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  3. Lead Teacher (Early Childhood 0-3)
BR

Lead Teacher (Early Childhood 0-3)

Brightpoint·Palatine, Illinois

$57,000 - $59,000/yr·Full Time·On Site·2-5 yrs·Posted 5 months ago
Practice for this role

About the role

The Lead Teacher will develop and implement individualized learning plans for children aged 0-3, ensuring they meet social, emotional, developmental, and intellectual needs while adhering to Head Start standards and center philosophy. Responsibilities also include conducting developmental screenings, entering data, mentoring classroom staff, and leading parent engagement activities.

Brightpoint invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

As Lead Teacher, you will implement Head Start standards for children, age 0-3, and their families, ensuring that services are individualized and meet the social, emotional, developmental, and intellectual needs of your students. As an Early Childhood Education Center with both COA and NAEYC accreditation and ExceleRate Gold Circle of Quality designation, you’ll be proud to be part of the Community Child Care Center of Palatine Township team, and with our cohesive team style and supportive, high-quality supervision, you’ll look forward to coming back each day.

Candidate qualifications

For Lead Teacher 0-3 year olds

Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with a minimum of 24 hours of Early Childhood Education classes required.

Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Early Childhood Education Level 5 Credential required and Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Infant Toddler Level 5 Credential required.

A minimum of two years working with children and/or families required.

Ability to communicate in both English and Spanish preferred.

(Candidates without the required degree/credentials may be considered with an approved educational plan).

Job Responsibilities

  • Develops and implements individualized learning that meets the social, emotional, developmental, and intellectual needs of all children in the classroom.
  • Maintains knowledge of Center philosophy and classroom operations, including Head Start program performance standards, ISBE requirements, and NAEYC requirements, when applicable.
  • Implements classroom curriculum to support high quality teaching and learning practices which reflect mandated elements and components, and parental and cultural influences, as well as promote the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children.
  • Conducts developmental screenings and regular assessments and uses information for lesson planning.
  • Enters all required information on children, including assessment results, into data management system.
  • Identifies children who may require additional assistance and works with supervisor to make appropriate referrals.
  • Completes weekly child observations and enters them into the organization’s assessment tool; ensures that observations are completed by classroom staff and assists them as needed.
  • Meets weekly with classroom and other staff as required to review lesson plans, share teaching strategies, and discuss children’s progress.
  • Mentors and trains Teachers, Classroom Support Aides, student interns, and volunteers assigned in the classroom in basic child development and classroom techniques.
  • Assists supervisor in completing annual performance reviews and other performance management activities for classroom staff
  • Leads integration of supplemental learning initiatives for parents and children into classroom and plans and implements regular activities for parents to connect home and classroom learning.
  • Completes and submits required monthly reports, monitoring reports, and all other documentation to supervisor, as assigned.

Job details

Compensation: Salary range is between $57k-$59k; offers are commensurate with experience and bilingual candidates may receive additional compensation. The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.

Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, three scheduled weeks of paid time off each year (Spring, Summer, Winter), and additional flexible paid leave that accrues based on tenure; 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match, (more benefit details here [https://brightpointbenefits.com/]).

Location: Classroom setting (Community Child Care Center of Palatine Township [https://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&f=d&daddr=721+South+Quentin+Road+Palatine,+IL+60067,+United+States]).

Schedule: Full-time, salaried; center is open

Mon-Fri, 7:30am-5:30pm; assigned shifts will vary.

We don’t just hire talent—we grow it: Emerging Leaders will have access to leadership development opportunities and one-on-one mentorship.

Student

Loan

Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) [https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service].

Requirements

Candidates must possess a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field, including a minimum of 24 Early Childhood Education hours, along with Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Level 5 credentials for both ECE and Infant/Toddler. A minimum of two years of experience working with children and/or families is required.

  • bachelor degree
  • Curriculum Implementation
  • Performance Reviews
  • Parent Engagement
  • Lesson Planning
  • Data Management Systems
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Bilingual Communication
  • Developmental Screenings
  • Child Observation
  • Staff Mentoring
  • Individualized Learning Plans
  • Head Start Standards Implementation
  • NAEYC Requirements
  • ISBE Requirements

Benefits

  • Dental insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Medical insurance
  • Paid holidays
  • Paid time off
  • Student loan forgiveness
  • 401(k) with match
  • Supplemental insurance options
  • Leadership development opportunities
  • One-on-one mentorship
  • Flexible paid leave

Posting details

Employment type
Full Time
Work arrangement
On Site
Experience
2-5 yrs
Salary
$57,000 - $59,000/yr
Location
Palatine, Illinois
Posted
Feb 20, 2026
Application
Employer website
BR

Hiring organization

Brightpoint

Brightpoint is a distinguished child and family service organization. We started our journey as Children’s Home & Aid and have been serving Illinois since 1883. Children’s Home & Aid was founded on the belief that we had a responsibility to find homes for children. We evolved...

Salary listed on 9 jobs
IndustryIndividual and Family Services
TypeNonprofit
Size501-1,000 employees
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Market context

Illinois classroom teacher demand remains steady

Illinois classroom teacher roles are typically in steady demand, especially in districts seeking candidates who can support diverse student needs and communicate clearly with families and staff. This type of role is competitive because employers often look for classroom experience plus related backgrounds such as sociology, psychology, counseling, or education, and bilingual skills in English, Spanish, or Portuguese can strengthen an application. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits on this platform to save research time, then tailor your resume to highlight public speaking experience and weekend availability if you have it.

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