opportunities

 

lead teacher

This full-time teaching position in the Child Development Center instructs children ages 3-5 in activities designed to promote social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth needed for success in school. 

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 

• Ensure the care and safety of all children in the classroom, on field trips, and during all hours of operation.  Develop positive adult/child relationships and ensures appropriate level of confidentiality on behalf of the children.

• Create, develop and implement detailed lesson plans for individual and group activities designed to stimulate growth in language, social/emotional, and motor skills.  Learning activities will include teaching skills that enhance the child’s ability to listen to instructions, play with others, and appropriately use play equipment.

• Encourage students to experiment with singing, dancing, rhythmic activities, and art to promote self-expression.

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with parents to ensure open communication, timely attention to problems, and consistent parent/teacher interaction that supports appropriate developmental and academic environments for the children.

• Develop and encourage cooperative social behavior through games and group projects to assist children in forming satisfying relationships with other children and adults.

• Help children develop habits of caring for own clothing and picking up and putting away toys and books; instruct children in practices of personal cleanliness and self care. 

• Assist cook with distribution of food during serving of meals and refreshments to children.

• Alternate periods of strenuous activity with periods of rest or light activity to avoid over stimulation and fatigue; observs children to detect signs of ill health or emotional disturbance.

• Be available and responsive to children.
  • Speak with children in a friendly, positive, courteous manner.
  • Reassure crying children.
  • Listen to children with attention and respect.
  • Respond to children’s questions and requests.
  • Be aware of the activities of the entire group even when dealing with a smaller group; staff position themselves strategically and look up often from involvement.
  • Spend time observing each child without interrupting an actively involved child.

 

• Encourage children of all ages to use language and include child in conversations; describe actions, experiences, and respond to children’s comments and suggestions.

• Treat children of all races, religions, family backgrounds, and cultures with equal respect and  consideration and provide children of both sexes with equal opportunities to take part in all activities.

• Set clear, consistent, fair limits for classroom behavior and in the case of older children, help them set their own limits.

• Anticipate and eliminate potential problems, redirecting children to more acceptable behavior or activity and guide children to resolve conflicts and model skills that help children to solve their own problems.

• Intervene quickly when children’s responses to each other become physically aggressive, discuss the inappropriateness of such action, and help children to develop more positive strategies to solve conflicts.

• Encourage children to verbalize feelings and ideas, including both positive and negative emotions.  For example, supply words for very young children to describe feelings; discuss alternative solutions with children 2 years and older.

• Recognize and encourage prosocial behaviors among children, such as cooperation, helping taking turns, talking to solve problems, and concern for others.  Teachers support children’s beginning friendships and provide opportunities for children to learn from each other as well as adults.

 

 

Qualifications:  Must be 18 years of age; currently have an Associate Degree in early childhood education/development, or a four-year degree in child-related field with three months programmatic experience in the group care of children and CDA or early childhood certificate or be enrolled in a community college and/or university level class in a certificate/degree program; or have a degree in a field related to early childhood with six months or more experience in child care.

 

To Apply: Qualified and interested persons may download and complete the Employment Application and submit with a resume and cover letter to the YWCA:  

• Via e-mail
• Via fax to 804-643-0734
• Via mail to:

                  YWCA of Richmond

                  6 North 5th Street

                  Richmond, VA 23219

                  RE:  Employment