Pre-School Teacher

Metropolitan Family Services • Chicago, IL

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Metropolitan Family Services is hiring a full-time Pre-School Teacher for its Learning & Wellness Center in Chicago. The teacher plans and implements individualized curriculum and learning activities that address children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs, while ensuring staff adherence to Illinois State Board of Education and/or Head Start standards. The role works with diverse staff and service populations and operates under the general supervision of the Site Supervisor.

The teacher collaborates with classroom staff, Family Support Workers, site partners, and the Site Supervisor; facilitates children’s activities and appropriate guidance and discipline; and helps maintain required child-to-staff ratios. The role includes ongoing assessment and documentation using Teaching Strategies Gold, family communication, mandated training, and professional development. The stated average starting salary range is $40,000–$45,000 annually, based on skills, credentials, and experience.

Requirements

• Associate degree in Early Childhood Education with Gateways ECE Credential Level 4, or a bachelor’s or associate degree in another field with 24 ECE credit hours.
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams and independently.
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a complex environment and effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
• Mobility for required travel.
• Regular access to reliable transportation or a reliable insured vehicle.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including some evenings and/or weekends if needed.
• Satisfactorily pass a health examination, fingerprinting, and criminal background check.
• Ability to sit and stand for sustained periods, frequently talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to feel, handle, and operate objects or controls; occasional standing, bending, stretching, stooping, kneeling, and crouching; close visual acuity; and occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Plan and implement individualized curriculum and learning experiences addressing children’s social, emotional, physical, cognitive, literacy, and school-readiness needs.
• Support a team approach to planning and implementing program activities, collaborating with Family Support Workers, teachers, the Program Aide, site partners, and the Site Supervisor.
• Participate in ongoing CLASS implementation and monitoring.
• Guide and facilitate children’s activities and ensure appropriate child guidance and discipline and that proper ratios are maintained.
• Attend mandated trainings and set and achieve professional development goals; track professional development in Gateways.
• Share resources with other staff members as appropriate.
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to maintain ongoing documentation of school-readiness skills and maintain Interrater Reliability.
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to communicate with families through monthly newsletters and family conference forms.
• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment and support children’s social and emotional development.
• Encourage family involvement and support relationships between children and their families.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet business needs.

Benefits

• $3,000 sign-on bonus for first-time Metropolitan Family Services employees, paid in installments: $750 on the first paycheck, $1,250 after six months, and $1,000 after one year.
• Generous paid time off, up to six weeks annually.
• 12 paid holidays.
• Medical coverage.
• Dental coverage.
• Vision coverage.
• Employer contributions to HSA accounts: $2,000 for individual coverage and $4,000 for family coverage, prorated to benefits start date.
• Free general medicine and behavioral health Teladoc services for team members.
• 401(k) plan with a 4% employer match, vested at 100% on the first day of eligibility.

What This Job Offers

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