Preschool Lead Teacher

Metropolitan Family Services empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive. Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since 1857, Metropolitan Family Services has been the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities. Metropolitan is Illinois’ first comprehensive human services agency and reaches more than 117,000 individuals and families in Chicago, Evanston/Skokie, the southwest suburbs and DuPage County with services promoting education, economic stability, emotional wellness and empowerment.
 

We are now hiring for a full-time Preschool Lead Teacher to join our North Children's Center Team!

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Responsible for supporting a team approach to planning and implementing program activities. Collaborates with Family Support Workers, Teacher’s, Program Aide, site partners, and site supervisor for the betterment of the classroom and families
• Participates in ongoing CLASS implementation and monitoring
• Guides and facilitate activities of the children and ensures appropriate child guidance and discipline and proper ratios are maintained at all times
• Attends all mandated trainings. Sets and achieve professional development goals.  Shares resources with other staff members as appropriate.  All professional development to be tracked in Gateways
• Uses Teaching Strategies Gold to maintain ongoing, high quality documentation of school readiness skills. Maintain Interrater Reliability
• Uses Teaching Strategies Gold to communication with families through monthly newsletters and family conference forms
• Responsible for the implementation of the program’s Planned Language Approach which is specifically designed to support dual language learners
• Schedules and conduct education home visits with teaching staff to discuss individual development and progress, assist parents in developing educational goals for their child
• Maintains accurate teacher and child files
• Ensures all transportation safety procedures are followed including utilization of the bus attendance log if applicable
• Ensures accurate completion CACFP documents in conjunction with the teaching staff
• Builds and ensures positive and on-going relationships with parents, volunteers, and other staff members
• Works with site supervisor and family support worker to exchange information pertinent to the identification and services of children with disabilities
• Conducts and/or oversees screening of all children within prescribed time frames using the developmental, social emotional and other prescribed screenings tools
• Ensures the curriculum is used to fidelity and that submission of weekly lesson plans including individualization for all children, including: monitoring and facilitating accommodations listed in IEPs and IFSPs
• Provides a supportive, caring and safe environment for children
• Uses the playground as an extension of the classroom; assures that the playground is safe
• Provides active supervision to ensure the safety of children while in the classroom, during transitions, at time of transportation, and while on the playground. Ensures that no child shall be left alone or unsupervised
• Ensures the usage of agency technology equipment and time are utilized for agency business
• Ensures compliance with the agency’s code of conduct
• Ensures agency’s fiscal integrity by adhering to purchase approval requirements and procedures
• Assists in the development of the agency’s annual program self-assessment
• Ensures all content area data is accurately reflected in the agency’s Program Information Reports within set time frames
• Participates in program recruitment efforts to maintain full enrollment
• Performs other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Education and/or
• Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education or advanced degree and coursework equivalent to a major relating to Early Childhood Education, or
• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in unrelated field degree and coursework equivalent to a major relating to Early Childhood Education
• Gateways to Opportunity Level 5  ECE Credential (registered and completed by 2023)
• Enrolled in an Early Childhood program with completion of PEL, current (registered and completed by 2023)
• Experience in planning and implementing learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children, including improving the readiness of children for school by developing their literacy, phonemic, and print awareness, their understanding and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of books, their understanding of early math and early science, their problem-solving abilities, and their approaches to learning.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy learning environment
• Experience in supporting the social and emotional development of children
• Experience in encouraging the involvement of the families of the children in an early childhood program and supporting the development of relationships between children and their families

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• MFS staff are required to provide proof of vaccination or have an approved Medical exemption prior to starting employment. If an approved Medical exemption is obtained, weekly testing may be required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel and crouch.
• The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing and viewing a computer terminal.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

SALARY:

• Compensation is commensurate with years of related experience, position requirements, and candidate qualifications. The average salary for the position is $50,000.

Metropolitan Family Services offers a very generous benefits packet to our professionals: 

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medical Coverage: HMO, Traditional PPO, or PPO w/ HSA contributions.
• Dental and Vision Insurance Options
• 12 paid Holidays
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401K Plan
• Training and Professional Development Plan with E- Learning
• Wellness Initiative Program
• Employee Assistance Network

Qualifications

Skills

Required

Bilingual Spanish

Novice

Education

Required

Bachelors or better in Early Childhood Education or related field.

Experience

Required

1 year: Related experience.

Licenses & Certifications

Required

PEL

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)