Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Teacher

The start date for this position is June 17, 2024. We have on-call substitute work available ongoing and starting ASAP.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Teacher - 8:30am - 4:30pm M-F - The TK program has an arts-based curriculum, and the best match for this position will have an interest in the arts and/or an arts education background. Included in this schedule is 2-3 hours of "Off the Floor" prep time in the afternoon each day.

OVERVIEW

The Little School is a nationally recognized, relationship-based, inclusive preschool program committed to providing individualized, quality education to young children. We are looking for full-time, highly qualified teachers to join our dynamic team of educators.

The Little School Teacher will support children’s individual goals, planning and implementing curriculum, managing the class, and navigating transitions. The teacher must be adaptable and able to quickly shift to accommodate the needs of the school. Key responsibilities below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 24 units of ECE including core courses or degree equivalent
• ECE experience
• Alignment with our child-centered philosophy and core pillars
• Knowledge of and sensitivity to the cultural backgrounds of the children and families being served
• Ability to relate to children and adults in a positive, respectful manner
• Ability to lift and/or carry children
• Ability to self-reflect, learn new skills and collaborate

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with children with identified additional support needs
• Initiative and creativity
• Strong knowledge and insight into child development
• Additional ECE education and experience

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & SCREENING:

Ability to lift and/or carry up to 40lbs, sit/bend/stop and sit/stand inside/outside for prolonged periods. Must complete 15 hours of health and safety training, have current health screening, tuberculosis tests, MMR/Tdap, Covid-19 primary series vaccination, and fingerprint clearances.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Relationships:

Facilitating Meaningful Relationships with Children

• Being warm and sincere in their relations to children
• Developing a relationship with each child
• Helping children feel safe and secure
• Facilitating the care of children’s basic needs
• Accepting each child as an individual
• Having a growing awareness of each child’s social, emotional, language, cognitive, creative, gross, and fine motor development, sensory profile, learning, social, thinking and problem solving style.
• Having individual goals for children that are implemented on a regular basis
• Maintaining written records of each child’s strengths and goals and, if appropriate, communicating them with other teachers, the Child Development Specialist, Assistant Director and Executive Director.
• Balancing the needs of individual children with the overall needs of the group.
• Regularly use observation as a method of learning about children.

Developing Meaningful Relationships with Children’s Primary Caregivers

• Presenting a friendly, supportive and approachable demeanor
• Acting professionally and ensuring confidentiality
• Giving necessary information to parents

Building Relationships with Colleagues

• Fulfilling basic job description and following through on basic responsibilities
• Ideally, taking initiative beyond basic responsibilities
• Contributing to a positive atmosphere
• Expressing and responding to problems collaboratively and appropriately
• Acting professionally

Social-Emotional Development

• Creating an atmosphere that encourages socializing and allows for individual time/space
• Facilitating social interactions, using a variety of techniques
• Facilitating child-centered problem-solving, using a variety of techniques
• Setting clear, firm, supportive limits, using a variety of techniques
• Fostering children’s self-esteem using a variety of techniques, including using with children a demeanor that is overwhelmingly positive, supportive, empathetic, warm and engaging.
• Empowering children to achieve mastery
• Facilitating community building

Transitions

• Helping the children make easy transitions within each day, including to lunch and extended day
• Handling children’s caretaking tasks (toileting, washing up, etc.) in a relaxed way, looking toward health and safety issues, and encouraging self-help skills
• Using techniques that make transitions smooth, understandable and enjoyable to the children
• When possible and appropriate, moving at the children’s pace

Health and Safety:

• Planning with health issues in mind
• Responding to health-related issues on the spot
• Planning with safety issues in mind
• Regularly scan the overall group and staying aware of their vantage point

Outdoors

• Supervising sufficiently
• Providing planned or teacher-centered activities if necessary
• Choosing appropriate times to go outdoors and staying outdoors for the appropriate amounts of time
• Interacting and intervening in meaningful, educational ways

General

• Working to improve teaching skills
• Arriving on time and avoiding excessive absences
• Maintaining the environment in a clean, organized and aesthetically appealing way
• Use co-teachers well and ask for help when needed

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Teacher compensation begins at $28/hour and is dependent upon education and experience. Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, retirement, paid time off (including 7 weeks of paid vacation), professional development opportunities, off-the-floor prep time, and child’s enrollment at the school (subject to application deadlines) are also offered.

THE SCHOOL

Philosophy

At The Little School, we focus on the development of the whole child. We celebrate an individual’s strengths, encourage interests and support challenges. We believe that strong positive relationships and a robust, supportive community, where everyone feels respected and included, are the keys to a successful learning environment.

The pillars responsible for bringing our philosophy to life include:

• Quality Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education principles and best practices are the foundation of The Little School. Upon this foundation, the school has created its own inclusive, relationship-based approach. This approach has received local and national attention; has been taught in local and national conferences, workshops and consulting engagements; and has been documented in a training film: “Relationships: The Key to Teaching and Learning in the Early Years” anda book “Including One, Including All: A Relationship-Based Guide to Inclusion”.
• Inclusion. The Little School is committed to serving children with diverse developmental profiles including children with identified special needs. A range of children with unique strengths, challenges and interests both strengthens the social competence and empathy of every child in the school and encourages teachers to develop teaching strategies and learning tools that benefit every child.
• Diversity. The Little School strives to create a community with racial, ethnic, socio-economic and family-structure diversity as well as a range of life experiences and abilities. This rich assortment of families creates the potential for each individual member to stretch their cultural competence and communicate in new ways.
• Excellent Teachers. The school is fortunate to have an outstanding and tenured team of teachers. The success and long tenure of our teachers (approximately one-third have tenure of greater than 15 years and one-third 6-15 years) is due to the individuals themselves, to the school’s commitment to professional development and guidance, to teacher involvement in the program’s development, and to the structure of the teacher work week (e.g. 5-7 hours per week off the floor to support the program, children and families).
• Parent – Teacher – School Partnership. Parents at The Little School are actively engaged in the school community. Parents, teachers and administrators collaborate to support each child and the community as a whole. It is a culture of caring and contribution. Each member of the community assists where possible, whether chaperoning a field trip, attending a family share day, participating on a volunteer committee or serving as a Trustee. Parents also come together for Parent Education events focused on topics central to early childhood and The Little School’s core tenets.
• The Little School is committed to staff diversity, both to reflect the high value The Little School places on multicultural understanding, and for the direct benefit of each student.