Lead Preschool Teacher
23 days ago
Dobbs Ferry
Job Description About This Role Pay: $25.00 - $28.00 per hour Job description: Little Eagles Nest | Dobbs Ferry, NY Monday–Friday | 7:30 AM–3:30 PM $25–$28/hour Little Eagles Nest is seeking an experienced Lead Preschool Teacher to take ownership of our classroom program in Dobbs Ferry. This is a hands-on leadership position for an educator who is confident running a classroom, establishing strong routines, guiding other teachers, maintaining excellent health and safety practices, and creating a calm, engaging learning environment. Little Eagles Nest is a small, relationship-centered early childhood program inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and guided by The Creative Curriculum. We value intentional teaching, child-led exploration, responsive caregiving, independence, strong routines, beautiful learning environments, and meaningful teacher-child interactions. The Lead Teacher will also work collaboratively with our Educational Program Lead to support curriculum implementation, classroom quality, teacher development, and consistency across the program. Compensation $25–$28 per hour, depending on experience, education, credentials, and demonstrated classroom leadership ability. Candidates at the top of the range should have strong experience independently leading an early childhood classroom and demonstrate excellent organization, curriculum implementation, staff guidance, documentation, and health and safety practices. The Role The Lead Teacher will be the primary morning classroom leader and will work with two classroom teachers who support the Lead in carrying out the daily program. The Lead Teacher will also work closely with the Educational Program Lead to: • Align classroom practice with Little Eagles Nest's curriculum framework, • Support consistent implementation of The Creative Curriculum, • Incorporate Reggio Emilia-inspired practices into the learning environment, • Review classroom routines, learning experiences, and developmental goals, • Collaborate on lesson planning and curriculum priorities, • Reflect on classroom observations and children's interests, • Support continuous improvement in classroom quality, • Help model strong teaching practices for less-experienced staff, • Prepare and deliver parent/teacher conferences The Lead Teacher is expected to set the tone for the classroom and ensure that important routines are completed consistently and correctly. Responsibilities include: • Preparing and opening the classroom each morning, • Welcoming children and families during arrival, • Ensuring all children are properly checked in and attendance records are accurate, • Ensuring staff attendance and required daily records are completed, • Verifying opening health, safety, sanitation, and classroom-readiness procedures, • Preparing or verifying required sanitizing and disinfecting solutions, • Ensuring feeding areas, tables, highchairs, trays, toys, and classroom materials are maintained to a high cleanliness standard, • Leading morning meeting, small-group experiences, learning centers, and classroom transitions, • Implementing developmentally appropriate learning experiences using The Creative Curriculum, • Incorporating Reggio Emilia-inspired practices, including thoughtful environments, child-led inquiry, documentation, and open-ended exploration, • Observing children and adapting activities based on their interests and developmental needs, • Maintaining an organized, intentional, welcoming classroom environment, • Delegating responsibilities clearly to classroom teachers, • Modeling appropriate classroom routines, supervision, cleaning, and caregiving practices, • Providing respectful coaching and guidance to less-experienced teachers, • Following up on assigned responsibilities and ensuring tasks are completed, • Maintaining strong supervision and classroom management, • Ensuring required classroom documentation is completed accurately, • Using Brightwheel for attendance, documentation, communication, and classroom updates, • Communicating warmly and professionally with families, • Maintaining compliance with applicable New York State OCFS childcare regulations, • Communicating concerns, supply needs, classroom needs, or operational issues to program leadership, • Providing a clear handoff to the afternoon team before leaving Classroom Leadership We are looking for someone who understands that a Lead Teacher does more than conduct activities. The Lead Teacher should be able to walk into the classroom each morning, assess what needs to happen, organize the team, delegate responsibilities, and make sure the classroom is fully ready for children. The right candidate should be comfortable saying: • what needs to be done,, • who is responsible for doing it,, • when it needs to be completed,, • and following up to make sure it was actually completed. At the same time, we want someone who leads through professionalism, modeling, communication, and collaboration rather than simply giving instructions. Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate: • Has at least 2–3 years of experience in a licensed early childhood program, • Has prior Lead Teacher or classroom leadership experience, • Has experience with preschool and/or toddler-age children, • Is familiar with The Creative Curriculum, • Has knowledge of or experience with Reggio Emilia-inspired education, • Enjoys collaborating with educational leadership on curriculum and classroom quality, • Understands how to create a prepared and intentional classroom environment, • Is highly organized and dependable, • Is punctual and consistent, • Notices details and follows through on responsibilities, • Understands the importance of accurate attendance and required documentation, • Maintains high standards for classroom cleanliness and sanitation, • Is comfortable directing and supporting other teachers, • Can provide constructive feedback professionally, • Is able to coach newer teachers through modeling and repetition, • Has strong classroom-management and supervision skills, • Maintains a warm, respectful approach with children, • Communicates professionally with families and coworkers, • Is comfortable using technology such as Brightwheel, • Can manage multiple classroom responsibilities without losing track of essential health, safety, and compliance requirements Education & Qualifications