Make a lasting impact while helping shape the future of early childhood education. Join a nationally accredited program recognized as one of Massachusetts' top-performing School Readiness organizations, where 96% of children enter kindergarten ready to succeed. As we expand, you'll have the exciting opportunity to open and lead a brand-new classroom, with the freedom to create an engaging learning environment that reflects your vision and teaching style.
Our mission is to help young people overcome poverty, discrimination, educational disadvantage, violence, and other adversity by building essential skills, confidence, and hopefulness that empower them to transform their lives and communities. We bring this mission to life through high-quality early education, innovative music and arts programming, and technology-rich classrooms equipped with modern learning tools that inspire creativity, exploration, and growth.
We're looking for passionate educators who want more than a job—they want the opportunity to make a difference. If you're excited by the chance to innovate, lead, and help children build a strong foundation for lifelong success, we'd love to have you join our team.
Job Description
Job Title: Lead Teacher - Infant-Toddler ( EEC Lead Teacher Certification Required)
- ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE REQUIRED
- EEC LEAD TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIRED
- WORKING TOWARD A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR READY TO ENROLL REQUIRED (NorthStar will provide access to funding for Bachelor's degree).
Starting pay with Associates Degree - $19/hr
Starting pay with Bachelor's Degree - $20/hr
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-exempt
The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the employee so classified.
Reports to: Center Director
Supervises: Teacher, substitutes, interns, and volunteers assigned to their group of children
Summary: Plans and implements a high-quality active learning program for infant/toddler-aged or preschool children.
Responsibilities:
A. Establish and maintain safe, healthy learning environment.
1. Ensures the safety and health of children at all times:
a. Checks child’s well-being upon their arrival.
b. Maintains an accurate children’s attendance list.
c. Implements system in place to keep unauthorized persons from taking children from the program.
d. Maintains appropriate supervision of children at all times.
e. Ensures that the staff/child ratio for the group to which they are assigned meets Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) supervision requirements at all times and notifies the Center Director or their designee regarding the need for additional staff.
f. Provides a safe, hazard-free environment, including reporting conditions of indoor and outdoor facilities, equipment, and material that may be dangerous or unsafe and taking appropriate steps to prevent children from using indoor and outdoor facilities, equipment, and material that may be dangerous and unsafe.
g. Provides learning activities in the daily program that focus on health and safety.
h. Administers first aid and CPR when necessary.
i. Reports known or suspected instances of child abuse and neglect in accordance with agency policy and procedures and state law.
2. Prepares and maintains a stimulating, attractive, clean, orderly, and inviting program environment and keeps equipment sanitary and in good condition.
3. Assists with the food program, including, but not limited to, modeling sound eating patterns on the job.
B. Advance physical and intellectual competence.
1. Provides many time blocks and opportunities for children to choose from a variety of materials, equipment, and activities to learn through exploration and active involvement. Increases the complexity and challenges of the learning environment as children develop understanding and skills. Facilitates child-directed activities by encouragement, suggestions, and the provision of materials and other support they need for these activities. Meets the needs of children who display interests and skills that fall outside the normal developmental range.
2. Plans and implements a coherent curriculum of developmental and learning activities. The curriculum plan is designed to:
(a) Address all areas of development, including emotional, social, physical, linguistic, cognitive, and aesthetic;
(b) Balance active and quiet time, child-initiated and staff-led activities, and indoor and outdoor experiences throughout the program day; and
(c) Respond to children’s interests and ideas as they emerge.
3. Uses area cultural and natural resources as opportunities for active exploration and learning. Plans and implements field trips to natural and cultural sites that may not otherwise be accessible to many of the children in care.
4. Manages daily routines and transitions enthusiastically and creatively and in ways that meaningfully involve children in age- and individually-appropriate ways.
5. Encourages children’s developing language and communication skills by talking with them throughout the program day, speaking clearly and listening to their responses, encouraging them to describe their projects and ideas, and providing opportunities for children to talk with one other. Helps children to acquire the English-language competence, while supporting children’s learning in their home language or dialect.
C. Support social/emotional development and provide positive guidance.
1. Shows respect, consideration, warmth, and affection to the children in their care. Notices and attends promptly and directly to children’s needs, wants, and messages. Plans experiences to alleviate children’s fears and to reduce stress. Helps each child to know, accept, and take pride in themselves and to develop self-control and independence.
2. Helps newly enrolled children adjust to the program by introducing them to the other children in care and adults, acquainting them with the program environment and daily routines, and being sensitive to their individual needs. In this spirit and in accordance with EEC standards, prepares the child for termination from the program in a way that is consistent with their ability to understand.
3. Uses positive child guidance techniques in conformity to EEC standards. Methods shall include modeling and giving attention to appropriate behavior, redirecting children to more acceptable activities, and involving children, where possible, in setting clear, age-appropriate limits. Relates techniques to knowledge of each child’s personality and developmental level.
4. Acknowledges and affirms each child’s home culture and language/dialect as part of the shared culture of the program so that children feel acceptance, pride, and a sense of belonging. Integrates multicultural, non-sexist, and other anti-bias materials into the everyday program environment.
D. Establish positive and productive relationships with families.
1. Shows respect and consideration for each family served by the program, recognizing that each family has certain strengths and attempting to build upon those strengths.
2. Communicates regularly with parents to promote mutual understanding, including, but not limited to:
(a) Explaining how their children are being educated and cared for;
(b) Offering specific ideas for fostering children’s healthy development at home (e.g., child guidance, feeding, toileting);
(c) Informing parents about day-to-day happenings and special events such as field trips that shape their child’s experience;
(d) Informing them about injuries and any observed changes in their child’s health or eating habits;
(e) Meeting with parents to discuss their child’s progress and to address specific problems and concerns.
3. Encourages parent visitation and other involvement in the program.
4. Participates in planning and conducting parent meetings.
E. Ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to participant needs.
1. Observes and records each child’s development and learning and uses children’s progress reports and other individual descriptions as a basis for planning appropriate learning activities to facilitate the growth and development of children in their care.
2. Participates in identifying and addressing the special needs of children:
a. Uses developmental observations to help identify children who may have special needs and to make referrals for additional services.
b. Provides developmental and other information about children to other persons directly related to the child’s education and care, in accordance with EEC confidentiality requirements concerning children’s records.
c. Participates, in conjunction with parents, other appropriate staff, and support service providers, in the development and implementation of program plans for specific children.
d. Addresses the needs of parents of children with special needs.
3. Maintains appropriate, accurate, and current documentation of observations, that generate concern regarding a child’s safety and well-being and of actions taken on behalf of the child.
4. Posts written weekly activity plans in a classroom area easily viewed by parents. Makes available written activity plans to the Center Director on a timely basis.
5. Maintains confidentiality of all information in accordance with agency policies, applicable laws, regulations, and standards.
6. Interprets the program in a friendly, informative, and professional manner to parents, visitors, and new staff. Projects a positive image of the agency and its programs both at their work site and in the community at large.
7. Provides role model of positive adult relationships. Works cooperatively and respectfully with other staff members where the agency’s activities, policies, and plans are concerned:
a. Engages in a team approach to planning and conducting the program.
b. Communicates agency policy and procedural changes and other directives to other staff assigned to the group.
c. Offers positive direction and support to teacher, substitutes, interns, and volunteers with whom they work, while maintaining a basic standard of staff/volunteer performance that accords with agency policies, state standards, and recognized principles regarding the appropriate care and education of children.
d. Uses appropriate channels and designated staff members to constructively address issues and concerns.
e. Attends staff meetings and in-service training sessions.
8. Discloses to their supervisor or the Executive Director any indictment or arrest for off-duty activity that would show up in a criminal records check.
9. Is dependable, complying with agency policy and procedures regarding work attendance.
F. Maintain a commitment to professionalism.
1. Continually evaluates own performance to identify needs for professional growth.
2. Takes advantage of opportunities for professional and personal development to improve competence for the benefit of children and families.
3. Keeps informed about current practices, research, legislation, and other new developments in the field.
Requirements:
1. Minimum education and experience:[1] MA EEC Lead Teacher certificate [2] Associate's or Bachelor's degree. If Associate's degree, must be enrolled or ready to enroll in a Bachelor's degree. NorthStar will provide access to full funding for Bachelor's degree.
2. Licenses and certifications:
· Current certification in first aid and CPR preferred; certification within six months of employment required.
· Satisfactory Criminal Offender Record Inquiry (CORI) results.
· Evidence of compliance with agency and state health requirements.
3. Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
a. Knowledge of:
· Program goals and objectives.
· Program regulations, standards, and reporting requirements.
· Developmentally-appropriate practice.
· Positive child guidance procedures and practices.
· Cultural competency.
b. Skill in:
· Verbal communication, including, but not limited to:
· Providing information about child development to families, discussing a child’s progress, problems, and accomplishments with their families and others who have educational responsibility for the child, and interpreting the agency’s philosophy, goals, and programs to families and other visitors. Fluency in a second language a plus.
· Understanding and carrying out verbal instructions.
· Written communication, including, but not limited to:
· Preparing children’s progress reports, recording observations about children, writing notes to families, and completing forms. Literacy in a second language a plus.
· Understanding and carrying out written instructions.
c. Ability to:
· Respond sensitively to children, families, staff, and other persons of diverse experiential, educational, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.
· Supervise, mentor, and support other regular staff, substitutes, interns, and volunteers. Completion of a college-level supervision, administration, and/or leadership course strongly preferred.
· Promote a cooperative work environment.
· Exercise good judgment in unexpected or emergency situations.
4. Working conditions and physical effort:
a. Work requires frequent exercise of moderate physical effort, including, but not limited to:
· Stoop, squat, sit (including sitting on the floor and on child-sized furniture), or otherwise, closely interact with children. Bend, reach, stretch, and participate in play and other activities, both inside and outside.
· Accompany and quickly access all areas where children may be located, including classrooms, bathrooms, steps or stairways, entrances, buses, outside play areas, or field trip locations.
· Walk at a moderate pace on a variety of surfaces in the context of taking children on neighborhood walks, field trips, and other activities.
· Lift children, equipment, and supplies weighing up to 75 pounds.
b. Physical ability to safely conduct an active learning program for children, including, but not limited to:
· Hear and see at a distance required for outdoor supervision of children and to maintain safety.
· Move quickly to supervise and assist children.
· React quickly to prevent injury or harm to a child or, on an infrequent basis, to safeguard children during an emergency, including threat of fire, disaster, or imminent danger. Emergency response may require running, lifting, and/or carrying children.
· Wash hands frequently.
c. Be absent from work no more often than the typical adult in order to provide continuity of staff relationships with children.
d. Ability to occasionally work outside of normal program operations (e.g., attend staff meetings and training).
[1] State-established minimum education and experience requirements shall supersede agency requirements.
Must meet the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) teacher certification requirements.
Must have reliable transportation.
Benefit Conditions:
This Job Is:
- A job for which military experienced candidates are encouraged to apply
- A job for which all ages, including older job seekers, are encouraged to apply
Work Remotely
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $17.50 - $20.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
License/Certification:
- EEC Certification (Required)
Work Location: In person
