is a vibrant home for the Jewish People that welcomes all and cultivates the social, intellectual, physical and spiritual well‑being of the entire community.

Our 185,000‑square‑foot building and acres of outdoor grounds feature two fitness centers, an indoor and outdoor aquatics center, group exercise, spin and Pilates studios, two gymnasiums, tennis and racquet courts, indoor track, a luxurious spa, multiple playgrounds and fields and much more.

The JCC is proud to offer extensive, high‑quality programs and services to youth and adults of all ages and any needs.

The Leonard and Syril Rubin Nursery School at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is looking for creative, enthusiastic, and dedicated Early Childhood Assistant Educators to create a loving, nurturing, and safe learning environment for children and their families. Our teachers possess the qualifications, dispositions, knowledge, dedication to learning, and professional commitment necessary to support children and their families through their experiences at our school.

The school is open year‑round and comprises 20+ classrooms with students ranging from three months old through five years old.

• Ability to work effectively, individually and as part of a teaching team.
• Develop a positive relationship with each child, through observation and learning experience, helping to enhance his/her development and growth.
• Support the head teacher in implementing developmentally appropriate experiences for the class that align to our school’s philosophy of a child‑centered, emergent curriculum that allows for constructivist learning.
• Support the head teacher in maintaining a safe, inviting, and appropriate classroom environment.
• Create a learning environment that provides emotional, cognitive, social, and physical growth in children.
• Good communication skills with colleagues, students and parents.
• Attend and participate in all staff meetings, including age‑level meetings, teaching team meetings, and full staff meetings.

• High School diploma or GED required. Child Development Associate (CDA) or a bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Knowledge of growth and development of young children including developmentally appropriate practice, emergent curriculum, and constructivist learning preferred.

The classroom is a fast‑paced environment, and assistant teachers should have the ability to actively participate in children’s play and care, including high mobility, standing, walking, bending, and sitting on the floor. Must be able to lift and carry young children.

Salary is commensurate with previous Early Childhood experience and educational background. Hiring is subject to completion of a background check, fingerprinting, criminal history record information, and child abuse record information check.

No headhunters or recruitment firms please. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of this institution to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status or status within any other protected group.