Early Childhood Teaching Team Lead

Department: Bright Beginnings
Reports to: Pre-K Coordinator or Infant/Toddler Coordinator
Employment Type: In-Person, Full-Time, Hourly, Non-Exempt

About Our House

Our House empowers homeless and near-homeless families and individuals to succeed in the workforce, in school, and in life through hard work, wise decision-making, and active participation in the community. The Our House team has defined a set of seven Guiding Principles that characterize our culture and that we intentionally seek to uphold: Hard Work, Wise Decision-Making, Community, Initiative, Integrity, Safety, and Heart.

About the Role

You will be responsible for providing a safe and developmentally appropriate infant-Pre-K early childhood development program in accordance with Arkansas’ Minimum Licensing Standards for Child Care Centers as well as ensuring the success of Bright Beginnings’ Arkansas Better Chance Program through collaboration with the rest of the Bright Beginnings team. You will work with the staff of the Housing Team, Career Center, Case Managers, and Mental Health Team on shared goals related to parenting skills and parenting education. 

What You’ll Do

• Plan and implement daily and weekly lesson plans using the Experience curriculum to meet the physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs of the children in the program
• Collaborate with the Early Childhood Education Manager to plan and implement the daily and weekly integration of the supplemental literacy and mathematics curriculum
• Collaborate with the Bright Beginnings Manager and the Mental Health Team to plan and implement the daily and weekly integration of the Conscious Discipline social-emotional program, including the Feeling Buddies Curriculum and the Baby Doll Circle Time Curriculum
• Provide lesson plans and various enrichment experiences that reflect and cite the Arkansas Child Development Early Learning Standards (AR CDELs), Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Work Sampling System, and any other assessments we will utilize to best serve our clients
• Document daily needs, observations, academic performance, and developmental milestones through developmental checklists and Work Sampling System
• Implement developmentally appropriate programming while providing individualized instruction to meet the needs of each child and collaborate with our special services partners, Mental Health team, and our Behavior Support Specialist to best ensure this is happening
• Maintain an enriching learning environment through intentional use of materials in learning centers
• Track quarterly literacy, numeracy, and social emotional growth of each student
• Ensure all licensing, Arkansas Better Chance, ECERS, and AmeriCorps standards and requirements are met and formulate ongoing quality improvement plans and ensure that best practices are being used by everyone in the classroom
• Ensure children are supervised at all times and equipment and the facility are clean, well maintained, organized, and safe at all times
• Implement Conscious Discipline as the classroom culture by building children’s self-esteem, being alert and responsive to children, establishing routines and providing positive behavior guidance, and implementing positive discipline practices
• Demonstrate competence in daily classroom management and clearly and effectively communicate in a manner that children understand
• Integrate children with special needs in a positive and respectful manner and help clients to enroll in LRSD Special Services when necessary
• Discuss children’s development with parents on a daily basis through multiple means of communication such as formal and informal conferencing, text, call, and email and discuss identified problems and needs with professionals as appropriate
• Participate in and promote Bright Beginnings and Our House activities
• Coordinate with the Behavior Support Specialist to best integrate National Service Members into the classroom environments and facilitate relationships to ensure that they are able to fully carry out lessons and activities that they have prepared 
• Facilitate collaboration between the classrooms and with other team members to ensure smooth transitions, consistency in program practices, high quality curriculum and lesson planning, and effective communication across different age groups and program areas
• Work with the Bright Beginnings and Our Club teams to annually create a Kindergarten Transition Plan for Pre-K 4 students
• Conduct other duties as assigned to fulfill Our House’s mission

What You’ll Bring

• At least 3 years of experience work and/or teaching in early childhood 
• At least 1 year of supervisory experience
• Ability to work effectively with diverse staff, parents, and community members
• Experience with conflict resolution and/or crisis management
• Experience with trauma-informed care
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to curriculum planning
• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed

Requirements

• One of these is preferred: Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor's Degree in a related field, or CDA
• Must be able to pass criminal background checks, child and adult maltreatment registry checks, sex offender registry checks, and a pre-employment drug screen
• Complete a minimum of 30 clock hours of specific required professional development each year
• Must be able to lift 30lbs

Benefits & Perks

• Insurance benefits are available on the first day of the month following start date:
  • 95% employer-paid premiums for employee health insurance
  • Optional employee-paid dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401(k) match up to 4% after one year of employment
• 10 days of annual leave and 10 holidays per year including a birthday holiday
• 15 days additional leave for requirements of life
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Eligible for tuition discount at UA Little Rock

Our House is a drug-free workplace. 

Our House is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. People of color and members of the LGBTQ community are encouraged to apply.