Preschool Teacher - FULL TIME

Preschool Teacher

Preschool teachers at Little Sprouts are responsible for the care, supervision, and teaching of a class of preschoolers (2-5 years old) in accordance with the goals and curriculum of Little Sprouts. Staff are to supervise children, develop action plans, carry out activities on a daily basis, and evaluate the effectiveness of the conducted activities in line with current child development practices. In addition, staff will maintain regular communication with parents and contribute to the effective operation to the overall education center.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Ensure that child care routines are carried out in a prompt, hygienic manner, and consistent with good child development principles. This includes routines that are related to hand washing, eating, napping, and transitioning between activities.
• Plan and carry out an effective child development program to meet the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of each child. This should be done based on the goals and general curriculum plan of Little Sprouts.
• Ensure the safety of children through constant supervision, effective arrangement of space, proper maintenance of equipment, and regular practice of fire drills and other emergency procedures.
• Operate the classroom in compliance with all child care licensing standards, and Little Sprouts Preschool Employee and Policy Handbook.
• Create an open, friendly, and cooperative atmosphere in which children and families feel comfortable and secure.
• Provide experiences that promote individual expression through conversation, play, and creativity.
• Maintain staff, child, and parent confidentiality.
• Aid in the training of new staff and volunteers.
• Provide a variety of language stimulation activities.
• Ensure that parents receive adequate information about their child's experiences at the center through daily contacts and regularly scheduled parent conferences.
• Maintain written records via Brightwheel designed to evaluate each individual child.
• Promote and nurture parent-child bonding and relationships.
• Greet children and their parents warmly and with enthusiasm each morning.
• Initiate classroom activities daily (sing-a-longs, art projects, sensory exploration, outdoor stimulation).
• Display children's creative art work on bulletin boards, changing monthly (when age appropriate).
• Observe children to detect signs of illness, injury, abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance, or other special needs, and report these signs immediately to the Director.
• Use equipment and supplies safely and conscientiously, keeping the physical environment clean and orderly.
• Inspect the school site and equipment for potential safety hazards; taking corrective action or informing the Director to prevent injuries.
• Contribute to the operation of the center by participating in staff meetings and sharing information gained through attendance at workshops and professional reading.
• Work as a member of a team to ensure continuity and a high standard of quality in all classrooms in the center.
• Follow and implement curriculum in accordance with the Farm to Preschool practices.

Required Experience, Education, & Skills:

Fully Qualified Teacher

• Must be 18 years of age
• High School Graduate or GED
• 12 Core semester units early childhood education/ development or appropriate age-level program curriculum
• 6 months experience working in a licensed child care center
• CPR/First Aid certification
• Cleared fingerprints
• Up-to-date immunizations
• Mandated Reporter Training completion certification

Partially Qualified Teacher

• Must be 18 years of age
• High School Graduate or GED
• 3 completed semester units of early childhood education
• 3 semester units of infant care
• Enrolled in at least 2 semester units at a college/university until fully qualified
• CPR/First Aid certification
• Cleared fingerprints
• Up-to-date immunizations
• Mandated Reporter Training completion certification

Teacher's Aid

• Must be 18 years of age
• High School Graduate or GED
• CPR/First Aid certification
• Cleared fingerprints
• Up-to-date immunizations
• Mandated Reporter Training completion certification
• Must be with a teacher while working

Personal Skills & Requirements

• Must have a warm and supportive attitude and disposition toward working with children and their families.
• Must be reliable and reachable.
• Must be flexible in receiving assignments or adapting to changes in the program.
• Must be willing to accept supervision in order to improve work performance.
• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Must be physically able to perform the job of a teacher of young children.
• Must possess personal attributes needed to develop trusting relationships with children and adults. Such attributes include the following:
• Professional in appearance, attitude and ability.
• Respect confidentiality of each child and his/her family.
• Treat children, parents and staff members with dignity and respect.
• Develop a sense of teamwork with co-workers in all activities, including housekeeping, toilet training, and record keeping.
• Practice good communication skills.

Additional Knowledge and Skills

• Experience working with preschool-aged children and knowledge of the basics of child development.
• Knowledge of activities appropriate to the age group. Ability to be flexible with daily routines and schedules to capture nurturing and teachable moments.
• Knowledge of safety issues, communicable disease management/control/prevention, and first aid.
• Skills in patience and ability to be calm under pressure. Ability to move and react quickly to handle emergencies effectively.
• Skills in time management and organization.
• Skills in parent communication.
• Ability to supervise assistants, give instructions, and delegate duties in a professional manner.
• Ability to acquire knowledge of the current curriculum and implement the curriculum practices in the classroom.

Work Environment and Expectations:

Little Sprouts is an early care and education program that views each child as an individual with unique developmental needs. Through age-appropriate programming, Little Sprouts Preschool serves children ages 2 to 5 years old. The goal of Little Sprouts Preschool is to achieve the highest level of professional development, build a community where families feel connected to one another and to the wider community, and to cultivate sustainable environmental choices and business practices to create a healthy environment for the children and teachers who care for them.

About Little Sprouts:

Little Sprouts was founded in 2019 in San Luis Obispo, California, and opened another location in Avila, California in 2021. We will also be opening a preschool in Fall 2024. We believe that young children will develop a love for learning if taught through play in a nurturing, positive and secure environment. We dedicate our time to help children build their independence by providing a safe place they can explore, create, and learn.

Our Infant and Toddler Child Care program provides age appropriate activities that meet the developmental needs of each individual child in our care. Our learning environment promotes social & emotional development, as well as physical development.