Lead Educator

The Kaplen

JCC on the Palisades is a 501c3 not‑for‑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 to more than 5 00 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.

Its 185 0000‑sq‑ft building plus 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 so much more. The JCC is proud to offer extensive, high‑quality programs and services to youth and adults of all ages and of all needs.

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

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

• Plan, supervise and implement developmentally appropriate experiences for the class according to the child‑centered, constructivist, and emergent curriculum and philosophy of the school.
• Work effectively, individually and as part of a teaching team, including the supervision of two or three assistant educators.
• Develop a positive relationship with each child, through observation and learning experience, helping to enhance his or her development and growth.
• Maintain a safe, inviting, and appropriate classroom environment.
• Create a learning environment that provides emotional, cognitive, social, and physical growth in children.
• Communicate regularly with parents through daily interactions, weekly electronic newsletters and photos, emails, and bi‑annual Parent‑Teacher conferences.
• Attend and participate in all staff meetings, including age‑level meetings, teaching team meetings, head teacher meetings, and full staff meetings.

• Must hold either a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree with experience.
• Knowledge of growth and development of young children including developmentally appropriate practice, emergent curriculum, and constructivist learning preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Judaic background preferred.

The classroom is a fast‑paced environment and 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.