Preschool Lead Teacher (All Locations)

YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Preschool Lead Teacher delivers a high-quality educational experience for children and families under their care, following program goals and objectives and guidance from the YMCA, Bright from the Start licensing, and Quality Rated. The role supervises and develops classroom associates and manages daily classroom operations. Parent involvement is an important part of the program’s impact and success. The teacher plans and implements developmentally appropriate, inclusive learning experiences that support children’s intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development and school readiness. This includes literacy, language, early math and science, problem-solving, and approaches to learning. The teacher maintains a safe, healthy, clean, and organized learning environment; supervises children continuously; and uses observations and developmental assessments to guide individualized instruction and report concerns as required. The position also requires accurate classroom and meal records, compliance with applicable regulations and program timelines, participation in meetings and professional development, and adherence to health, safety, sanitation, and mandatory-reporting procedures. The YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta requires successful completion of pre-employment background, criminal-record, drug-screening, motor-vehicle-record, and reference checks, and eligibility to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

Requirements

Must possess a CDA, TCC, associate degree in Early Childhood Education, or higher credential.
Must be at least 21 years old.
Must provide transcripts and documentation supporting credentials.
Experience working with children in an organized setting.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to kneel, bend, squat, lift, push, pull, and carry objects or children weighing up to 50 pounds.
Ability to pass pre-employment background, criminal-record, drug-screening, motor-vehicle-record, and reference checks according to company policy.
Must be legally eligible to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
Two or more years of experience working with children younger than five in a state-licensed center.
NAEYC or Quality Rated experience.

Responsibilities

Directly supervise and develop classroom associates and manage day-to-day classroom operations.
Plan and implement learning experiences that support children’s intellectual and physical development and school readiness, including literacy, language, early math and science, problem-solving, and approaches to learning.
Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment and support children’s social and emotional development.
Consistently use individualized, inclusive, developmentally appropriate practices across areas of child development.
Meet federal, state, local, and program requirements and timelines for compliance, implementation, and documentation.
Actively participate in teaching and continuously supervise children during indoor and outdoor activities and whenever they are under the teacher’s care.
Redirect inappropriate behavior positively and respond promptly and nurturingly to children in distress.
Use developmentally appropriate feeding, toileting, cleaning, and health care practices, including for children with special health care needs.
Model appropriate language, including grammatically correct verbal and written language.
Plan, prepare, and implement age-appropriate, integrated, thematic, hands-on activities based on children’s individual needs and interests.
Prepare lesson plans, materials, and a clean, safe, organized, interactive learning environment in advance.
Balance child-initiated and teacher-directed activities, and provide large-group, small-group, and individualized instruction.
Plan and implement strategies for transitions between daily activities.
Organize classroom space into functional, recognizable, and clutter-free areas.
Conduct and document ongoing observations of children’s development and milestones.
Administer and record developmental assessments as required, and use results to plan, teach, and individualize classroom activities.
Promptly report suspected disabilities and abuse to the appropriate authority based on assessments, observations, milestones, or behavior.
Accurately record and submit daily attendance and meal counts after each meal.
Attend and participate in required team, site, and agency meetings, trainings, professional development, and continuing education.
Follow and enforce site health, safety, classroom organization, aesthetic, and sanitation guidelines.
Follow mandatory reporting procedures for suspected abuse, unsafe conditions, repair needs, complaints, accidents, and injuries.