The Lead Teacher is responsible for establishing a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment while working collaboratively with faculty. They must design appropriate room arrangements, implement lesson plans, and support the physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development of children.
Overview
A 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 or Co- Teacher and in conjunction with the entire faculty.
General Qualifications
- A Lead Teacher must meet the qualifications of his/her state and those set forth in the National Standards for hiring (see www.bls.gov), including the following:
- Ability to hear the conversational voice, with or without a hearing aid
- Ability to see and read newsprint, with or without corrective lenses
- Ability to speak and be understood under normal circumstances
- Ability to lift and carry children and other items weighing up to 50 pounds
- Ability to use arms, hands, legs, and feet, with or without corrective devices; this includes the ability to evacuate the building during emergencies
- Ability to handle crisis situations, especially where children are involved
- Ability to respond immediately to emergency situations
- Lead Teacher educational requirements are the same as Director educational requirements (see Director educational requirements or one of several other criteria listed below)
Educational Qualifications
- All candidates, who wish to be considered for the position of Lead Teacher must meet one or more of the following criteria, in addition to any/all requirements that may be mandated by their state and/or local licensing authorities:
- A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Child Development.
- A Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field1, including 18 semester hours of completed coursework related to young children birth to age 8.
- An Associate’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Child Development or a related field1.
- An Associate’s degree or higher in a related field1, including 18 semester hours of completed coursework related to young children birth to age 8.
- A current CDA or Early Childhood Teaching Credential.
- Proof of current and active enrollment in a CDA Credentialing Program.
- Proof of current and active enrollment in an accredited Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
- Prior Early Childhood experience preferred
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 nominal cleaning responsibilities (eg, 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 materials
- 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 resources (including Enrichment Programs) into lesson plans
- Support each child’s social and emotional development and provide positive guidance
- Understand and adhere to the Goddard Systems 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 plan books and posted lesson plans
- Manage classrooms according to Goddard Systems QA Standards
- Perform child observations and document in their portfolios
- Use assessment tools (eg, Progress Reports, Children’s Progress)
- Maintain professional commitment
- Promote Goddard Systems 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
- Foreign degrees
- All foreign degrees MUST be converted to U.S. credits.
- All foreign courses and/or credit hours must be converted to U.S. standards.
- Related Degrees Include, But May Not Be Limited To
- Elementary Education
- Home Economics
- Child Development
- Child Life
- Psychology or Sociology with a minor in Education
- Special Education
- Child Psychology
- Relevant Coursework
- Child Development
- Human Growth and Development
- Educational Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Methods: Age Birth to 8 years
- Children’s Literature
- Developmental Assessment of Young Children
- Measurement and Evaluation
- Nutrition
- Health and Safety
- Child Care Administration
- Student Teaching: Kindergarten; 1st Grade; 2nd Grade
