Preschool Teacher

Job Description: Teacher

Overview:

A Lead Teacher at Grace Early Learning Center is responsible for establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy and nurturing learning environment. Additionally, the leader teacher is responsible to work together with an Assistant Teacher as well as in conjunction with the entire faculty. The lead teacher is hired, evaluated quarterly (two informal and one formal) and reports directly to the GELC Director.

General Qualifications

A Lead Teacher must meet the qualifications of the State of Maryland including the following:

Ability to hear the conversational voice, with or without a hearing aid

Ability to see and read newsprint, with or without corrective lenses

Ability to speak and be understood under normal circumstances

Ability to lift and carry children and other items weighing up to 50 pounds

Ability to use arms, hands, legs, and feet, with or without corrective devices; this includes the ability to evacuate the building during emergencies

Ability to handle crisis situations, especially where children are involved

Ability to respond immediately to emergency situations

Educational Qualifications

All candidates, who wish to be considered for the position of Lead Teacher must meet one or more of the following criteria, in addition to any/all requirements that may be mandated by Maryland and/or local licensing authorities:

A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Child Development.

A Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field, including 18 semester hours of completed coursework related to young children birth to age 8.

An Associate’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Child Development or a related field.

An Associate’s degree or higher in a related field, including 18 semester hours of completed coursework related to young children birth to age 8.

Proof of current and active enrollment in an accredited Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education or a related field.

A 90-hour certificate (45 hr. Growth and Communication and 45 hr. Curriculum) or 45 hr. Infant/toddler Certification if their degree is in another field.

ADA training, Developmental Screening Overview, Health and Safety Training (Annually) and Breastfeeding Training (Infant/Toddler Employees only).

Continuing education as appropriate for Licensing requirements of 12 hrs. per year. And MSDE accreditation 12 hours per year. A total of 24 hours of continuing education credits. With MSDE the teacher must obtain 4 Professional Activity Units (PAU) for the year.

Lead Teacher Responsibilities

A Lead Teacher’s responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Establish and maintain a safe, healthy and nurturing learning environment

Design an appropriate room arrangement to support the goals and developmental level of the children in the classroom

Develop an appropriate classroom management system to support the goals and developmental level of the children in the classroom

Ensure that classroom equipment is in good repair

Understand and implement Grace Early Learning Center emergency procedure(s)

Promote healthy eating practices at lunch and snack times in conjunction with the Child Care Food Program Regulations.

Ensure that children are always within state ratio requirements

Perform nominal cleaning responsibilities (eg, spills) immediately

Perform major cleaning during times when children are not present

Post a classroom schedule that meets the needs of the children and includes a routine and learning opportunities

Post and adhere to all GELC Health and Safety policies and procedures

Provide training and guidance to aides, substitutes, volunteers and interns assigned to the classroom.

Advance children’s physical and intellectual competence

Adapt program to meet the individual needs of each child

Create a multi-cultural learning environment

Provide a variety of developmentally appropriate materials

Interact with the children to support play, exploration and learning

Encourage children to talk with each other and with the faculty

Present age- and developmentally-appropriate expectations for all children

Create a print-rich environment for children to learn about books, literature and writing

Encourage creativity through art, music, dramatic play and blocks

Provide a reasonable balance between teacher-directed and child-directed activities

Provide opportunities for both active and quiet play

Integrate GELC resources (including Enrichment Programs) into lesson plans

Support each child’s social and emotional development and provide positive guidance

Understand and adhere to the GELC Behavior Policy

Plan and implement activities to develop children’s self-esteem and social skills

Plan and implement activities to enable children’s feeling of security

Encourage empathetic and respectful feelings for others, as well as the environment, through positive modeling

Respect cultural and ethnic diversity

Promote Family Style dining

Establish positive and effective family relations

Communicate regularly, in a professional manner, with families and faculty

Encourage families to become an integral part of their children’s learning experiences

Provide opportunities (e.g., conferences) in which families are made to feel a part of their children’s learning experiences

Prepare a Daily Activity Report for each child.

Maintain a portfolio for each child

Maintain the classroom Parent Board

Use the students hour rest time for lesson planning, bulletin board prep etc..

Ensure an effective program, responsive to children’s needs

Assess supplies and materials needed to implement activities

Build teamwork

Develop lesson plan books and posted lesson plans

Perform child observations and document in their portfolios

Use assessment tools.

Maintain professional commitment

Promote GELC philosophy and educational objectives

Support a code of ethical conduct

Pursue professional development/continuing education

All employees are mandated reporters. Any suspected signs of child abuse are reported to the Director who will assistance in reporting to Child Protective Services (CPS).

Positive attendance and punctuality

Participate in event planning committees for the school year