Lead Teacher - Early Head Start

POSITION SUMMARY: This position supports the work of the Y, a leading nonprofit, charitable organization committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
The Lead Teacher at the YMCA of Muncie maintains a supportive, positive atmosphere that welcomes and respects all individuals.
The Lead Teacher instructs children in developmentally appropriate activities designated to promote social, emotional, physical, intellectual and creative growth in the Mitchell Early Childhood and Family Center environment.
OUR CULTURE: Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture.
In the Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day.
We are welcoming: we are open to all.
We are a place where you can belong and become.
We are genuine: we value you and embrace your individuality.
We are hopeful: we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world.
We are nurturing: we support you in your journey to develop your full potential.
We are determined: above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger beginning with you.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Provides excellent service to members, guests, and program participants in the Y, contributing to member retention.
Be courteous and use individual names when speaking to members.
Maintains cleanliness and organization of the environment.
Develops and maintains positive relationships with volunteers and members and helps members connect with one another and the Y.
Serves others by intentionally welcoming, connecting, and supporting members, and inviting them to get involved and give back to the community.
Handles and resolves concerns and informs supervisor of unusual situations or unresolved issues.
Applies all YMCA policies dealing with member services.
Creates emergent curriculum and provocations in a multi-age classroom based on the Reggio Emilia Approach, focusing on the children’s needs and interest, aligning projected outcomes with the Indiana Learning Foundations.
Arrange and maintain a Reggio inspired learning environment that fosters creative exploration, demonstrates respect for the child’s work, while encouraging communication and relationships.
Maintain all required documentation (children’s assessments, licensing requirements, accreditation, and Paths to Quality requirements).
Implements and adheres to health and safety and all other quality standards set forth by partnering/regulatory agencies (CACFP, NAEYC, PTQ, CCDF, licensing, YMCA, etc…).
Partners with families; through engaging them in the program and connecting families to each other.
Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or management staff.
Supports Annual Campaign and other fund-raising activities.
Upholds guidelines as outlines in the Employee Handbook of the Association.
Attends designated trainings and staff meetings.
Follows the required Federal Performance Standards of National Head Start Collaborates with team from local Head Start Attends and maintains required trainings of local Head Start Completes bi-annual home visits with all families enrolled in the EHS classroom Completes all reporting and data collection required by local Head Start LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY MODEL: OUR DISCIPLINES & COMPETENCIES ADVANCING OUR MISSION AND CAUSE provides visionary leadership to the organization and to ensure that all resources are mobilized to adapt to new challenges and needs in the community Change Leadership: Facilitates, co-creates, and implements equitable change for the good of the organization and/or community Engaging Community: Builds bridges with others in the community to ensure the Y’s work is community-focused and welcoming of all, providing community benefit Philanthropy: Secures resources and support to advance the Y’s work Volunteerism: Engages volunteers and promotes social responsibility at all levels of the organization BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS connect people to the Y’s cause, by developing inclusive relationships, partnerships and collaborations so that YMCA can co-create solutions to pressing social needs Collaboration: Creates sustainable relationships within the Y and with other organizations in service to the community Communication & Influence: Listens and expresses self effectively and in a way that engages, inspires, and builds commitment to the Y’s cause Inclusion: Values all people for their unique talents, and takes an active role in promoting practices that support diversity, inclusion, and global work, as well as cultural competence LEADING OPERATIONS ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the organization so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to the community Critical Thinking & Decision Making: Makes informed decisions based on logic, data, and sound judgment Fiscal Management: Manages the Y’s resources responsibly and sustains the Y’s nonprofit business model Functional Expertise: Executes superior technical skills for the role Innovation: Creates and implements new and relevant approaches and activities that improve and expand the Y’s work and impact in the community Program/Project Management: Ensures program or project goals are met and intended impact occurs DEVELOPING & INSPIRING PEOPLE support the holistic development of self and others so that everyone can embrace the Y’s cause, sustain the Y’s culture, and inspire others to take individual and collective action to further our impact Developing Self & Others: Develops self and supports others (e.
g.
, staff, volunteers, members, program participants), both formally and informally, to achieve their highest potential Emotional Maturity: Demonstrates ability to understand and manage emotions effectively in all situations QUALIFICATIONS: AS in ECE (equivalent or higher) required.
Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood/Child Development preferred.
Adult and Infant CPR/AED and First Aid Certifications required.
Must be kept current.
Child Abuse Prevention Training, I-Lead Mandatory Modules, Blood Borne Pathogens and Communicable Disease, Safe Sleep required.
Must be kept current.
Additional 20 hours of professional development is required yearly.
Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
One to three years of previous experience in working with children in a licensed and/or NAEYC accredited center required.
Experience in supervising others preferred.
Must hold a valid driver’s license, insurable driver’s record according to the YMCA insurance carriers and have reliable transportation to travel for business meeting, training events, YMCA site visits, vendors, and suppliers, Computer skills needed, particularly with Microsoft Office and email applications, along with the ability to learn the internal YMCA software.
WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The employee frequently is required to sit, stand, and walk for long periods of time, to talk and hear, to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, to climb or balance, to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, occasional bending, reaching and squatting.
The incumbent is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth vision and the ability to adjust focus.
The employee is required to frequently hear and talk, in person, on the phone, and through electronic devices.
Must be able to spend time indoors and outdoors.
Must have passed a physical examination conducted within the past 12 months prior to beginning work.