Lead Teacher

Job Description

Job Description

The Lead Teacher is responsible for the total operation of the classroom to ensure that the classroom environment promotes the children’s growth and development. This particular room is for the infant/toddler classroom, the hours are 7:00 am - 4:00 pm, 40 hours a week. The duties include educational and routine activities with the children, lesson planning, communicating with parents, meeting health and safety standards, providing a welcoming environment and keeping necessary records and data. The Lead Teacher supervises assistant teachers and/or volunteers and is under the general supervision of the Director. The Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher along with the Afternoon Assistant Teacher keep open communication regarding any pertinent information involving classroom issues, situations, incidents, etc… communication is key in any and all incidents and situations

Requirements

YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL FIELDS ON THE APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION.

Remember to include your Resume and Cover Letter.

 

Emotional & Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to apply common sense and understanding to carry out instructions
• Demonstrates emotional and intellectual competence necessary for self-control and good judgment when taking care of individual children and groups of children
• Demonstrates emotional and intellectual competence necessary for self-control and good judgment when working with other adults, such as coworkers or the children’s parents

Physical Demands:

• Bend, stoop, squat, crawl, and kneel in order to speak with children at child’s eye level, to play with children, and to pick up toys and equipment on the floor;
• Lift, carry, and hold children to assist with other daily routine activities such as diaper changing, potty training, and napping. Able to lift up to 45 pounds;
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 

1. Child Care Guidelines:

-Understands and abides by the Minimum Standards by the TDFPS Child Care Licensing Division

-Understands and abides by the First Presbyterian Church Employee Handbook

-Understands and abides by the FPC Children’s Center Parent Handbook and Staff Handbook

-Understands and abides by the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Code of Ethical Conduct

2. Curriculum and Instruction:

-Plans and implements developmentally appropriate activities each day to promote children’s social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development

-Prepares  detailed lesson plans of daily planned activities and individual plans for specific children as needed. Works side by side with the Assistant Teacher and Afternoon Teacher in planning together

-Arranges classroom environment to promote and implement the goals and philosophy of the school and the church

-Maintains a safe, healthy, attractive learning environment both inside and outside

-Maintains and updates NAEYC classroom portfolio

-Prepares documentation and evidence samples for the NAEYC classroom portfolio

3. Supervision and Teacher/Child Interaction:

-Maintains visual and auditory supervision of the children at all times to ensure their safety in the classroom, on the playgrounds, any other grounds, and on field trips

- Interacts  with children during daily activities and routines; fully participates in all classroom and outdoor activities

-Uses positive techniques of guidance and does not use humiliating or frightening discipline techniques

-Provides opportunities, guides, assists and supports children in developing self-discipline and learn problem solving skills

-Promotes positive self-esteem, interacts with the children, showing affection, interest, and respect

-Fosters developmentally appropriate independence and self-help skills in children

-Handles transitions well and anticipates and eliminates potential problems

4. Assessment of Children:

-Observes, assesses, and records each child’s developmental progress using the ASQ assessment tool

-Maintains appropriate assessment portfolios of each child in the group consisting of both formal and informal assessments, anecdotal records, work samples, family input, and other approved documentation

-Using the information collected from observations and assessments, plans an Individualized Planning Profile (IPP) for each child

-Records all observations to share with parents at parent/teacher conferences

5. Communication with Parents:

-Provides and maintains a central information board that includes a daily schedule, lesson plans, newsletters, and other pertinent information

-Schedules and conducts formal parent-teacher conferences at least twice a year to share information about the child and their developmental stages

-Establishes and maintains positive communication with the parents through daily informal conversations, newsletters, phone calls, individual notes and Brightwheel messaging

-Respects parent’s ideas and suggestions and involves them in the education and care of their child

-Maintains confidentiality of children and family information

6. Safety and Maintenance:

-Ensures the classroom is maintained in an orderly fashion and assists with general housekeeping tasks, such as cleaning tables, cribs, mats, and toys, maintaining a clutter free well organized environment

-Checks classroom, hallways, grounds, and playgrounds for maintenance or security hazards and notifies the Director

-Handles all FPCC equipment responsibly and with care (i.e. equipment, toys, material). Keeps the environment clutter free, clean and organized. Maintains classroom sanitized at all times.

7. Professional Relationships

-Employs a  team-teaching approach to plan and implement the curriculum

-Establishes friendly, respectful, professional working relationships with coworkers and promotes the conditions necessary for productive teamwork

-Participates as a member of the school team and contributes to group efforts

-Shares ideas and materials and serves as a resource to coworkers

-Strives to assume a fair share of work. Takes initiative to help where ever its needed.

-Communicates directly and avoids gossip

-Coaches & mentors on the job training experiences, as needed

-Discusses pertinent problems with the Director – follows the chain of command: see staff handbook for organizational chart

-Accepts constructive criticism and is open minded about new learning experiences and skills

8. Community Relationships

-Presents to parents and public a professional appearance and demeanor

-Positively represents the school when there are in school or church-sponsored events

-Develops partnerships and professional relationships with agencies, consultants, and organizations in the community that further the program’s capacity to meet the needs of the children and families it serves

-Knowledgeable of community resources that support children’s and families’ well-being and development

9. Professional Development & Training

-Participates in and documents at least 24 clock hours of training in child development and related child care topics each training year

-Participates in planning and program development sessions to discuss center goals and improvement of the program

-Receives and maintains certification in Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR

-Attends and participates in all staff meetings required by the Director

10. General Work Habits:

-Manages time well, such as submitting all required paperwork on time.

-Possesses organization skills to fulfil the job description

-Comes to work with a positive attitude

-Approaches constructive criticism with an open attitude

-Demonstrates flexibility

-Arrives to work on time and has regular, consistent attendance

-Performs any other reasonable task assigned by the Director