Preschool Lead Teacher/Site Director

Metropolitan Family Services empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive. Part mentor, part motivator, part advocate, since 1857, Metropolitan Family Services has been the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities. Metropolitan is Illinois’ first comprehensive human services agency and reaches more than 122,900 individuals and families in Chicago, Evanston/Skokie, the southwest suburbs and DuPage County with services promoting education, economic stability, emotional wellness and empowerment.

We are currently searching for a full-time Preschool Lead Teacher to join our DuPage Team in our Preschool for All program in Wheaton!

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:  

• Responsible for supporting a team approach to planning and implementing program activities.
• Collaborates with Family Support Workers, Teacher’s, Program Aide, site partners, and site supervisor for the betterment of the classroom and families.
• Participates in ongoing CLASS implementation and monitoring.
• Guide and facilitate activities of the children and ensures appropriate child guidance and discipline and proper ratios are maintained at all times.
• Attend all mandated trainings.
• Set and achieve professional development goals. All professional development to be tracked in Gateways.
• Share resources with other staff members as appropriate. 
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to maintain ongoing, high quality documentation of school readiness skills and maintain interrater reliability.
• Use Teaching Strategies Gold to communication with families through monthly newsletters and family conference forms.
• Responsible for the implementation of the program’s Planned Language Approach which is specifically designed to support dual language learners.
• Schedule and conduct education home visits with teaching staff to discuss individual development and progress, assist parents in developing educational goals for their child.
• Maintain accurate teacher and child files.
• Ensure all transportation safety procedures are followed including utilization of the bus attendance log if applicable
• Ensure accurate completion CACFP documents in conjunction with the teaching staff.
• Builds and ensures positive and on-going relationships with parents, volunteers, and other staff members.
• Works with site supervisor and family support worker to exchange information pertinent to the identification and services of children with disabilities.
• Conducts and/or oversees screening of all children within prescribed time frames using the developmental, social emotional and other prescribed screenings tools.
• Ensures the curriculum is used to fidelity and that submission of weekly lesson plans including individualization for all children, including: monitoring and facilitating accommodations listed in IEPs and IFSPs.
• Provides a supportive, caring and safe environment for children.
• Use the playground as an extension of the classroom; assures that the playground is safe.
• Provides active supervision to ensure the safety of children while in the classroom, during transitions, at time of transportation, and while on the playground. Ensures that no child shall be left alone or unsupervised.
• Ensures the usage of agency technology equipment and time are utilized for agency business.
• Ensures compliance with the agency’s code of conduct.
• Ensures agency’s fiscal integrity by adhering to purchase approval requirements and procedures.
• Assists in the development of the agency’s annual program self-assessment.
• Ensures all content area data is accurately reflected in the agency’s Program Information Reports within set time frames.
• Participate in program recruitment efforts to maintain full enrollment.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Education from an accredited college or university required. 
• OR Bachelor's Degree in related field with 21 hours in ECE, Gateways Level 5, and working on obtainment of ECE PEL. 
• Special Education Approval or Endorsement preferred.
• Experience in planning and implementing learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children, including improving the readiness of children for school by developing their literacy, phonemic, and print awareness, their understanding and use of increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of books, their understanding of early math and early science, their problem-solving abilities, and their approaches to learning.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining a safe, healthy learning environment.
• Experience in supporting the social and emotional development of children.
• Experience in encouraging the involvement of the families of the children in an early childhood program and supporting the development of relationships between children and their families.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel and crouch.
• The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing and viewing a computer terminal.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds

SALARY:

• Compensation is commensurate with years of related experience, position requirements, and candidate qualifications. The average salary range for the position is $50,000-$55,000.

Metropolitan Family Services offers a very generous benefits packet to our professionals:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of IL Medical Coverage options that support all levels of staff (including Part-Time): HMO, PPO, and HSA (PPO)
• ZERO: A free benefit for BCBS PPO members that helps find the least expensive option for medical
• MFS will contribute $2,000 to individual and $4,000 to family HSA Accounts through our HSA coverage, all front-loaded at the start of the year, or the start of your HSA enrollment.
• Teladoc services provided to all employees: A no-cost benefit providing general medicine and behavioral health services, no insurance
• Dental HMO and PPO options through Guardian
• VSP vision insurance with one of the largest networks in the Chicago-land
• Company-paid individual life insurance policy of $100,000, with a wide range of additional, employee-cost
• Company-paid individual Short Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
• Five Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options ranging from Health to Contribute your pre-tax dollars where you need them the most.
• Ascensus 401K Plan with up to a 4% Match, vested at 100% on day one of
• 12 paid
• Starting with 15 days of PTO, maxing at 30 days after 3 years of service.
• Training and Professional Development Plan with E-
• Pet Insurance options for your furry (or non-furry) friends.
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Free Will preparation services.
• On-staff notary available to
• ALEX, AI-powered assistance that will make your benefit decisions

Salary : $50,000 - $55,000