Head Teacher

The Educational Alliance Inc.•New York, NY

1h•$25 - $35•Onsite

About The Position

Educational Alliance is seeking full-time Head Teachers for Early Childhood at Manny Cantor Center, a progressive preschool serving children ages 0–5. Inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia, its classrooms foster inquiry, exploration, reflection, and collaborative curriculum development based on children’s interests. The program uses a blended-funding model incorporating Head Start, Early Head Start, Universal Pre-K, and tuition funding. Head Teachers plan and co-construct curriculum, document children’s learning, support classroom teams, build reciprocal relationships with families, and help create inclusive, nurturing learning environments. During periods of school closure, they facilitate virtual learning and provide individualized family support. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday and is listed as 37.5 hours per week; the posting also describes a mix of shifts that may include 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., or 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Requirements

MA in Early Childhood or Elementary Education, or a study plan as described in the posting.
New York State B-2, N-6, or P-6 certification, or a qualifying study plan.
For the study plan route: a BA in Early Childhood and a commitment to obtain New York State Early Childhood teacher certification within three years of employment.
At least 3 years of professional teaching experience with children under age 6 in an early childhood setting.
Excellent written communication skills, including writing narrative observations, assessments, mini-stories, and reflections, and communicating regularly with families and colleagues by email.
Ability to use Outlook, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, and other online learning platforms as required.
Availability to work a mix of morning and afternoon shifts to cover extended days.
Strong oral communication skills with children, families, and colleagues.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Mandarin/English.

Responsibilities

Co-construct curriculum based on children’s interests, questions, and development; document observations and use them to reflect and plan.
Participate in weekly planning meetings with the teaching team and meet the needs of all children, including English language learners.
During school closures, facilitate virtual learning by posting schedules, mini-stories, resources, suggested activities, and video read-alouds; lead daily online morning meetings and small groups.
Communicate regularly with families and coworkers through email, Zoom, phone, and chat; meet with each family at least weekly during school closures to provide individualized support and assess needs and goals.
Develop and update written family support plans in collaboration with administration and social work teams, and provide family coaching, mentorship, and parenting resources during school closures.
Plan and create an inclusive classroom environment that supports inquiry, exploration, learning, respect, and children’s home languages; organize accessible spaces and materials and create visual documentation of classroom learning.
Develop schedules and processes to ensure the teaching team completes work on time; lead documentation, reflection, and planning meetings; and provide feedback, coaching, and support to Assistant and Associate Teachers.
Interact respectfully and mindfully with children, supervise groups while providing individual attention, manage routines and transitions, engage children in exploration and project work, and scaffold conflict resolution and problem solving.
Build respectful, reciprocal relationships with families and communicate with them consistently.
Document children’s learning, development, and progress through observations, narratives, mini-stories, and reflections; maintain a portfolio for each child, upload documentation to the DRDP assessment platform, and complete assessment checkpoints.
Maintain collaborative and professional relationships with colleagues, mentor Associate and Assistant Teachers, and participate in weekly professional development meetings.
Connect families with housing, employment, college access, and medical resources; refer them to internal mental health, social work, and 2-Generation departments; and check in with support staff about family needs.
Demonstrate professionalism, integrity, ethical conduct, and reflective practice; ask questions and be willing to take risks and make mistakes.