5 Day Teacher for 3-5 Year Olds in Half-Day Program

Family Preschool is seeking qualified applicants for the position of 5 Day Teacher for the 2025-26 school year, beginning 9/2/2025, with teacher work days beginning Monday, 8/18/2025. The hours on site each day are from 8:30-12:30/1:30 (varies depending on the day). The Teacher must be comfortable planning and leading play-based activities appropriate for children ages 3-5, coordinating with 3 other teachers on a daily basis, communicating with families, and being fully supportive of our family-centered community. Qualified candidates will be able to plan and implement activities to ensure a cohesive environment aligned to Family Preschool’s goals, as well work with families and teachers to support individual and group needs and social/emotional growth.

About Family Preschool: Family Preschool is a cooperative, play-based preschool that has served the Triangle community for over 50 years. With our co-op model, parents experience their child’s early years of development through direct engagement in the classroom, and we help parents by connecting them with a community of local parents, while supporting and guiding them through the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Our experienced teachers provide a nurturing environment for preschool-aged children to learn, play, and develop socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually through safe, interesting and challenging play in a half-day setting. Our classes spend about half of their morning at school outside, and the other half of the morning inside their classrooms doing activities including morning gathering, snack, story, and center time. Free play and imaginative play, and investigation are all important aspects of our program, and the Project Approach is used to encourage investigation skills in our program. We rely on the Conscious Discipline model to work through conflict and challenges, using techniques such as mindfulness and ways to regulate our nervous systems, check in with others when conflict arises, and stay aware of our emotional state.

5 Day Teacher Summary: The 4 and 5 Day Teachers work together to develop a preschool program conducted in accordance with recognized professional standards and compatible with the philosophy of Family Preschool. They provide care and engagement for FPS students ages 3-5 between 9am-12:00pm each day, Monday through Friday. These teachers also supervise students during Lunch Bunch on Monday through Thursday until 12:50. Teachers are expected to arrive by 8:30am and stay until 1:30pm to set up, clean up, and collaborate with parents, staff, and board members as needed. Additional hours are expected, and include time for tasks such as parent conferences, time to collaborate with the 4 and 5 Day Teachers, and staff meetings. Time for these activities is included in the hours provided. They provide information and updates to the director and parents about students’ activities and behaviors as needed. Through all of their work, they have uppermost in mind the physical and emotional well-being of the children enrolled at Family Preschool.

Teacher Key Responsibilities:

Classroom and School Time--

• Provide for appropriate supervision for children during school hours of 9am-12pm, and be present on site for school hours in addition to set-up and clean-up duties from 8:30am-12:30pm. On Lunch Bunch days, supervision hours extend to 12:50pm with clean-up duties on site lasting until 1:30pm.

• Plan, set up, implement, and facilitate hands-on, play-based, project-based activities for children to use and explore during school hours. Activities will support children’s development in the areas of cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social, emotional, and language/communication.

• Manage classroom activities including outdoor and indoor play, gatherings, snack, center time, and any other activities throughout the morning. Help children successfully transition between activities and develop routines. Adapt teaching methods and materials to meet the interests, learning styles, and needs of individual children.

• Use techniques aligned with Conscious Discipline in helping children regulate their emotions and navigate conflict and feelings.

• Use methodology and materials from the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum to address early literacy skills and concepts as part of kindergarten readiness for 5 Day students.

• Adhere to health/safety and sanitation procedures, and help children with toileting and hygiene as needed.

• Collaborate in the classroom with other staff, parents, and outside professionals and specialists as needed. Family and Co-op Engagement

• Provide guidance and support for parent volunteers, encouraging them to interact with children in ways aligned with Family Preschool’s philosophy and methodology.

• Follow and assess the children’s development, and provide consultation for the parents in conferences held twice per year, as well as day to day informal correspondence about children’s development as appropriate.

• Prior to the start of the school year, make home visits to the children.

• Participate in feedback and evaluations for personal, team, and preschool development.

Planning, Preparation, and Curriculum--

• Work together with other Teachers and Director to develop and implement a program compatible with the philosophy of Family Preschool.

• Attend monthly staff meetings; attend other meetings of the preschool concerning the educational program; attend Orientation and Open House, attend Board meetings if desired.

• Meet for two weeks before the opening of school to set up the school space, work on program planning, attend staff meetings, and complete other tasks as needed.

• Clean up and help close the classrooms for the summer.

• Meet with other 4 and 5 Day Teachers weekly to plan project work and program activities for the following week.

Professional Development--

• Attend conferences and meetings relevant to preschool education in order to accumulate at least 9 hours of professional development per year. Some funds for this purpose are available from the school’s budget.

• Maintain certifications in CPR and First Aid

• Complete a required course (2 hours) for crisis management

Compensation and Benefits:

• $20-22 per hour, depending on experience, paid monthly from September to June.

• $100 annual health benefit

• Higher education bonus of $100-400, depending on level of education

• 1 week paid vacation

• 9 days PTO

Qualifications:

Required--

• Prior experience in Early Childhood Education or a related field.

• Prior experience planning and leading activities with children ages 3-5.

• At minimum, a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education.

• Strong knowledge of early childhood education principles and best practices.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Ability to meet physical demands of the job, including spending lots of time standing, sitting on the floor, and lifting/carrying objects such as large toys and children up to 55 lbs.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with other teachers, parents, board members, and Director.

Preferred--

• Excitement for outdoor learning.

• Knowledge and experience implementing project-based learning.

• Knowledge and experience teaching kindergarten readiness skills, including academic skills like literacy, handwriting, and math skills, as well as social/emotional skills.

• Prior experience working with children with additional needs and learning differences.

FPS is an equal opportunity employer. We don’t discriminate based on any protected class including race, nationality, religion, creed, skin color, sexuality, sex, gender, relationship status, and we make a strong point to look at all qualified candidates, even ones who have had or currently have large gaps in their resumes. We want the right fit, and that means we look at ALL qualified applicants. The best candidate fits the needs of FPS more than meeting 100% of the listed qualifications.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $20.00 - $22.00 per hour

Expected hours: 23 per week

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Ability to Commute:

• Durham, NC 27707 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Durham, NC 27707: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20 - $22