Lead Preschool Teacher

Inspired by the work we do every day, the JCC is an organization centered by Jewish values and focused on creating meaningful experiences and opportunities to enrich, connect, and positively impact our community. We pride ourselves on our inclusive and welcoming workplace and celebrate the diversity of our employees. We value all members of our team in a supportive environment in which everyone is treated with appreciation and respect and positioned to do their best work every day. SUMMARY: The Stoler Early Learning Center is located at the JCC of Grater Baltimore’s Rosenbloom Owings Mills Campus. We serve 200 children from the ages of 6 weeks through kindergarten. It is our belief that each child is unique and we strive to partner with families to address their strengths, needs, and interests in a comprehensive, child-centered approach. Our educators have the qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment needed to promote children’s development and support families. Our program is designed to enhance the development of each child as they grow to become creative, resilient, and confident thinkers by learning through exploration of the world around them and play. Our school is working towards living and breathing a constructivist inspired philosophy and embracing a spirit of innovation and experimentation to create a caring community of learners. We are currently seeking energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated, creative, and passionate educators who are committed to furthering their education and joining their students on their journey of social/emotional and educational growth. Our team prides ourselves on providing high quality education and care that reflects the goals and values of J Early Childhood. Lead Teachers are responsible for monitoring the development and learning of the children. The ideal candidate enjoys working with children as they inquire about the world, nourish their innate sense of wonder, encourage imagination, build their self-esteem, and create “edu-speriences” (hands‑on, engaging, educational experiences) by developing, implementing, and reflecting upon their class community. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of child development, a willingness to ‘wonder,’ and an excitement for learning. WHO YOU ARE: 90- hour Certification. CDA, Associates, or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education; education; child development, or a related field preferred. Working knowledge of the growth and development of young children and ability to utilize this information in the classroom. Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills: oral, reading, writing. Creative, problem solver with a “can-do” attitude Experience working in Early Childhood or Elementary Education preferred. Specifically in a constructivist, child‑centered setting. Ability to be flexible, multi‑task, and prioritize workload. Ability to act independently in the classroom setting and possesses a willingness to work with a team, including collaborating with classroom team, age level team, Leadership Team, and specialists. Ability to meet Maryland State Department of Education requirements for employment in a preschool setting with mandated coursework completed and drive to complete ongoing continuing education requirements as required by MSDE, MD EXCELS, and credentialing. Comfort exploring both indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather. Basic Judaic knowledge, including holidays, culture, traditions, and values and ability to integrate it into lessons and experiences or willingness to learn. WHAT YOU WILL DO: Pedagogy Provide a safe environment for all children in the school by providing active supervision at all times, this includes but is not limited to, remaining in ratio and keeping the children in sight and sound at all times. Pay close attention to children’s play, engage in reflection and discussion about children’s growth and learning, and respond to themes in children’s play and development. Consider students’ personalities, interests, developmental abilities, cultural backgrounds, family values, as well as their personal observations and dialogues with the children when facilitating learning experiences through frequent changes in centers and open‑ended provocations. Document children’s play and learning, including daily reflections, journey binders, blog, weekly newsletters, and other vehicles implemented by the school. Provide a variety of opportunities targeting multiple learning styles for children’s active participation, independent choices, experimentation, and problem solving within the context of a structured setting and program. Be sensitive to individual children’s differences and needs and be willing to adjust the experiences you bring to life for the children to meet those individual needs. Use the power of joint attention and observing children’s play, conversations, and experiences to impact your facilitation. Create opportunities for social interaction, physical activity, creative expression, and Jewish experiences both indoors and outdoors. Encourage students to be responsible for their own learning. Ask high level thinking questions to enhance their reasoning skills and increase questioning strategies to promote conversation. Attend to classroom management, including flow of the day, group dynamics, and conflict resolutions. Use positive guidance and modeling to encourage children and provide them with