Lead Teacher

The Family Partnership • Minneapolis, MN

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Family Partnership is looking to hire 2 Lead Teachers at Four Directions – one for the Dakota Language Immersion room and one for the Ojibwe Immersion room. The age group is preschool for both positions. Four Directions is a full-day therapeutic education and care program for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years of age and is committed to the revitalization of the Dakota and Ojibwe languages. TFP is honored to partner with Wicoie Nandagikendan to provide language immersion and culturally responsive early childhood education. This unique Lead Teacher position combines classroom leadership with collaboration in our language immersion program. During immersion hours, the Lead Teacher supports the Language Immersion Teacher and helps facilitate daily activities. Outside of immersion programming, including afternoons, non-immersion days, school breaks, and summer months, the Lead Teacher serves as the primary classroom teacher, responsible for lesson planning, curriculum implementation, classroom management, and family engagement.

Requirements

• Current Child Development Associate (CDA) Certification or equivalent Child Development college credits (24).
• At least six months of experience working in a childcare setting.
• Knowledge of child development from six weeks through five years of age.
• Understanding of health and safety precautions, sanitation and cleaning techniques, and emergency response procedures.
• Ability to use effective skills to manage and guide children’s behavior in a supportive and developmentally appropriate way.
• Ability to work and communicate effectively with a diverse population, including parents, children, and other professionals.
• Ability to assist with and participate in outdoor activities.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and meet the physical demands required to care for young children.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs and general office equipment.
• Communicate respectfully and effectively with people of different cultures, groups, and languages.

Responsibilities

• Providing a safe, stimulating, healthy, and nurturing environment that ensures all children have a positive experience.
• Teaching age-appropriate activities for both group learning and self-selected play.
• Developing and implementing weekly lesson plans and learning opportunities that align with children’s ages and skill levels.
• Implementing the Teaching Strategies curriculum within the classroom.
• Completing child assessments and individual goal setting three times per year and including parents and therapists in the process.
• Supervising and actively participating in children’s daily activities and field trips.
• Ensuring constant and appropriate supervision of all children.
• Maintaining accurate participant and program records, including required daily notes for each child.
• Participating in parent-teacher conferences and making referrals based on individual child needs when necessary.
• Cleaning and disinfecting toys, tables, and classroom surfaces and conducting daily safety inspections of play areas, classrooms, and playgrounds.
• Maintaining compliance with DHS and CACFP requirements.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off, plus 10 paid holidays
• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and options for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Long-term disability insurance – the employer pays the premiums
• Employer-paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee
• Voluntary benefits: Accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, short-term disability insurance
• TFP sponsors a retirement plan with a tiered vesting schedule based on years of service, plus a 2% employer contribution after one year of service.
• This position is eligible for grant-funded additional compensation (typically up to +$2 per hour)
• Discounted tuition for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate programs at St. Mary’s University
• Professional development opportunities at St. Mary’s University
• Access to advancement (internships, job placement, field practice) at St. Mary’s University

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree