Overview
Join our dedicated early childhood education team as a GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program) Associate Teacher in a full-time role designed to inspire and nurture young learners. In this position, you will play a vital part in creating a positive, engaging classroom environment that promotes early childhood development and prepares children for future academic success. Your energy and passion for working with children will help foster their social, emotional, and cognitive growth through innovative lesson planning and personalized support.
Duties
- Help to provide a nurturing classroom atmosphere that encourages curiosity, exploration, and learning among preschool-aged children.
- Assist with managing daily classroom activities to ensure a safe, organized, and engaging environment conducive to learning and growth.
- Collaborate with colleagues, families, and specialists to support children with diverse needs, including those with autism or disabilities.
- Utilize effective classroom management strategies to promote positive behavior and support individual learning styles.
- Document student progress through observations and assessments; communicate regularly with parents about developmental milestones.
- Maintain compliance with licensing regulations, health and safety standards, and program policies.
- Assist in the ongoing program evaluation using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
- Aid in creating meaningful program quality improvement goals and objectives.
- Support in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the classroom program and child screening(s) & assessment(s).
- Provide instruction and overall care for a specific group of children.
- Collaborate with the teaching staff to create meaningful child development goals.
- Help in the daily operation of the program including certain clerical and record keeping duties.
- Assist in the development and implementation of interesting, stimulating, and challenging indoor and outdoor daily activities.
- Establish positive relationships with parents, staff and the community.
- Attend (with lead teacher) (2) home visits and (2) parent/teacher conferences(when applicable) annually for every child and family.
- Participate in YMCA and Licensing guidelines for annual professional development and trainings and attend staff meetings as required.
- Follow and implement the policies and procedures of the Great Start Readiness Program grant, MDHHS and State Licensing guidelines.
- Work with additional YMCA staff (i.e. Early Childhood Director, CEO) to ensure policies and procedures are being followed.
- Assure that children’s/family records remain confidential.
- Ensure and carry out daily/weekly housekeeping chores and maintain a safe, clean, and appropriate physical environment, ensuring the safety of all children at all times and compliance with all State of Michigan Licensing requirements.
- Interact with the children and families in a way which conveys respect and nurturing.
- Support the social and emotional development of children.
- It will be the associate teacher’s responsibility to play with children; this will often mean getting down on the floor to interact with them.
- Demonstrate behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible.
- Know appropriate emergency and safety procedures and complete incident and accident reports as necessary.
- Be familiar with procedures of reporting suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services.
- Perform other duties as assigned to support all aspects of the program and of the Dow Bay Area Family YMCA in the spirit of teamwork.
Experience
- Minimum: Associate’s degree in Early Childhood, Preschool Education, or Child Development OR a Valid Preschool Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) or a valid Birth-5 CDA credential.
- Experience working with preschool children.
- Experience working with people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.
- Displays strong problem-solving skills as well as time management skills.
- Experience using Creative Curriculum and TS Gold is preferred.
- Knowledge/Implementation of Conscious Discipline preferred.
- Must qualify under State of Michigan licensing to work in a childcare setting including obtaining 16-24 hours of training each licensing year.
- Comprehensive Fingerprinting is required.
- CPR and First Aid Certifications or ability to obtain them within 30 days of hire required.
- Prior experience working in early childhood education settings such as daycare, preschool, or private schools is highly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of childhood development principles, including behavior management techniques suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Experience in lesson planning with an emphasis on literacy education, math concepts, and curriculum development tailored to young learners.
- Familiarity with working with children who have special needs or require additional behavioral or developmental support.
- Classroom management skills that foster a positive learning environment while ensuring safety and engagement.
- Excellent communication skills for collaborating effectively with families, colleagues, and community partners.
Pay: From $16.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