the skills and words they need to communicate more effectively. Relate to young children and adults in an emotionally responsive manner. Nurture physical, spiritual, emotional, social, cognitive, and literary growth and development of each child. Use a variety of educational resources to plan learning experiences and lessons for the children. Building on the familiar foundation of the Creative Curriculum, Healthy Beginnings and the JCC ELC holiday curriculum, Chageinu, as well as MSDE approved Kindergarten Common Core Curriculums. Cover the required state content areas/domains: social emotional competencies, language and literacy, mathematics, sciences, social studies, physical well‑being, Jewish studies, fine and gross motor development, and fine arts. Care for classroom environment and aesthetics maintaining a clean and organized environment displaying engaging and accessible documentation. Be physically and mentally present and focused on the children throughout the duration of your shift. Administrative & Classroom Create a warm, welcoming, and nurturing environment of acceptance in which the children can grow with positive self‑concept. Greet families and children enthusiastically upon their arrival – and communicate briefly at pick‑up. A note or phone call might be necessary if the topic at hand would be too lengthy or inappropriate to discuss in front of the child and their peers. Read and maintain children’s files including work samples, anecdotal notes, and other documentation. Complete accurate reports as directed (i.e., attendance, signing in/out, frequent, and regular Name to Face Recognition, accidents/incidents, milk, sunscreen, medication administration, ID checks, individual child meals, and diaper record keeping when applicable, etc.). Complete a beginning of the year and mid‑year assessments to gather data to document children’s’ present levels of performance and track their growth. Classroom teams will complete conference forms and conduct a minimum of one conference each year with families, as well as be available for other conferences or meetings based on parental request or if concerns arise. Identify, provide, and facilitate needed additional assessment or interventions where necessary. Establish and maintain a well‑organized, clean, and safe healthy environment for children. Check materials, equipment, and supplies to see that amounts are adequate and that they are in good repair. Take preventative measures against hazards to physical safety. Care for and maintain equipment within the school. Be knowledgeable of Maryland State Department of Education and the Office of Childcare’s COMAR rules and regulations governing childcare facilities. Supervise, train, and constructively utilize assistant teacher and floater’s skills and abilities. Communication & Community Develop professional, courteous relationships with families and colleagues. Create a positive, warm, individualized, nurturing, environment for children; encourage inquiry, open‑ended thought, and independence. Consistently treat children, coworkers, and families with dignity, respect, and compassion. Promote the equitable, fair, and consistent treatment of all members in our community. Provide tender, responsive, quality care, addressing children’s needs. Uphold the Derech Eretz (Code of Ethical Conduct) of the Stoler Early Learning Center. Share observations with families on areas of interest, strengths, successes, and challenges regarding their individual child. Maintain a continuing dialogue with families, including a minimum of mid‑year and end of the year conferences. As a Lead Teacher, foster and develop the teaching and leadership ability of your colleagues. Finding ways to make your assistant teacher and floaters jobs as rewarding and stimulating as possible. Hold regular conversations with your team to reflect on and review the week’s experiences and plan the next week’s program. Make your expectations clear to your colleagues, following through to see that expectations are met, and that you are utilizing your colleagues’ abilities and input. Provide input and feedback in a productive and positive manner to help create engaging and developmentally appropriate school‑wide events. Professional Development Participate in lifelong learning by increasing knowledge and abilities in the field of early childhood education through attendance and participation at workshops and courses, reading books, etc. and actively participate in professional development days and meetings. Demonstrate strong communication skills by speaking clearly in a professional manner, effectively communicating written thoughts and ideas through e‑mail and daily stories, possessing the ability to listen to gain clarification and understanding, and the ability to respond clearly and confidently to questions. Strive to have strong, positive, professional working relationships with coworkers and leadership team and collaborate with other faculty members to create a Chavruta (learning community). Be a reflective practitioner. Participate in self‑evaluation and school evaluations processes and reflect upon professional path and areas of growth. Work the days and hours agreed to upon hiring and perform all aspects of your assignment, including but not limited to; arriving to work prepared, being punctual, managing time efficiently, requesting time away from work in advance in accordance with our policies and procedures and comply with deadlines. Abide by the policies and