Lead Early Childhood Education Teacher

Overview

A lead teacher at The Goddard School is responsible for establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy and nurturing learning environment. Additionally a lead teacher is responsible to work together with an assistant teacher and in conjunction with the entire faculty

A lead teacher must meet the qualifications:

• the ability to understand and support the education program using “learning through play” philosophy;
• the ability to interact closely with children at their level;
• the ability to keep children within sight and sound supervision at all times;
• the ability to change children’s diapers and/or assist in toileting (where necessary);
• the ability to understand and comply with the franchisee’s employment policies;
• the ability to communicate effectively and professionally with school personnel, children and parents;
• the ability to handle crisis situations, including assisting in evacuating the building during emergencies; and
• the ability to comply in all respects with all applicable laws and regulations relating to childcare.

Lead Teacher Responsibilities​

A lead teacher’s responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Establish and maintain a safe, healthy and nurturing learning environment
· Design an appropriate room arrangement to support the goals and developmental level of the children in the classroom
· Develop an appropriate classroom management system to support the goals and developmental level of the children in the classroom
· Ensure that classroom equipment is in good repair
· Understand and implement The Goddard School® emergency procedure(s)
· Promote healthy eating practices at lunch and snack times
· Ensure that children are always within state ratio requirements
· Perform minor cleaning responsibilities (e.g., spills) immediately
· Perform major cleaning during times when children are not present
· Post a classroom schedule that meets the needs of the children and includes a routine and learning opportunities
· Post and adhere to all GSI Health and Safety policies and procedures
Advance children’s physical and intellectual competence
· Adapt program to meet the individual needs of each child
· Create a multi-cultural learning environment
· Provide a variety of developmentally appropriate activities to engage children in learning
· Interact with the children to support play, exploration and learning
· Encourage children to talk with each other and with the faculty
· Present age- and developmentally-appropriate expectations for all children
· Create a print-rich environment in order for children to learn about books, literature and writing
· Encourage creativity through art, music, dramatic play and blocks
· Provide a reasonable balance between teacher-directed and child-directed activities
· Provide opportunities for both active and quiet play
· Integrate GSI-approved resources (including Enrichment Programs) into lesson plans
Support each child’s social and emotional development and provide positive guidance
· Understand and adhere to the GSI Behavior Policy
· Plan and implement activities to develop children’s self-esteem and social skills
· Plan and implement activities to enable children’s feeling of security
· Encourage empathetic and respectful feelings for others, as well as the environment, through positive modeling
· Respect cultural and ethnic diversity
Establish positive and effective family relations
· Communicate, in a professional manner, with families and faculty
· Encourage families to become an integral part of their children’s learning experiences
· Provide opportunities (e.g., conferences) in which families are made to feel a part of their children’s learning experiences
· Prepare a Daily Activity Report for each child
· Maintain a portfolio for each child
· Maintain the classroom Parent Board
Ensure an effective program, responsive to children’s needs
· Assess supplies and materials needed to implement activities
· Build teamwork
· Develop lesson plans
· Manage classrooms according to GSI QA Standards
· Perform child observations and document in their portfolios
· Use assessment tools (e.g., Progress Reports, Children’s Progress)
Maintain professional commitment
· Promote “learning through play” philosophy and educational objectives
· Support a code of ethical conduct
· Pursue professional development/continuing education
· Attend faculty meetings, in-service days, conferences and professional growth opportunities