YMCA of Southern Maine·Freeport, Maine
The teacher is responsible for the leadership, management, and supervision of a preschool/toddler classroom. Key duties include implementing age-appropriate curricula, ensuring licensing standards are met, and maintaining a safe, clean environment for children.
Overview The Y is a powerful association of men, women, and children of all ages and from all walks of life joined together by a shared passion: to strengthen the foundations of community.
With a commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living, and fostering a sense of social responsibility, the Y ensures that every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow, and thrive.
Anchored in more than 10,000 neighborhoods around the country, Y has the long-standing relationships and physical present to not just promise, but deliver, lasting personal and social change.
In today’s uncertain times, one thing remains certain – the Y is, and always will be, the builder of healthy, confident, connected, and secure children, families, and communities.
Under direction of the Program Director, the Teacher Pre-school/Toddler is responsible for the overall leadership, management and supervision of the classroom at the YMCA of Southern Maine.
Plan, implement and participate in programs in accordance with the policies and philosophy of the YMCA. Actively participate and swim with students in the pool during swim time. Create and implement an age-appropriate curriculum that encourages all areas of development including physical, emotional, social, cognitive, etc. Completes necessary incident and behavioral reports on students; provides daily feedback and reviews with parents as required. Completes student profiles and observations regularly as required. In conjunction with the Supervisor, ensure your classroom meets all applicable licensing standards. Notify Supervisor immediately of any problems or concerns. Follow all HEPA and 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go guidelines regarding the Healthy Living operation of your classroom. Enforce all safety rules and ensure a safe environment in the classroom. Maintain cleanliness and organization in the classroom and within the facility. Provide age-appropriate materials for classroom and rotate quarterly (where applicable.) Continually evaluate the needs of all children and adjust accordingly. Complete all work in a timely manner thoroughly and satisfactorily. Attend required training and meetings including but not limited to monthly staff meetings and required training hours as determined by supervisor and DHHS/Accreditation Standards. Actively engage with the branch and association leadership teams to plan and implement a successful annual campaign and association special events, connecting donors with our cause, and raising money to support our missions. Adheres to all Y Brand guidelines and receives prior approval for use and creation of any Y related social media from the Marketing department. Learn and actively utilize UKG Employee Portal on a consistent basis. Other duties as required.
Ability to effectively communicate in person and on the phone with all levels of employees, members, parents, children and school personnel. Effective interpersonal skills, with a customer service focus. Ability to work independently as well as within teams. Possess attention to detail with excellent organizational and decision-making skills. Extremely reliable, dependable, and punctual Ability to take initiative and self-motivated. Meet Licensing standards for childcare centers. One year of experience working in age-appropriate childcare related position. Must be 18 years of age. CPR and First Aid Certification (within 3 months of hire). Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. A Criminal Background check is required, including fingerprinting through the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), prior to hire. This will be paid for by the YMCA of Southern Maine.
Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Social Services, or a related field. Associate degree, certificate, CDA, Maine-approved credential, or coursework in ECE, Social Services, or a related field, combined with relevant professional experience. Experience working with children, youth, families, or community-based programs. Equivalent combinations of education, credentials, and experience will be considered. Physical Demands: Physical Strength: Must have the ability to frequently move, lift, pull and push objects such as, boxes, supplies, postage machine, and computers up to 25 lbs. Manual Dexterity: Must have the ability to operate equipment listed below and frequently perform simple manipulative tasks including typing, writing and filing.
Must be able to continuously perform tasks requiring hand-eye coordination such as filing, opening/date stamping/posting of mail and stocking supplies.
Required to frequently sit for prolonged periods. Must be able to occasionally walk, stand, stoop, squat, kneel, twist, bend to floor, reach with hands/arms, climb stairs and remain in uncomfortable positions at times for prolonged periods.
Must be able to continuously articulate and communicate clearly and precisely when interacting with staff, professionals, vendors and clients.
Emotional
Stability: Must be able to continuously deal effectively with stress created by busy phones, multiple tasks, noises, interruptions and multiple priorities and work cooperatively as part of the administrative team while maintaining a pleasant, professional demeanor.
Sensory
Vision: Must be able to continuously read small print and adjust focus.
Must be able to continuously hear normal sounds and voice patterns, receive verbal instructions, answer a phone and communicate with others with some background noise.
Cognitive
Concentration: Must be able to continuously concentrate on moderate details with frequent interruption.
Attention
Span: Must be able to frequently attend to tasks for up to 45 minutes at a time.
Must be able to frequently understand and relate to ideas,generally several at a time, and interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written or oral form.
Must be able to frequently remember verbal and written tasks.
Free personal membership Earned Paid Leave Generous program discounts Meaningful assistance programs like mentoring and retirement (403(b) and Y Retirement when eligible) Training, certification and advancement opportunities Posted
Usd $18.00 - Usd $20.00 /Hr.
Candidates must be at least 18 years old with one year of childcare experience and meet licensing standards. Preferred qualifications include a degree or certification in Early Childhood Education or Social Services.
Market context
In Maine, classroom teacher roles are often competitive because districts look for candidates with advanced preparation and evidence of effective teaching, and this posting notes a preferred master’s degree plus successful undergraduate teaching experience. Demand can vary by subject and district, so applicants with strong classroom records and adaptable instructional skills may stand out. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits on this platform to save research time, then align your application materials to the exact teaching experience requested.
