Preschool Teacher/ Coordinator Jobs

OVERVIEW AND ROLE DESCRIPTION

The City of Cambridge is a diverse and vibrant community that people of different ethnic, racial, religious, national, and other backgrounds call home. We take pride in our city’s diversity and strive to create a workplace that is reflective of the community we serve. The city is also deeply committed to creating an environment in which all our employees are treated equitably and feel included. We seek to hire, develop, and advance individuals who value antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI), and are committed to embedding ADEI best practices and tenets in all aspects of our work.

About The Department:

The Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) creates and coordinates services that enhance the quality of life for Cambridge residents. Driven by the needs of residents, DHSP’s extensive services and programs touch almost every sector in the city: from newborns to senior citizens, from school-aged children to homeless families, from non-profit organizations to local employers.

About The Role:

Under the direction of the Director/Teacher, the Teacher/Coordinator helps Lead Teachers and Teachers achieve high-quality programming in five critical areas: curriculum, classroom management, behavior management, child assessment, and family engagement.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Specific duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assisting the Director/Teacher in preparing for EEC licensing and quality initiatives (QRIS) as well as maintaining various site records required by EEC licensing regulations and DHSP policies.
• Assisting the Director/Teacher with administrative tasks, including but not limited to planning and coordinating field trips, overseeing the menus and food orders, purchasing supplies, and submitting weekly timesheets.
• Completing the training requirements yearly as per EEC, NAEYC, QRIS and DHSP requirements.
• Creating and distributing a monthly calendar/newsletter as well as communicating curriculum plans to parents/guardians to keep them apprised of program activities and events.
• Helping the Director/Teacher ensure that the curriculum enhances the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children while also adhering to the Massachusetts EEC learning guidelines and NAEYC, QRIS, and DHSP program standards.
• Supporting staff’s creation and maintenance of a classroom environment that is conducive to children’s learning and to their feeling of competence and achievement.
• Serving as a resource to all staff to design and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum which builds off of children’s interests.
• Supporting staff in completing child assessments three times per year, including the collection of portfolio materials, child assessment checklists, narrative summaries, and parent-teacher conference notes.
• Supporting staff in establishing age-appropriate behavioral expectations for each child and the group with the goal of building children’s self-control, self-reliance, and independence.
• Actively engaging in and supporting the Department’s Race and Equity Initiative.
• Assisting the Director/Teacher in preparing for NAEYC accreditation renewals, annual reports, and maintaining various site records required by NAEYC accreditation.
• Supporting the ability of the teaching staff to implement child-centered curriculum through participation in on-going curriculum planning meetings.
• Supporting accommodations for all learners through participation in a variety of meetings including IEP meetings and meetings with early childhood consultants.
• In the absence of the Director/Teacher, overseeing site operations, ensuring that all NAEYC, EEC, QRIS and DHSP regulations and requirements are consistently and fully followed.
• Supporting Director/Teacher in the writing of staff evaluations for teachers once a year and substitute teacher evaluations as needed.
• Attending all staff and parent meetings as required.
• Supporting staff’s communications with parents/guardians by offering various approaches to developing positive communications in difficult situations. In the absence of the Director/Teacher, responding to parent/guardian questions and any concerns that might arise.

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

Necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Applicant must be 21 years of age or older.
• 2 years of experience working as a Lead Teacher.
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
• BA required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Be willing to learn any other standards that may be required to maintain program quality.
• The City of Cambridge’s workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse. Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.
• Be familiar with NAEYC accreditation standards and developmentally appropriate practice.
• Have a strong working knowledge of EEC regulations.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS:

• Health, dental and vision insurance.
• Sick incentive pay eligibility.
• City employee commuter benefits (T-Pass reimbursement, Bluebikes membership, EZRide Shuttle membership).
• Management bonus of $2700/year.
• Vacation, personal and sick days.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS, WORKING CONDITIONS, WORK FLEXIBILITY AND ACCOMODATIONS

• Ability to use hands and arms to move, reach, handle, and manipulate objects in the classroom.
• Ability to see is required for the supervision of children.
• Ability to lift a child (up to 40 pounds).
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to very loud.
• Ability to hear children who speak in a soft voice or mumble words when distressed.
• The work environment includes classroom and outdoor playgrounds and occasional field trips.
• Ability to move with agility including the ability to kneel to be at a child’s eye level.
• Ability to run after children in play and to respond to an emergency.
• Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.