Child Care Lead Preschool Teacher, Oak Park YMCA

JOB SUMMARY

The Lansing YMCA’s Lead Teachers plan, implement, and evaluate the child development program for the children in their care. Lead Teachers are responsible to ensure positive, high-quality care and supervision of the children in their care at all times. In addition, the Lead Teachers are responsible for ensuring that all space, equipment, supervision, and routines are conducted and maintained in compliance with Michigan’s Licensing Rules for Child Care Centers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Plan and prepare activities that are developmentally appropriate for the children in your classroom, adhering to research-based child development principles.
• Execute the curriculum to individually and collectively nurture the children in your classroom; provide a variety of experiences that promote physical development, creative expression, language development, and relational opportunities.
• Provide leadership for the assistants, aides, and volunteers in your classroom in a manner that is team-based, inclusive, and respectful by guiding their work and mentoring them in all attributes of caring for children and managing a classroom.
• Communicate in writing the planned activities in a way that is understandable to coworkers and families, showing which developmental domains the activities are intended to address.
• Perform initial assessments of each child in your care using ASQ tools and methods and re-assess each child at least twice per year.
• In coordination with center administration, conduct formal meetings with each child’s family at least twice per year to communicate the child’s developmental progress and gather the family’s feedback.
• Ensure that families receive adequate information about children’s experiences and development through daily verbal contact and periodic written methods.
• Assume responsibility for ensuring that incidents involving children in your classroom are handled appropriately. Cooperate with administration on the timely completion, distribution, and storage of required written reports as well as any corresponding verbal notifications of family, human resources, and licensing.
• Create and maintain a tidy, pleasant, inviting atmosphere in which children feel comfortable and secure, and families feel welcome and reassured.
• In coordination with center administration and coworkers, arrange and modify the classroom environment to maximize child development.
• Ensure the safety of children through constant supervision (by sight and sound), effective arrangement of space, proper maintenance of equipment, and regular practice of emergency drills and procedures. Understand and abide by all licensing requirements pertaining to care of children and maintenance of the classroom environment.
• Understand and abide by all licensing requirements pertaining to care of children and maintenance of the classroom environment.
• Contribute to the Lansing YMCA’s culture and operations by participating fully in staff meetings, sharing information obtained through outside reading and training, and performing other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Meet one of the qualifications for education and experience required by licensing for a lead teacher. (Verification of education, credentials, and experience must be provided in advance for MiRegistry.)
• Demonstrated abilities in active listening and conflict resolution. Good writing skills required.
• Have a warm, supportive attitude toward children and families of all cultures.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills.
• Must have the ability to pass a comprehensive background check (including fingerprinting) prior to employment and intermittently thereafter.

BENEFITS

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance eligibility
• 15% retirement contribution upon eligibility
• Paid Time Off
• FREE adult membership to the YMCA! A member of any YMCA in Michigan may visit any Y in the state as a membership benefit.
• A 50% discount on child care at one of the Lansing YMCA's centers! (Subject to availability)
• 50% discount on program fees for themselves up to $500 per year.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is often required to: bend, stoop, kneel, twist, reach with hands, sit, stand for an extended period, lift and/or move up to 30 pounds, have finger dexterity, grasp, perform repetitive motions, speak, hear, and have visual acuity.

DISCLAIMERS

• Must successfully complete background screening for YMCA.
• This job description may not be all-inclusive, and the employee is expected to perform all other duties as assigned by direct management.
• Job descriptions and duties may be modified when deemed appropriate by management.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person