"Preschool Teacher - JR004672"

Preschool Teacher

Department: Project Eagle, Educare 1

Position Title: Preschool Teacher

Job Family Group: Professional Staff

Job Description Summary: Project Eagle is an early childhood program focused on preparing children, engaging families, and promoting excellence for children and families in Kansas City, Kansas. Project Eagle provides home-based and center-based services to pregnant women and/or children ages birth to five through a variety of programs, the largest being Early Head Start. Project Eagle is also a member of the Educare Learning Network, part of a national initiative that serves as a platform for broader change, inspiring high-quality programs in communities, improving public policies within each state, and demonstrating a comprehensive approach to the first five years of life and learning. Educare Kansas City

Position Summary: The Teacher, in partnership with the Associate Teacher, is responsible for the planning, implementation, and coordination of a comprehensive education program. The Teacher and Associate Teacher ensure that the classroom activities and environment are developmentally appropriate, meet the individual needs of each child, and reflect the agency's philosophy and curriculum. They work in partnership to develop and implement individualized lesson plans for children (ages 3 years to 5 years), which encourage their social, emotional, physical, linguistic, and intellectual development in a manner appropriate to their age and stage of development. The teaching team (Teacher, Associate Teacher, and Teacher Aide) provide a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment enriched by a high-quality early language experience and an emphasis on social and emotional growth. The Teacher and Associate Teacher are responsible for implementing all program requirements in adherence to performance and outcome standards as prescribed by funding and model requirements.

Knowledge, Abilities and Experience:

• Knowledge of child development, early childhood education, and best practice teaching methods and techniques.
• Work with an interdisciplinary team as a cooperative and supportive team member.
• Provide leadership to the classroom team and ensure all tasks are completed in a timely manner while collaborating with other members of the classroom team.
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, in a manner that fosters supportive relationships with staff, families, and children from diverse backgrounds.
• Maintain child and family confidentiality and perform duties in an ethical and professional manner.
• Participate in observations and coaching sessions, and participate in research-based studies on high-quality early childhood education.
• Familiarity with technology in all aspects of the program.

Required Qualifications:

• Meet one of the following educational requirements: Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or closely related field; Degree in an unrelated field with at least 30 early childhood credits; Associates degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or closely related field, at least 2 years experience in early childhood, and enrollment in Bachelor's degree program in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a closely related field to complete within 3 years.
• 2 years experience in early childhood education.
• Basic computer skills.

Conditions of Employment:

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to become CPR and First Aid Certified within 30 days of employment (paid for by employer).
• Pass background check including fingerprinting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Early childhood teaching certification or graduate coursework/degree.
• Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a closely related field.
• Experience working in an Early Head Start or Head Start Center-based program.
• Bilingual Spanish/English.
• Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards.
• Successful experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate care and education for young children.
• Experience working with inclusion, early intervention, children with special needs and diverse populations. Experience implementing curriculum. Experience using assessment tools to measure children's development. Experience using assessment data for instructional purposes. Experience with research partnerships.
• Experience sharing best practices with others within early childhood (volunteers, practicum students, etc.).

Duties and Responsibilities:

High Quality Teaching Practices

• Ensure children's safety by maintaining a clean, healthy, and safe classroom environment, by conducting authorized emergency and safety procedures, and actively supervising children at all times.
• In conjunction with the associate teacher and teacher aide, plan and implement developmentally appropriate classroom activities and environment that intentionally support the developmental and educational goals of children's individual education plans utilizing the High Scope Curriculum.
• Support children to develop positive social relationships, provide opportunities for children to develop positive self-images and experience success, and help children develop conflict resolution skills utilizing Conscious Discipline.
• Utilize the continuity of care model to support children and families to develop safe, secure attachments.

Intensive Family Engagement

• Partner with families to build mutually respectful goal-oriented relationships that support strong parent-child relationships, family well-being, and ongoing learning and development for both parents and children.
• Interact with families through regular classroom contact and contribute to and participate in interdisciplinary meetings, child and family reviews, family conferences, and home visits to develop individual child goals, share progress towards school readiness, and respond to their identified interests and/or needs.
• Provide monthly classroom family engagement activities based on the interests of the children and families.

Data Utilization

• Ensure the timely completion of necessary paperwork including developmental assessments, lesson plans, parent information, incident/accident reports, attendance, USDA meal counts, etc.
• Observe, assess, and document each child's skills, behavior, growth, and development. Assess student needs and develop individualized learning opportunities for each child. Be familiar with the referral process to Part B and Part C and alert interdisciplinary team when student screenings or assessments show areas of concern.
• Use classroom and school data to improve teaching practice, provide a high-quality early learning experience for children, and ensure school readiness.
• Ensure that all child files and portfolios are complete, accurate, and confidentially maintained.

Embedded Professional Development

• Collaborate with coworkers during team planning sessions and support implementation of best practices in the classroom.
• Participate in ongoing professional development, coaching, and reflective supervision activities and support the implementation of changes in classroom practice to promote high-quality instruction.
• Share expertise and classroom experiences with other members of the school and/or community.

Other

• Follow all mandates of state and local childcare licensing regulations, and Project Eagle/Educare of Kansas City's philosophy and curriculum.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Comprehensive Benefits Package: Health, dental, vision, employer paid life, LTD, flexible benefits plan, miscellaneous voluntary plans available, paid vacation and sick (begin accruing upon hire), paid holidays, paid discretionary day, paid bereavement leave, paid jury duty leave, military leave, paid parental leave, retirement plan. For more information, visit here.

Employee Type: Regular

Time Type: Full time

Rate Type: Hourly

Pay Range: $21.09 - $28.47

Application Instructions: To learn more and apply online, please visit this link or go to careers.kumc.edu and search for position number JR004672. Applications must be submitted directly through the KU Medical Center website to be considered for this position.