CDA, Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree, or coursework in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Education, or a related field is strongly preferred. Candidates must meet or be able to meet all applicable NYS childcare requirements, including: • Background clearance, • Required medical documentation, • Required OCFS training, • Staff health and safety requirements, • Any position-specific education and experience requirements Our Educational Approach Little Eagles Nest combines structured early childhood education with responsive, child-centered learning. Our program draws from: The Creative Curriculum Intentional teaching, learning objectives, observation, developmental progression, and meaningful classroom experiences. Reggio Emilia Philosophy Child-led inquiry, carefully prepared environments, project-based exploration, meaningful materials, documentation, and respect for children as capable learners. We are looking for a teacher who can balance both approaches: someone who understands that a strong classroom can be organized without being rigid, intentional without being overly scripted, and child-centered while still maintaining clear routines and expectations. About Little Eagles Nest Little Eagles Nest is a small early childhood program serving young children in a warm, home-like educational environment. We place a strong emphasis on: • Responsive caregiving, • Intentional teaching, • Independence, • Exploration, • Strong teacher-child relationships, • Thoughtfully prepared environments, • Consistent routines, • Professional communication, • Health and safety, • High-quality classroom experiences The Lead Teacher will play an important role in maintaining these standards while working in partnership with our team to support strong teaching practices and program consistency. To Apply Please submit your résumé along with a brief introduction describing: • Your early childhood teaching experience, • Any Lead Teacher or classroom leadership experience, • Your experience with The Creative Curriculum, • Your familiarity with Reggio Emilia or Reggio-inspired programs, • The age groups you have worked with, • Why a part-time morning leadership position is a good fit for you We are looking for someone who is experienced, warm, organized, collaborative, confident, dependable, and ready to take genuine ownership of the classroom each morning. Benefits: • 401(k), • 401(k) matching, • Health insurance, • Paid time off Work Location: In person What You'll Do • Serve as the primary classroom leader and set the tone for a calm, organized, engaging day., • Prepare and open the classroom each morning and ensure it is ready for children., • Welcome children and families warmly during arrival., • Lead morning meeting, learning centers, small-group experiences, transitions, and daily routines., • Implement developmentally appropriate experiences using The Creative Curriculum., • Incorporate Reggio Emilia-inspired practices, including child-led inquiry, open-ended exploration, thoughtful environments, and documentation of learning., • Observe children and adapt experiences based on their interests, developmental needs, and emerging skills., • Maintain a welcoming, intentional, organized classroom environment., • Clearly delegate responsibilities to classroom teachers and follow up to ensure important routines are completed., • Model strong teaching, supervision, caregiving, cleaning, sanitation, and classroom-management practices., • Provide respectful coaching and guidance to less-experienced teachers., • Maintain accurate child attendance, staff records, and required classroom documentation., • Use Brightwheel for attendance, classroom documentation, family communication, and daily updates., • Maintain high standards for classroom cleanliness, feeding areas, tables, highchairs, toys, materials, and sanitizing procedures., • Maintain compliance with applicable New York State OCFS childcare regulations., • Communicate professionally with families, coworkers, and program leadership., • Collaborate with our Educational Program Lead on curriculum implementation, classroom observations, developmental goals, and continuous improvement., • Prepare for and participate in parent-teacher conferences., • Provide an organized handoff to the afternoon team before leaving. Requirements • At least 2–3 years of experience working in a licensed early childhood program., • Previous Lead Teacher, Head Teacher, or classroom leadership experience., • Experience working with preschool and/or toddler-age children., • Strong classroom-management and active-supervision skills., • Ability to independently organize a classroom, prioritize responsibilities, delegate tasks, and follow through., • Dependable, punctual, organized, and detail-oriented., • Strong understanding of classroom health, safety, sanitation, and cleanliness practices., • Ability to guide and support other teachers professionally and respectfully., • Warm, responsive, and respectful approach to working with young children., • Strong communication skills with families and coworkers., • Comfortable using classroom technology and learning platforms such as Brightwheel., • Ability to manage multiple classroom responsibilities while maintaining attention to health, safety, documentation, and compliance., • Must meet or be able to meet applicable New York State childcare requirements, including background clearance, medical documentation, required OCFS training, and health and safety requirements. Nice To Haves • CDA, Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree, or coursework in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Education, or a related field., • Experience using The Creative Curriculum., • Experience working in a Reggio Emilia or Reggio-inspired program., • Experience coaching, mentoring, or training less-experienced teachers., • Experience preparing observations, developmental documentation, lesson plans, or parent-teacher conferences., • Familiarity with Brightwheel or similar childcare-management platforms., • Strong interest in classroom environments, child-led learning, project-based exploration, and intentional teaching., • Experience supporting licensing, quality-improvement, or early childhood program standards. Benefits • Health Insurance, • Paid Leave, • Sick Leave, • Retirement Plan
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