Lead Teacher

Description:

Children’s Nest Early Childhood Education – Lead Teacher Job Description

All staff members must be qualified by training and experience to carry out their respective functions in the administration, operation and maintenance of the child day care center.  These employees must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.   Staff must be in good physical and mental health and have the energy and emotional stability necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of their positions.

No person other than a Director, an Assistant Director, head of group or assistant to the head of group may supervise a group independently even for a brief periods of time, except in an emergency.  The minimum age of a staff person is 16 years.  However, no person under 18 years of age may be left alone to supervise a group of children.

Lead Teacher-

            Experience:

• Lead Teachers must be at least 18 years of age
• Lead Teachers must have a minimum of a CDA (Child Development Associate) Certification or 9 college credits in Early Childhood, Child Development or a related field, with a plan leading to a CDA.  Plus two years’ experience related to caring for children

Responsibilities:

• To arrive and be ready to work at scheduled work time.
• To accept children from parents when they arrive and discuss how that child’s night was.  Make sure you greet the parents and children in a friendly, professional manner.  Perform a daily health check. Ask the parent if the child has eaten breakfast and what time. Make notation on the Daily
• To dismiss the children to the parent/guardian at the end of the day and very briefly (without losing eye contact with the rest of the children) discuss how the child’s day was.
• If the child has a back pack open it and check for notes.

• Check each child’s cubby –everyday– put relevant notes, messages and clothing in appropriate cubbies and make sure it is all sent home with each child along with all of their belongings.
• Check children’s cubbies to make sure they have the appropriate amount of clothing (2 outfits, socks & underwear) diapers, wipes, ointment, blankets and baby foods.  Advise the parent on the daily if the child needs anything.
• Engage the children throughout the day.  Talk to them. Play with them.  Increase their language development through your involvement with them.
• MEALTIME:  Using gloves assist the TEACHER in organizing/serving the food.  All elements of the meal MUST be put on the plate, regardless of the child likes/dislikes.  The only exception to this regulation is if the child has a food allergy/dietary restriction. Feed the children, age appropriately.  Assist and teach the children to eat independently. Children must be helped to gain independence in feeding themselves and should be encouraged to attain these skills Check allergy lists and dietary restrictions before serving the children.  Follow the dietary requests of the parents at all times. All items brought from home:  food containers, bottles must be labeled with the child’s first and last name. All food areas, shelves, high chairs, tables, chairs, floors must be completely cleaned before moving on to another activity and before putting out the cots for rest time.
• Age appropriately; attend to the child’s hygiene.  Hands and face washed before and after meals; and after coming in from outdoor time.
• Diapers must be checked every ½ hour and children should be changed every 2 hours unless otherwise advised by the parents.  Toilet training, when age appropriate.
• Advise Director of any health concerns or incidents that happen in the classroom or playground.  Also, if the parents make you aware of any concerns/injuries occurring @ home, etc. make the office aware of that ASAP.
• MEALTIME:  Using gloves, serve the food.  All elements of the meal MUST be put on the plate, regardless of whether the child wants it.  The only exception to this regulation is if the child has a food allergy/dietary restriction. Feed the children, age appropriately.  Assist and teach the children to eat independently. Children must be helped to gain independence in feeding themselves and should be encouraged to attain these skills.
• To work with children on manners.  “Yes, please”, “No, thank you”, “Please may I” and “Thank you”.
• Toys, cubbies, shelves, and all the classroom equipment must be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis.
• Sinks in the classrooms must be maintained daily, replacing water and empting dirty water.
• No personal food or drinks (other than water) are allowed in the classrooms.  Eat your breakfast and lunch outside the classroom.
• Cellphones are not allowed in the classroom at any time.  Your focus must be on the children at all times.
• Responsible for planning and preparing the learning environment, setting up centers and preparing needed materials and supplies.  Always eliciting the assistance of your assistant implementing daily activities.
• Supervising/directing assistants/Aides seeing to it that they follow OCFS Regulations, use appropriate language and tone of voice with the children.
• Maintaining confidentiality about the children, their families, and other employees in the center.
• Exhibit a genuine nurturing, caring attitude to all children.
• Supervising outside playground activities. Eyes always on the children. Teach the children to line up trikes after they are finished using them.  Keep play areas neat, throwing out any garbage in the pails.

• Be knowledgeable in the content of Daily. Maintains accurate daily records of children’s day (daily) making sure all of children’s needs have been noted and taken care of.
• The repetitive information on the Daily should be prepared the day before and placed in the office for photocopying.

• Change the bulletin board every 6 weeks.
• Temporarily take charge of a classroom when your co-workers have to step out of the classroom; never being left out of ratio.
• Set up projects and straighten up when done.
• Attend scheduled:        1) Parent Teacher Conferences

2) Staff Meetings

3) In Service Training and completing on-line trainings

• Work with children both individually and in small groups during class sessions.
• Take attendance daily. Be sure your Assistant knows where the attendance folder is kept. And be the one responsible to grab the Attendance folder during a fire drill.
• Maintain Health & Safety Log Book daily.
• Have control of classroom activities at all times.  Keep class structured.
• Keep track of each child’s performance in the student classroom file.
• Follow standard office procedures (example: sick time / vacation time, conferences, etc…)
• Uphold school policy.
• Report to Director (example: illness, incidents, when out sick, any request etc.)
• Be responsible to the Director and perform other duties as delegated by them.
• Everyone must clean up after themselves (example: classroom, staff lounge, yard, refrigerator/microwave and bathroom).
• Everyone must make sure the environment inside the school and outside the school is always safe for the children.
• Adhere to the dress code as stated in the Employee Manual.
• Staff must respect each other’s privacy and feelings
• To leave at scheduled work time not before/after unless approved by the Director.
• To leave room in a respectable, organized, clean and disinfected manner for the next day.  Dispose of trash directly into the dumpster located outside in the back of the center.  Once after lunch is served and again at the end of the day.