Job Title: Floating Lead Teacher
Organization: Kai Ming, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides free full-day full-year and full-day part-year high quality early care and education services in San Francisco, CA with funding from Head Start, the California Department of Education, First 5 San Francisco and San Francisco Office of Early Care & Education.
Job: The Floating Lead Teacher must be an appropriate role model for staff, parents and children. They are responsible for exhibiting good and respectful communication, problem solving and priority setting skills as well as maintaining an overall positive attitude. The Floating Lead Teacher will be assigned to different Kai Ming centers based on staffing and program needs and is expected to fulfill the same duties and responsibilities as a Lead Teacher at their assigned location.
The Floating Lead Teacher will provide supervision, guidance and training to Assistant Teachers, Teacher Aides, Center Aides and Parent Volunteers on a daily basis and/or as needed. The Floating Lead Teacher is responsible for the care and the development of children, supervising, teaching, implementing culturally relevant curriculum, and creating a developmentally appropriate classroom for children with active participation of parents and other staff to meet the Head Start Performance Standards. They must be capable of writing clearly and maintaining current documentation for each child. This includes completing all required Lead Teacher documentation, developmental observations, child assessments, curriculum planning, and reports within established deadlines.
Job Type: Full Time, Non-exempt
Report to: Assigned Site Manager and/or designated supervisor
Essential Duties:
I. Curriculum
- Fulfill all Lead Teacher responsibilities at assigned centers including curriculum planning, developmental observations, child assessments, screenings, and maintaining accurate and timely documentation in accordance with program requirements.
- Collaborate with the assigned classroom teaching team to ensure continuity of curriculum, child development goals, observations, and required documentation when transitioning between centers.
- Create and implement a quality curriculum that meets the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, health, and nutritional needs of each child. This shall be done in accordance with the National Head Start Performance Standards.
- Conduct developmental screenings, child assessments, and prepare and submit paperwork/reports within the deadline (e.g. 45 and 90 days, etc.).
- Prepare individualized education plans specifying developmental goals and activities to make appropriate adaptations as needed in the environment and curriculum for each child, including children with disabilities.
- Work with the Assistant Teacher to ensure balanced child-directed and adult-directed activities are implemented daily, including individual and small group experiences for children to support skill development in literacy, language and numeracy, to encourage critical thinking, problem solving skills, creativity and concept forming according to the developmental level of each child.
- Ensure that ALL education aspects of the health, nutrition, mental health, safety, diversity and cultural awareness are integrated into the class activities.
- Ensure a variety of strategies to promote and support children’s learning and development using informal and formal observations, on-going assessments, documentation of progress, which are maintained in portfolios for each child.
II. Environment
- Adapt to different classroom environments, routines, and teaching teams while maintaining consistent program standards, classroom management practices, and quality of care across assigned centers.
- Provide materials and equipment that offer varied and interesting choices, developmentally and age-appropriate to encourage learning.
- Ensure that the environment meets safety standards established by the program and is in compliance with state and federal regulations.
- Create a well organized (e.g. children toys and staff materials are properly labeled, etc.), clean pleasant classroom, meets Head Start Performance Standards where children feel comfortable and secure.
- Conduct transition in a consistent, timely, predictable and unrushed manner according to each child’s needs.
- Provide an environment and curriculum that supports, and encourages acceptance and respect of gender, culture, language, ethnicity and family composition.
III. Outdoor Activities
- Provide outdoor curriculum that enhances children’s physical and social development
- Interact with and closely supervise children outdoors.
- Able to bend and lift a child (up to 50 lbs.) when needed, as well as manage children in outdoor activities.
IV. Promote Social and Emotional Growth
- Provide activities and guidance to help each child learn to accept, understand and appreciate him/herself as an individual.
- Provide experiences that encourage independence, trust as well as opportunities for success to help develop feelings of competence, self-esteem, and positive attitude towards learning.
- Provide opportunities for each child to express, understand and control his/her own feelings.
- Encourage and support development of self-control by setting clear, consistent limits, and having realistic expectations.
- Provide opportunities for children to interact and cooperate with one another to promote respect, acceptance and appreciation of cultural and ethnic diversity, and promote appropriate social skills, competence, and respect for the feelings and rights of others.
- Provide a positive daily routine with simple, consistent rules that are respectful and understood and accepted by all adults and children.
- Model positive teacher/child and teacher/parent interactions.
V. Family
- Conduct or assist with required home visits for children in assigned classrooms, as directed by the Site Manager and in accordance with program requirements.
- Establish mutual expectations with parents and staff about the experiences children will receive in the classroom.
- Conduct or assist Parent-Teacher conferences to discuss the child’s development and plan goals and action steps for home and school.
- Be available for all parents on a formal and informal basis.
VI. Staff
- Provide supervision, guidance, and training to Assistant Teachers, Teacher Aides, Center Aides, and Parent Volunteers at assigned centers, ensuring consistent classroom practices and adherence to program standards.
- Complete and maintain all required Lead Teacher paperwork and documentation including child observations, assessments, lesson plans, developmental progress reports, and other program-required records, within established deadlines regardless of center assignment.
- Communicate with Site Managers and teaching teams regarding classroom needs, child development progress, pending documentation, and follow-up responsibilities to ensure continuity of services.
- Participate in case conference meetings with the Assistant Teacher and Family and Community Advocates to facilitate information sharing, goal setting, and action plans for each child.
- Attend Center meetings.
- Participate in CCDC Consultation Meetings.
- Participate in staff development training and professional development opportunities.
- Conduct or participate in weekly teaching team meetings at assigned centers as applicable.
- Maintain records for attendance, meal counts, parent participation and other in-kind contributions and submit in a timely manner as needed.
- Report inappropriate behavior of staff, parents and on-site consultants to the appropriate supervisor.
VII. Floating Assignments
- Provide Lead Teacher coverage at various Kai Ming centers based on staffing needs, absences, vacancies, and other program needs.
- Maintain flexibility in work assignments and adapt to different classroom environments, schedules, and teaching teams.
- Collaborate with Site Managers and classroom staff to ensure continuity of care, education, and compliance with Head Start Performance Standards.
- Complete all assigned Lead Teacher responsibilities and required documentation within established deadlines, regardless of the duration or location of the assignment.
- Travel between Kai Ming centers as assigned and maintain effective communication with the appropriate Site Managers and supervisors.
- Perform other duties assigned.
Qualifications
Qualifications: Kai Ming is looking for experienced classroom personnel who can attend to the care and education of young children in a high quality setting to foster their school readiness and establish a foundation for success in school and life.
- Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Early Childhood Education or Child Development or related field with a California Child Development Site Supervisor Permit, plus
- At least two (2) years of experience working with children as a teacher in a preschool classroom setting.
- At least 6 Infant/Toddler ECE units to work in the Infant/Toddler classrooms
- Ability to work effectively and independently across multiple center locations, adapting to different classroom environments, teaching teams, and program needs.
- Ability to take initiative, but also to accept direction and seek guidance appropriately.
- Ability to maintain the highest levels of Health, Safety & Supervision of children.
Other Requirements:
- Annual Physical exam and TB Clearance
- Criminal Background Clearance
- Child Abuse Index Clearance
- Current certification in CPR and First Aid
- Adherence to the Confidentiality Agreement
- Adherence to the Child Abuse Reporting Mandate
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to change position; to sit, stand, walk, climb or balance; to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; to bend, twist and reach with hands and arms; and to pick up children.
- Light to moderate lifting (up to approximately 50 lbs) is required, such as lifting a child, chair, table, etc.
- Adhere to the Kai Ming Code of Conduct and all other internal policies and procedures.
- Accountable for the health, safety and supervision of all children and families.