Lead GSRP Teacher

LITTLE SCHOLARS OF DETROIT•Detroit, MI

84d•Onsite

About The Position

Little Scholars Child Development Center is seeking a qualified, dependable, and enthusiastic Lead Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) Teacher to lead a high-quality Pre-Kindergarten classroom serving four-year-old children. This is a full-time, school-year position for an educator who is passionate about early childhood education and committed to helping children develop the social, emotional, physical, language, literacy, mathematics, science, and problem-solving skills needed for kindergarten success. The Lead GSRP Teacher serves as the instructional leader of the classroom and is responsible for planning, implementing, documenting, and evaluating a developmentally appropriate, play-based learning program. The teacher will work closely with the Associate Teacher, classroom aides, families, the Director of GSRP, and the assigned Early Childhood Specialist to ensure the classroom meets the expectations of Little Scholars Child Development Center, Wayne RESA, the Great Start Readiness Program, MiLEAP Child Care Licensing, and other applicable program standards.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is required.
One of the following approved GSRP qualifications: A valid Michigan teaching certificate with an Early Childhood Education ZA or ZS endorsement; A Birth–Kindergarten or PK–3 teaching endorsement; or A bachelor’s degree with a documented major in Early Childhood Education or Child Development with a specialization in preschool teaching.
Official transcripts and credential documentation must be provided before employment begins.
Meet all Michigan Child Care Licensing requirements for a lead teacher.
Successfully complete all required criminal-history, fingerprinting, Central Registry, and sex-offender registry clearances before having unsupervised contact with children.
Experience using Teaching Strategies GOLD is required or must be obtained through training before the first checkpoint.
Maintain current Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric, Child, and Adult CPR certification.
Establish and maintain an active Mi-Registry account.
Complete all required pre-service and annual training.
Document at least 16 approved professional-development hours each calendar year.
Reliable attendance, punctuality, professional communication, strong organizational skills, and the ability to complete documentation without repeated reminders.
Reliable transportation for home visits, trainings, meetings, and other required off-site responsibilities.
Able to sit on the floor or in child-sized furniture, kneel, bend, squat, stand for extended periods, move quickly to respond to children’s safety needs, participate in indoor and outdoor activities, and lift or carry children and classroom materials weighing up to 40 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience teaching preschool or Pre-Kindergarten children in a licensed early-learning program is strongly preferred.
Previous GSRP or Head Start experience is highly desirable.
Familiarity with GSRP MISTAR, CLASS, Great Start to Quality, family-style meal service, and developmentally appropriate classroom practices is preferred.

Responsibilities

Plan and implement engaging daily learning experiences that are aligned with the Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten and the center’s approved curriculum. Activities must be intentional, age-appropriate, culturally responsive, and designed to support the individual interests, strengths, and developmental needs of each child.
Prepare and submit weekly lesson plans by the established deadline. Lesson plans must include opportunities for large-group instruction, small-group learning, choice time, outdoor play, music and movement, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social-emotional learning, family-style meals, rest time, and meaningful transitions. The Lead Teacher is expected to actively participate in all parts of the classroom day and ensure that plans are being implemented consistently.
Create a warm, welcoming, organized, and inclusive classroom environment where children feel safe, respected, supported, and excited to learn. Classroom materials must be accessible, clearly labeled, developmentally appropriate, culturally diverse, and rotated regularly based on children’s interests and developmental progress. The teacher will maintain well-defined learning areas and make changes to the classroom environment when child assessment information shows that additional support or challenge is needed.
Observe and document children’s learning and development throughout the program day. Collect dated, objective, and factual anecdotal notes describing what children say and do. Documentation must be entered into Teaching Strategies GOLD on an ongoing basis and completed according to all published checkpoint deadlines.
Maintain appropriate documentation across the fall, winter, and spring GOLD checkpoint periods. All children must have sufficient documentation across the required developmental objectives and dimensions. Review classroom documentation weekly, ensure assigned notes are completed, and provide guidance to the Associate Teacher or classroom aide when corrections or additional observations are needed.
Use Teaching Strategies GOLD information to develop individual child goals, plan classroom experiences, prepare for parent-teacher conferences, support home visits, identify possible developmental concerns, and monitor each child’s progress. Ensure all checkpoint information is accurate, complete, and finalized by the established deadline, with no child left incomplete.
Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready classroom records. Ensure that all enrolled children are entered correctly in GSRP MISTAR and that enrollment information, demographics, attendance, required program fields, and other child information remain current.
Help maintain complete child files, including enrollment documents, health appraisals, immunization records, emergency contacts, authorized pickup information, screening results, referrals, follow-up documentation, signed permissions, and IEP or IFSP information when applicable. Report missing or expired documents promptly to the Director of GSRP.
Accurately complete daily attendance records and CACFP point-of-service meal counts. Ensure that home-visit forms, parent-teacher conference forms, parent-meeting agendas, sign-in sheets, child goals, family input, and follow-up documentation are completed and submitted by the required deadlines.
Supervise, guide, and support the Associate Teacher, classroom aide, substitutes, volunteers, and other adults assigned to the classroom. Clearly communicate daily assignments, divide classroom responsibilities fairly, review documentation, and ensure that all team members follow the established routine and use consistent guidance practices.
Model professionalism, respectful communication, teamwork, dependability, appropriate dress, confidentiality, and a strong work ethic. Provide constructive feedback, address classroom concerns professionally, and report ongoing performance or compliance concerns to the Director of GSRP.
Participate fully in classroom observations, coaching sessions, professional learning communities, team-planning meetings, and program-evaluation activities. Be open to feedback and able to make visible improvements based on coaching recommendations and program goals.
Establish warm, responsive, and trusting relationships with children. Use positive guidance, redirection, conflict-resolution strategies, open-ended questions, and meaningful conversations to support children’s emotional regulation, independence, confidence, language development, and critical-thinking skills.
Follow all licensing, GSRP, and center requirements related to positive child guidance, inclusion, seclusion, restraint, and behavior support. Prohibit physical punishment, shaming, humiliation, isolation, threats, withholding food, or using food as a reward or punishment.
Maintain active supervision at all times. Know the location and activities of every child, maintain required staff-to-child ratios, perform accurate name-to-face counts, and ensure children are supervised during classroom activities, meals, rest time, toileting, transitions, outdoor play, arrival, dismissal, and emergency drills.
Build respectful and collaborative relationships with families and recognize parents and guardians as children’s first and most important teachers. Communicate regularly with families regarding classroom activities, children’s progress, attendance concerns, developmental needs, and available resources.
Complete two documented home visits and two documented parent-teacher conferences for each enrolled child during the program year. Help plan, host, and document three parent meetings during the program year. Submit family contact forms, conference records, child goals, parent input, meeting agendas, sign-in sheets, and follow-up information by the assigned deadlines.
Encourage families to participate in classroom activities, family-engagement events, parent meetings, and the program’s parent advisory opportunities. Ensure all communication is professional, confidential, respectful, and completed through approved center communication methods.
Complete daily classroom and outdoor safety checks and immediately report hazards, injuries, illnesses, suspected abuse or neglect, licensing concerns, and other safety issues. Follow all center requirements for handwashing, sanitation, toileting, medication administration, illness exclusion, allergy prevention, emergency response, food service, and confidentiality.
Understand and carry out assigned responsibilities during fire, tornado, lockdown, evacuation, and other emergency drills. As a mandated reporter, immediately report reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect according to Michigan law and center procedures.