Teacher Special Education

About the role

Helen Keller Services for the Blind is expanding its Children's Learning Center to two new locations on Long Island. This position involves conducting a special education preschool classroom for children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

Responsibilities

• Maintain positive communication with parents, other staff members, and professionals outside of HKSB.
• Demonstrate a sincere commitment to HKSB’s Mission and Values.
• Utilize diverse and engaging curriculums to maximize students’ learning opportunities and promote active participation within the classroom.
• Develop and implement a whole child learning approach with specific adaptations including sensory, motor and other areas of need in collaboration with therapists.
• Establish and maintain relationships with families to ensure carryover strategies from school to home.
• Act as the primary contact between home and school; maintaining the liaison with school social worker as needed.
• Accurately monitor and record progress toward IEP goals while providing clear direction and oversight to staff to ensure consistent and reliable data collection.
• Continuously evaluate student progress and document that progress in report cards, progress notes, and annual updates.
• Submit weekly lesson plans, student goal data, and newsletters to the Principal.
• Maintain accurate attendance documents and submit to the administrative assistant.
• Advocate for the educational and developmental needs of their students both in the school and in the wider community.
• Attend all student IEP meetings; annuals along with reconvene opportunities.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with school district representatives.
• Participate in teacher and team meetings and complete tasks from those meetings in a timely and professional manner.
• Participate in school wide functions such as graduation and parent days.
• Seek out and participate in professional development activities, appropriate to the population of students, both within the school and in the larger educational community.
• Plan, assign, and monitor instructional assistant responsibilities and schedules to promote seamless classroom operations and student support.
• Prepare and deliver annual reviews for classroom teaching assistants.

Requirements

• Valid New York State teaching certification in one of the following: NYS Students with Disabilities (Birth–Grade 2), or NYS Students with Disabilities (All Grades), or Other NYSED special education certification(s) approved to be the teacher of record in a 4410 preschool setting.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (including NYS required pedagogical coursework nearly childhood education).
• Ability to implement IEPs and deliver specially designed instruction in accordance with NYSED and CPSE expectations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ability to use school-based systems for documentation, communication, and recordkeeping.
• Preferred qualifications include advanced to Professional level Master’s degree in Special Education, Early Childhood Education, or a related field, experience working with preschool-aged children (ages 3–5) with disabilities, experience in a 4410 preschool special education program, familiarity with CPSE processes, experience implementing and managing IEP goals, progress monitoring, and related documentation, experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, including related service providers and families, familiarity with classroom management strategies aligned to early childhood and special education settings, experience using student information systems and classroom communication tools (e.g., ClassDojo or similar platforms), experience with AACs and other assistive technology, multi-lingual.

Qualifications

• Valid New York State Teacher of Students with Disabilities (Birth-2nd Grade or All Grades).

Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of special education laws and regulations.
• Experience with assistive technology and adaptive equipment.

Benefits

The position offers:

• 403(B) 403(B) matching
• Dental Insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Flexible spending accounts