Lead Preschool Teacher

The Associated and its Agencies•Owings Mills, MD

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Stoler Early Learning Center at the JCC of Greater Baltimore’s Rosenbloom Owings Mills Campus serves approximately 200 children from 6 weeks through kindergarten. Its child-centered approach partners with families and supports children’s development through exploration, play, and a constructivist-inspired learning philosophy. The Lead Preschool Teacher monitors children’s development and learning, creates and reflects on engaging classroom experiences, and helps children build social-emotional and educational skills in a caring community of learners. The Lead Teacher provides safe, responsive care and developmentally appropriate instruction; documents and assesses children’s learning; communicates and collaborates with families and colleagues; and supervises, trains, and supports assistant teachers and floaters. The role also includes maintaining classroom records and a clean, safe environment, meeting Maryland childcare and professional-development requirements, and contributing to the school’s mission and Jewish values. This is a 12-month program, with a transition to Noah’s Ark Preschool Camp in the summer. Lead Teachers work 35–40 hours per week between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Compensation is $22.50 per hour, with starting pay depending on education and experience.

Requirements

90-hour certification; a CDA, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, education, child development, or a related field is preferred.
Working knowledge of young children’s growth and development and the ability to apply it in the classroom.
Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, including oral, reading, and writing skills.
Creativity, problem-solving ability, and a can-do attitude.
Ability to be flexible, multitask, and prioritize workload.
Ability to work independently in the classroom and collaboratively with classroom teams, age-level teams, leadership, and specialists.
Ability to meet Maryland State Department of Education requirements for preschool employment and complete required coursework and continuing education.
Ability to maintain required MSDE professional development and certifications, including First Aid, CPR, MSDE Basic Health and Safety, and MSDE COVID certifications.
Professionalism, punctuality, discretion, and ability to maintain children’s and families’ confidentiality in accordance with the NAEYC Code of Ethics.
Ability to work the agreed-upon schedule, five days per week, and complete the responsibilities of the full shift.
Ability to use a class iPad or computer, Parent Portal, phone, and classroom materials.
Ability to lift, push, or pull objects or children weighing up to 50 pounds; sit and stand for extended periods; move repeatedly between the floor and standing; walk extended distances; and maintain balance on uneven surfaces.
Ability to bend, reach, retrieve items, assist children with clothing and toileting needs, clean classrooms, and help set up classroom spaces.
Ability to respond quickly to children’s needs and emergencies, including rapidly walking or running when necessary.
Ability to meet visual and auditory demands, focus on tasks through completion, and work in a fast-paced setting that may be loud and stressful.
Comfort exploring indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather.
Ability to integrate basic Judaic knowledge, including holidays, culture, traditions, and values, into lessons and experiences, or willingness to learn.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in early childhood or elementary education.
Experience in a constructivist, child-centered setting.
CDA, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, education, child development, or a related field.
Basic Judaic knowledge, including holidays, culture, traditions, and values.

Responsibilities

Provide active supervision and maintain a safe environment for children, including maintaining required staff-to-child ratios and keeping children in sight and sound.
Observe children’s play and development, reflect on their learning, and respond to their interests, questions, and developmental needs.
Plan and facilitate varied, developmentally appropriate learning experiences, including open-ended activities, classroom centers, and opportunities for exploration, problem solving, creativity, and independent choice.
Adapt learning experiences to children’s individual differences, interests, developmental abilities, cultural backgrounds, and family values.
Document children’s learning through daily reflections, journey binders, blog posts, weekly newsletters, and other school-established methods.
Provide learning opportunities across required content areas, including social-emotional development, language and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, physical well-being, Jewish studies, motor development, and fine arts.
Support children’s social, physical, spiritual, emotional, cognitive, and literacy development; use positive guidance, modeling, and conflict resolution strategies.
Maintain classroom routines, group dynamics, and a clean, organized, safe, and engaging learning environment; check and care for classroom materials, equipment, and supplies.
Greet families and children, communicate with families about children’s experiences, and maintain ongoing dialogue, including mid-year and end-of-year conferences.
Maintain children’s files and complete required documentation, including attendance, sign-in/out, safety and health records, assessments, work samples, and anecdotal notes.
Complete beginning-of-year and mid-year assessments, track children’s growth, and identify or facilitate additional assessment and interventions when needed.
Supervise, train, and make constructive use of assistant teachers’ and floaters’ skills; set clear expectations and collaborate with the classroom team to reflect and plan.
Build professional, courteous relationships with families and colleagues and contribute positively to school-wide events and the school’s learning community.
Participate in professional development, workshops, courses, meetings, self-evaluations, and school-evaluation processes; complete required continuing education and maintain required certifications.
Follow school and agency policies, the Stoler Early Learning Center’s ethical code, JCC mission and vision, MSDE licensing and safety requirements, and confidentiality expectations.
Work the assigned schedule, arrive prepared and punctually, manage time and deadlines, and perform additional program duties assigned by the director.
Explore and facilitate activities indoors and outdoors in varied weather and conditions.