procedures of the school as written in the staff manual and uphold the Vision of the Stoler Early Learning Center and the Mission of the JCC, as well as MSDE Licensing safety requirements. Work the assigned days and hours to perform all assigned responsibilities and tasks, be punctual and timely in completing all performance requirements, including but not limited to, attendance standards, punctuality, work deadlines, and replaying to all necessary e‑mails or Brightwheel messages. In order to perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies including but not limited to flexibility, ability to adapt to changes in the work environment, take responsibility for actions, asks for and offer help as needed, be punctual, request time away from work in advance, and manage time off efficiently. Maintain a high level of professionalism and discretion in order to protect the rights and privacy of children and families by maintaining confidentiality according to the NAEYC Code of Ethics. Perform additional program duties as assigned by the director according to the school and agency needs. Each staff member is expected to abide by MSDE’s Professional Development requirements each year. Based on your anniversary hire date, all lead teachers must complete a minimum of 12 continuing education credits and assistants must complete 6 or more units. These numbers are doubled for all credentialed staff. All employees are encouraged to complete the credentialing process, as it has many personal and professional benefits for employees and helps our program maintain its high standards and ratings. All staff should also maintain First Aid, CPR, MSDE Basic Health and Safety and MSDE COVID certifications as well as keeping abreast on current research and practices in early childhood education. PHYSICAL SKILLS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use their fingers and hands to grasp, hold, type, touch, or access work on their class iPad/computer. Repetitive movements are required of arms and hands to operate our Parent Portal, phone, and other classroom materials. Must demonstrate the ability to focus and carry out tasks through completion. Educators must be able to occasionally lift, push or pull objects or children, weighing up to 50 pounds. They must be able to sit or stand for long periods of time and be able to safely move from sitting on the floor to engage with the children to standing, then be able to get back down again with ease. Educators must be able to walk extended distances such as escorting students to and from various locations and demonstrate balance on uneven surfaces when exploring the campus or the outdoors with the children going to and from the fields, playgrounds, and trails in a variety of different temperatures and weather conditions. Employees must possess physical and mental endurance to consistently complete their full shift, 5 days per week, unless temporarily ill or taking pre‑approved time away from work. Educators must have quick reflexes to respond to the needs of children. Employees must be able to rapidly walk or run in the event of an emergency, and demonstrate the to bend from knees to help a child with clothing, shoes, or other needs, diaper or help child with toilet needs, reach and retrieve items if necessary, clean their classrooms (including low tables and items on floor), and possess the ability to help set up room: including bulletin boards and other surfaces. Employees in the Stoler Early Learning Center must demonstrate a positive attitude and demeanor. Specific visual abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Aspects of this position will require that educators are able to talk and hear. The noise level may be loud and stressful. The employee must demonstrate the ability to focus and carry out tasks through completion. The fast‑paced environment requires a high level of energy and interaction with others. The mental and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salary (or Salary Range): $22.50/hour Lead Teachers work 35-40 hours per week between the hours of 7:30am and 5:30pm and typically earn a starting salary at the rate of $22.50 per hour depending upon education and experience. We are a 12‑month program and transition to Noah’s Ark Preschool Camp in the summer. Benefits & Perks: The JCC offers a comprehensive benefits package including generous time off, paid holidays, health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) employer match, FSA/HSA options, life insurance, long term disability, complimentary membership to the Jewish Community Center, discounts on programs including preschool and summer camp, and wellbeing programming. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and incumbent will also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by supervisor or other management, as required. The JCC reserves the right to revise or change job duties as the needs arise. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. In keeping with our Jewish values, we are dedicated to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, citizenship, veteran's status, physical or mental disability that does not prohibit the performance of essential job functions (with or without reasonable accommodation) or any other basis protected by federal, or applicable, state or local law. We welcome everyone interested in our mission to join us. If you require accommodation, please contact us and we will make every effort to meet your needs. #J-18808-Ljbffr