Lead Teacher Job Description
Lead Teacher
Located in the Coast neighborhood of Cambridge, between/ Central Square and Memorial Drive, the Cambridge Community Center has been serving the community for 97 years. Today our mission is to promote community cooperation and unity and empower youth, individuals, and families. We do this by offering social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities.
Our youth programs run 50 weeks of the year and have a focus on supporting the social-emotional growth and development of the children we serve. We place a great deal of emphasis on family engagement in order to best serve our youth.
We are seeking an individual with strong relationship building skills who is self-motivated and enthusiastic about youth work to serve as a Lead Teacher in our After School Program. The ideal candidate has an understanding of social-emotional development and appreciation of diverse backgrounds and various developmental needs of children. This person should also demonstrate a high level of empathy in their interactions with others, as well as a commitment to equity* in their personal and professional lives.
CCC has adopted the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition's definition of equity, which reads: "We define equity as recognizing that as a result of root causes that are historical, environmental, systemic, cultural, and political, everyone does not start at the same place – so some people will need different resources or supports to achieve the same outcome. We have a collective responsibility to work to eliminate disparities and create greater racial and economic equality."
Reports To: Director of Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs; Director of Youth and Family Services
Pay: Starting Pay TBD Commensurate with experience
Benefits (After 90 days, at least 20 hours/week): Health, vision, and dental insurance; retirement plan; paid sick time; reduced tuition for children’s programming
Regular Hours: Part Time, 1:00PM – 6:00PM, Monday – Friday; plus one additional hour for staff meetings every other week. Early Release Days Lead Teacher Arrivals 11:00AM.
Vacation Hours/ Full Days: 8:00AM-5:00PM, Monday– Friday; ( December, February, and April)
Additional Hours:
- All Lead Teachers are required to complete 25 hours of professional development per year as assigned by the Director of OST Programs
- Lead Teachers are expected to work full-days during all school vacations and most holidays
- At times, Lead Teachers will be required to perform additional duties related to the program and the administration of the Center
Specific Duties:
Planning Time
- Plan and lead a classroom, gym, or computer lab activity every day that supports the social-emotional development of the children we serve
- Work as a team with specialists, interns, and volunteers to coordinate activities
- Gather all materials during planning time so that activities can start on time
- Include children's interests in the planning process
- Work with other Lead Teachers to plan, share ideas, resources, etc. (Connect with Art Teacher)
- Manage classroom space: post schedules, display children's work, organize games,
- Weekly parent newsletter notices and phone calls (First Week Introduction)
- Perform written injury/ incident reports of each child when necessary
- Gather materials, etc.
Youth Work
- Have fun with the kids!
- Keep children physically and emotionally safe while encouraging them to participate
- Build strong relationships with the children that you work with
- Lead daily enrichment activities that support the social-emotional development of the children we serve
- Maintain accurate classroom attendance at all times
- Serve breakfast, lunch and snack to children every day according to USDA guidelines
Family Engagement
- Build strong relationships with parents of children you directly work with
- At CCC, we don’t just enroll children, we enroll families
- Attend parent meetings virtually if possible
- Organize parent meetings at the beginning of the year.
- Make bi-weekly phone calls to update parents of the children you directly work with
- Promptly communicate with parents regarding any injury/incident reports
- Be sympathetic and responsive to any concerns that a parent raise
Professional Development
- Participate in staff meetings every other week for one hour
- 1:1 Check-in with Director of Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs once a week
- Participate in the QIS process, including classroom observations, surveys action planning, implementing action plans, and attending monthly CoP meetings
- Attend 25 hours of professional development per year as assigned by the Director of OST Programs
COVID Protocols:
- All Lead Teachers are encouraged to wear a mask
- Wipe down tables and chairs
- Practice Assigned seating every day
- Identify activities that can be done under EEC guidelines
- Each Child must have own supply kit
- Practice hand hygiene consistently
- Children must be encouraged to wear face masks during the program day
- Air Purifiers must be on
Regulated Qualifications:
Lead Teachers must be at least 18 years of age and meet ALL of the following requirements:
Highschool Diploma
Have at least 6 months of half-time experience with school-age children.
Employment is dependent on completing a background and fingerprint check. Cambridge Community Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).
Preferences:
- CPR/First Aid Certified (we will provide training for new staff members who are not currently certified)
- Preference will be given to candidates who can commit to the position for the duration of a school-year
- Preference will be given to candidates who have experience working with under-resourced children and families and a demonstrated ability to design and lead age-appropriate activities with an emphasis on social-emotional development
How to Apply:
Send an up-to-date resume and a cover letter that explains why YOU are the right person for THIS job to [email protected].
Pay: $20.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
