Benefits:
401(k)
401(k) matching
Competitive salary
Dental insurance
Employee discounts
Health insurance
Opportunity for advancement
Paid time off
Training & development
Tuition assistance
Vision insurance
Wellness resources
Parental leave
Savings bank
Job Title: Early Head Start (EHS) Lead Teacher
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt, Full-time, 40 hrs/week
Shifts: 6:30AM-3:30pm (one hour lunch break)
Work Week: Monday – Friday
Supervisor: Senior Director of Early Education
Age Groups: Infant/Toddler
Location: Pottstown, PA
WHO WE ARE:
YWCA Tri-County Area is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace justice, freedom, and dignity for all. YW serves more than 3,000 people annually in Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties as a leader in advocating for girls, women, and families. YW’s quality programs and services focus on education, designed to build individual, family, and community success: early childhood education; Youth Empowerment Programs that include enrichment, STEM learning, and recreation; adult education and English as a Second Language; workforce development; Foster Grandparent Program; and holistic wraparound services. Mission-based advocacy efforts raise awareness, offer issue education, and build social capital around women's empowerment, racial and social justice, and safe and healthy communities.
YWCA Tri-County Area is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering competitive salaries and benefit packages.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
YWCA Tri-County Area is looking for dedicated individual to serve as an Early Head Start (EHS) Lead Teacher in our STARS 4 Early Education Center in Pottstown. Our EEC vision is to create a community of learning where children experience a sense of wonder and exploration – where everyone feels a sense of connection and participates with others in ways that create new possibilities for making the world a better place.
WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:
Early Head Start Lead Teachers are responsible for developing a cohesive teaching team, coordinating the curriculum, and managing the day-to-day operational activities of the classroom. Teachers must understand children’s social and emotional, language, cognitive and physical development to ensure a safe and stimulating classroom environment where children are actively engaged and encouraged to succeed. Teachers must be skilled in communicating with both children and adults to meet the needs of the children, effectively guide teacher assistants, and resolve family concerns. Each ITCS Teacher understands and promotes education and early childhood development as defined in YWCA Tri-County Area’s (YW3CA) Policies and Procedures, and mission statement.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Coordinate and implement educational curriculum by developing classroom activities based on developmentally appropriate practices and early learning standards.
Ensures the program operations meets funding and licensing guidelines with regards to screenings, assessments, curricula, supervision of children, child safety and reporting.
Plan individual and group age-appropriate activities to actively engage children and encourage social, cognitive, and emotional growth.
Use routines and experiences to teach content areas: literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts and technology as well as to build social-emotional skills.
Maintain daily communications including written communication using daily reports with families through informal discussions, Tadpoles messages, phone calls, report cards, and conferences.
Ensure all center policies and state regulations are met.
Ensure a healthy classroom environment – including maintaining appropriate hygiene and cleanliness meeting Caring for Our Children’s standards for safety and security of children.
Supervise teacher assistants and classroom volunteers to ensure they are following planned activities, hygiene, cleanliness, and safety standards, including use of primary groups.
Maintain timely and accurate records, forms and files including recording daily observations.
Maintain personal professional development plan to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Ensure the safety of children and staff.
Actively contributes in team meetings at which families are participants.
Attends and participates in all in-service training and monthly staff meetings as identified by the Early Education Director to increase competency in job performance.
Lead by example; encourage teaching team success through teaching, modeling, and coaching.
Maintains confidentiality in all children and family records.
Completes special projects specific to the function of the service area or as needed for the area as directed by the supervisor.
Support families/staff using the P.E.A.C.E. model for problem-solving.
Use inclusive language and Conscious Discipline skills and powers in all communication.
Other duties as assigned within the scope of position expectations.
WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE POSITION:
A strong understanding of child development.
Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
High energy and the ability to work well with others (team members, children, families) and to foster a team environment.
Ability to work with parents in the community and other volunteers
Understanding of diverse family dynamics and cultural differences with the ability to work with and empower families
Understanding of YW3CA mission, goals, and objectives and ability to work independently with a high level of energy and contribute as part of a larger team.
Knowledge of the concepts and practices associated with early childhood education and child development issues
Knowledge of and sensitive to the issues facing the community served.
Strong interpersonal skills as demonstrated by compassionate, courteous, cordial, cooperative, and professional interaction with diverse groups of co-workers, families, and members of the community.
Strong oral and written communication skills and basic computer skills including Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, and customized databases.
Effective and accurate ability to create lesson plans using daily observations
Other Position Factors
The other position factors described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential tasks of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Requirements include:
The ability to take frequent walks, use hands and fingers, handle objects, tools or controls, talk to and hear voices at many levels.
The ability to kneel, bend, squat or crawl and stand for periods of time in both indoor and outdoor environments
A specific vision ability including the ability to see up close and up to a certain distance, to see colors, have peripheral vision and depth perception.
The ability to lift 50 pounds.
The ability to sit on the floor and/or ground outside to be actively involved with the children.
Position may require occasional trips to attend conferences, seminars, and meetings.
May require working non-traditional hours based on operational needs.
Education & Experience:
Requires an I/T CDA or EEC related degree with a minimum of 9 infant toddler credits and 2 years of childhood experience.
Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification.
Must be willing to submit to background checks in accordance with local law and regulations.
Current Health Assessment and TB test
Strong desire for continued growth and learning
Familiar with Keystone STARS a plus
Familiar with Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Regulations a plus
Familiar with ITERS and ECERS Rating Scale
Ability to work independently, goal oriented.
Strong commitment to the mission and values of YW3CA.