Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of seven PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools—growing our organization’s impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org.
The Early Childhood Lead Teacher is responsible for a Head Start classroom of 3- to 5-year-old children. The Early Childhood Lead Teacher works collaboratively with an assistant teacher, family members, and other staff to achieve positive outcomes for children of all abilities.
Responsibilities
Classroom Community
- Create and foster a warm and inclusive classroom environment through following school-wide practices for behavior management, encouraging child expression and autonomy, and setting and maintaining consistent routines and high expectations;
- Foster classroom productivity and maximize learning time, while engaging children with a variety of modalities and materials;
- Provide instructional support through concept development, fostering children’s analysis and reasoning, engaging in feedback loops, and modeling and supporting high-quality language.
Curriculum & Instruction
- Implement curriculum with fidelity through backwards lesson planning, following school-wide protocols for developing and documenting syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, and rubrics, and utilizing research-based best practices to support all learners;
- Prepare or modify weekly lesson plans and prepare to implement small-group activities, read-alouds, circle time, and other curriculum components;
- Interact with children intentionally throughout the day to provide differentiated support.
Supporting all Students
- Consistently track, monitor, and assume responsibility for the academic progress of all students, implementing developmentally appropriate strategies for each child in class;
- Complete developmental and social-emotional screenings;
- Integrate Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or referral action plans for children with diagnosed or suspected special needs.
Family Partnerships
- Establish and maintain strong relationships and regularly communicate students’ progress towards academic, social-emotional, and behavioral goals and with families;
- Collaborate with family services staff to support families in implementing family life practices, extending learning into the home, and meeting expectations for attendance.
Professional Growth and Collaboration
- Participate in ongoing reflective coaching and self-assessment;
- Work with assistant teacher, grade team, leadership team, and other staff to analyze data, revise practices, norm on team-wide initiatives, share persistent information, and discuss individual students with a solutions-oriented mindset.
Health and Safety
- Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment, including full supervision of children at all times, in accordance with Head Start and childcare licensing requirements;
- Conduct daily health/safety monitoring of the environment;
- Follow all health and hygiene practices, including hand-washing, sanitizing, and universal precautions;
- Supervise mealtimes and “family style dining” with children;
- Maintain required documentation.
- Additional duties related to the running of the school as assigned.
Qualifications
Education Qualifications - Eligible Head Start Early Childhood Lead Teachers must meet one of the following three criteria to fulfill the education requirement:
- 1) Bachelor's Degree + State Teaching Certification: Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field AND a valid NYS Teaching Certification, OR
- 2) Bachelor's Degree + Experience: A Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field AND two years of supervised, documented teaching experience in a preschool program, OR
- 3) Approved Study Plan: On track to meet qualification 1 or 2, with proof of enrollment in a college program and a timeline to complete within 18 months of hire AND one of the following: an Associate's Degree in early childhood education, 90+ college credits plus one year of classroom experience teaching PreK-2nd grade, OR a Bachelor's Degree in any subject plus one year of classroom experience up to 3rd grade.
Additional Qualifications
- At least 2 years of Pre-K classroom teaching experience, strongly preferred;
- NYS Certification in Early Childhood Education, strongly preferred;
- Bilingual (Spanish), preferred;
- Demonstrated computer literacy skills (Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, etc.);
- A desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families and community;
- A desire and ability to receive and implement feedback;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with various audiences (including colleagues, students, families);
- A commitment to working with diverse populations of families and students;
- A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM, including the desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families, and community;
- Obtain and maintain certification in CPR and first aid;
- A physical exam, fingerprinting, and a federal background check are required for this position.
Working Expectations
- On-site work 5 days a week.
- General on-site hours are 7:45-4:15pm, though some earlier or later hours to support the running of the school will be required as needed.
- For our Mott Haven and Highbridge locations, ideal start date is June 8, 2026.
- For our East Harlem location, ideal start date is August 1, 2026.
Physical Demands of the Position
This section describes the physical requirements that are necessary to successfully perform the essential responsibilities and functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
- Frequent movement, including standing, walking, sitting, and transitioning between floor and standing positions.
- Ability to lift, carry, push, pull or position items up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to engage in activities at child level, including bending, kneeling, crouching, and sitting on the floor.
- Ability to receive and respond to oral communication with students and adults in both quiet and active environments.
- Ability to reach with hands and arms and use hands and fingers to handle objects and operate tools, computers, and/or controls.
Benefits and Paid Time Off
We offer comprehensive benefits including:
- Flexible Medical Health Plans, subsidizing the majority of costs for the employee, their spouse/domestic partner and children;
- The ability to select between a variety of medical plans according to what best suits the employee’s needs;
- Dental and vision plans;
- Disability benefits;
- Life insurance;
- Up to 12 weeks fully paid of Parental Leave;
- Flexible spending account options;
- Pre-tax commuter benefits (parking and transit);
- Fitness and entertainment discounts;
- A variety of support through our employee assistance program (EAP);
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer match starting at 4% after one year, with increases tied to DREAM tenure;
- Referral, performance, and tenure milestones bonuses;
- Discounted school meals through our in-house Scratch Food Program;
- Tuition reimbursement support;
- Access to a professional development fund;
- School-based Head Start staff have approximately 50 days off throughout the calendar year including holidays, school breaks, and personal days.
- Benefits are subject to change.
Compensation
- The salary range for incoming Early Childhood Lead Teachers is $75,000 to $100,000. New Early Childhood Lead Teacher salaries are determined based on the number of years of experience as a teacher.
- Additional compensation is added for incoming Early Childhood Lead Teachers with Master's degrees in Early Childhood education.
- Early Childhood LeadTeachers are eligible for annual salary increases; salaries for Early Childhood Lead Teachers who continue on at DREAM can exceed the incoming Early Childhood Lead Teacher band above.
DREAM Maxims
All Kids Can. This Kid Can.
DREAM is Family.
Fun is a Serious Value.
Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.
Fail. Persist. Exceed.
DREAM Big.
Applying to DREAM
We know applying for a new job can be a daunting process. In addition, studies have shown that historically underrepresented individuals often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage all applications! You may be just the person we need. If you have any questions about your application or interview process, do not hesitate to ask your recruiter; we are here to help!
DREAM provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact your recruiter.
If you are a current DREAM employee, please click here to review our Internal Selection Process before applying.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
