Freshwater Church·Waconia, Minnesota
The Lead Teacher is responsible for providing high-quality childcare, planning engaging daily activities, and ensuring the safety and developmental progress of toddlers. They also manage classroom operations, supervise assistants, and maintain clear communication with parents and administration.
Toddler 2 Lead Teacher — Shortened
Nature of Work Work hours and schedules are based on FWA's fiscal year, program needs & funding. Provides childcare services for Toddler 2 children, ages 28–33 months, with a 1:7 staff/child ratio. Supervised by the Director and Assistant Director. Staff participate in annual in-service training and recommended monthly training. A. Responsibility to Children Responds quickly and gently to children’s needs and cries. Understands and respects individual developmental levels. Tends to children’s hygiene needs, attentive during routines of diapering, feeding, cleaning, and changing. Encourages kindness, respect, and positive interactions. Protects children from physical or verbal abuse and reports incidents immediately. Ensures children are supervised and safe at all times. B. Teaching and Leading Welcomes each child warmly upon arrival. Organizes each day's varied activities that encourage curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, independence, and belonging. Teaches sharing, cooperation, and positive social skills. Creates a proactive consistent plan to ensure each child succeeds with potty-training. Plans and supervises outdoor play when weather permits. Uses appropriate discipline measures as outlined in FWA's policies. Remains patient during challenging situations. Changes classroom layouts and decorations seasonally. Conducts developmental evaluations and maintains accurate records for parent/teacher conferences. Maintains a safe, clean, nurturing classroom and promotes good hygiene and children’s well-being. C. Communication Maintains confidentiality regarding families. Builds positive, friendly relationships with children and families. Greets children and parents warmly at drop-off and pick-up. Completes accurate daily parent sheets, monthly center logs, and required incident/illness documentation. Communicates with parents through FWA email about activities and child-related information, copying the Director when required. Delegates classroom duties appropriately to assigned Assistants or Aides. D. Training Self and Staff Follows FWA policies and ensures Assistants and Aides do the same. Stays current with Minnesota licensing requirements and FWA policies. Maintains required training, including CPR, Pediatric First Aid, SBS, and SIDS. Trains assigned Assistants and Aides. Participates in fire/tornado drills and follows emergency procedures. Attends staff meetings and required training opportunities. Completes other duties assigned by the Director Behavior Objectives Strive to maintain a Christ-like attitude. Refrain from gossip & negative attitudes. Maintain a positive, calm attitude & a pleasant, soothing voice, modeling this for parents & others working or volunteering at FWA. Have a cooperative attitude. SMILE Other daily duties that maintain a clean classroom will be detailed in training.
Candidates must be experienced in early childhood education and maintain current certifications in CPR, Pediatric First Aid, SBS, and SIDS. The role requires a proactive approach to classroom management, adherence to licensing requirements, and the ability to foster a nurturing, safe environment.
Market context
In Minnesota, lead teacher openings are typically tied to ongoing demand for experienced classroom leaders who can plan lessons and support daily learning routines. This role is competitive because employers often look for candidates who can meet state education requirements, manage active indoor and outdoor settings, and bring prior classroom leadership experience. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to quickly compare the role against your credentials and confirm fit before applying.
