Child Care Lead Teacher (Infants, Pre-Tods, & Preschool)

About the role

Assist in providing a learning environment at the newly built childcare development center using developmentally appropriate practices. Protect, nurture, and support the health and safety of children and staff, and provide resources and support to military families.

Responsibilities

• Mentorship: Assists ADs in translating professional development training into practice by mentoring, guiding, and role-modeling. Models appropriate behaviors and techniques for working with children and youth. Consults with Executive Director, ADs, and Training and Curriculum Specialist for guidance.
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Completes ongoing assessments of each child to develop strategies promoting and supporting learning and development. Makes appropriate referrals based on screenings and assessments. Supports individual learning and development by providing an inclusive environment with developmentally appropriate equipment and materials. Follows IEP/IFSP for children with disabilities. Develops and implements lesson plans based on ELM curriculum. Provides opportunities for creative self-expression through various activities. Encourages positive guidance, builds trust, fosters independence, and supports positive relationships. Plans appropriate field trips.
• Health, Safety, and Nutritional Procedures: Provides care and supervision, maintains safety, implements food policies, practices hygiene, complies with policies regarding bloodborne pathogens, emergency information, and medication administration. Ensures compliance with licensing regulations and emergency preparedness procedures. Supervises nutritional aspects of the program, assists with meals, and incorporates nutrition into daily activities.
• Staff and Parent Responsibilities: Follows and implements the ELM curriculum. Makes timely requisitions for supplies. Maintains records and documentation. Supervises daily responsibilities of assigned assistant childcare teacher. Creates a Substitute Guide. Attends staff development days and training sessions. Invites parents to participate in classroom activities. Conducts parent and teacher conferences. Assists with transitioning children between classrooms or to kindergarten. Communicates with parents regularly, verbally and non-verbally. Suggests parent/child activities for the child to complete with their family. Communicates professionally and respectfully with parents and guardians. Assists in obtaining community partners and resources to support families.

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must hold an Associate, Baccalaureate, or Advanced Degree in Early Childhood Education OR a related field OR Child Development Associate (CDA) and 12 months experience in an early childhood setting.
• Must have all required education and experience to meet current Virginia State licensing requirements.
• Must pass Federal, State, Child Protective Services Checks, National Sex Offender Registry, and if living out of Virginia in the last 5 years, all applicable Out of State checks.
• Must have knowledge of Virginia licensing regulations.
• Basic knowledge of MS Office and ProCare/childcare management software.
• Must participate in continued professional development through enrollment in formal and informal educational courses related to early childhood education.
• Must be familiar with accreditation standards.
• Preferred to have experience with military families and their children.
• Required to do considerable walking, standing, bending, stooping, and lifting to 40 pounds.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical, provide evidence of immunization, and be free from communicable disease.
• Must satisfactorily obtain or complete required training certificates and maintain certifications or credentials required by Federal, State, or National Accreditation Institutions as used by the CDC.

Compensation and Benefits

• Sign-on Bonus: $500 upon hire.
• Retention Bonus: Up to $1750 distributed over key employment milestones.