Head Teacher

RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning, Preparation + Curriculum Development

• Co-constructing curriculum, based on children’s interests, questions and development.
• Documenting, reflecting and planning from observations.
• Participating in weekly planning meetings with teaching team
• Meeting the needs of all children, including English language learners

Facilitate Virtual Learning During Periods of School Closure

• Facilitate virtual learning by posting schedules, mini-stories, resources, suggested activities, and video “read-alouds” online daily. Lead daily morning meeting and small group sessions for children via video conferencing.
• Communicate regularly with families and coworkers via email, Zoom, phone and chat.
• Meet with each family at least weekly via phone or video conference to provide individualized support and assess strengths, challenges, needs and goals.
• Develop written support plans for each family covering parenting, education, mental health, and basic needs. Update plans on an ongoing basis in collaboration with administration and social work teams.
• Through whole group, small group, and individual check-ins, empower families during periods of school closure by providing coaching, mentorship and parenting resources on topics including attachment, sleep, feeding, limit-setting, kindergarten transition developmentally appropriate expectations etc.

Classroom Environment

• Planning and creating a classroom environment with inquiry, exploration, learning and respect in mind.
• Nurturing children’s home languages through curated books, materials, and the physical environment.
• Creating a warm and inclusive environment where children and families feel welcome.
• Organizing physical space and selection of materials in a way that is inviting and accessible to children.
• Creating visual evidence of the narratives and curriculum occurring in your classroom

Relationships with Teaching Team

• Develop schedules and processes to ensure that work is complete in a timely fashion by teaching team.
• Lead regular documentation, reflection and planning meetings with teaching team.
• Provide feedback, coaching and support to Assistant and Associate Teachers as necessary.

Interactions with Children

• Speaking and listening to children with respect and mindfulness
• Supervising the whole group, while giving individual attention
• Managing classroom procedures including transitions, routines, and small groups
• Engage students in exploration and ongoing project work.
• Scaffolding children through conflict and problem solving.

Relationships with Families

• Building respectful and reciprocal relationships with families.
• Communicating consistently with families.

Professional Responsibilities

• Documenting children’s learning, development and progress through mini-stories, written narratives, reflections, and observations. Maintain a documentation portfolio for each child. Upload documentation into the DRDP assessment platform and complete assessment checkpoints throughout year.
• Maintaining collaborative and professional relationships with colleagues
• Mentoring Associate and Assistant teachers
• Connect families with housing, employment, college access and medical resources as necessary. Refer families to Manny Cantor Center’s internal Mental Health, Social Work, and 2-Generation departments. Check in with support staff as necessary to ensure that families’ needs are being met.
• Participating in weekly professional development meetings.
• Showing professionalism including integrity, ethical conduct and decision making
• The candidate will be reflective, ask questions, be willing to take risks and make mistakes.

QUALIFICATIONS

• MA in Early Childhood / Elementary Education | New York State B-2, N-6 or P-6 certification or study plan required.
• Study Plan Requirements: BA in Early Childhood with a commitment to obtain a NYS Early Childhood teacher Certification within three years of employment.
• Minimum 3 years of professional teaching experience with children under 6 years of age in an early childhood setting required.
• Bilingual Mandarin/English a plus.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to craft narrative observations and assessments, mini-stories and written reflections, and communicate with families and colleagues regularly via email.
• Ability to use Outlook, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom and other online learning platforms as required.
• Available to work a mix of morning and afternoon shifts (8am-4pm, 9am-5pm or 10am-6pm) to cover extended days.
• Strong oral communication with children, families, and colleagues

Benefits

• Generous PTO Policy
• Competitive Salary
• Medical & Dental Insurance
• Pension Plan
• 403b Retirement Plans
• Discount Perks for Movies, Broadway Shows, and Amusement Parks, etc.
• Free Gym Membership to our MCC Fitness & 14TH ST Y Gym
• Discounts to programs at Educational Alliance

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position.

EEO INFO

Educational Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, marital status, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

For further information about Educational Alliance, please visit https://edalliance.org.