Head Teacher

Direct Reports:

None

USC’s School for Early Childhood Education is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education services to children and their families in the South Los Angeles area. Founded in 1970 as a teaching school for future early-childhood professionals, the USC School for Early Childhood Education (USC SECE) seeks to promote school readiness, health/nutrition, mental wellness, and family engagement. Today, our licensed Head Start and Early Head Start centers serve more than 500 infants and pre-school children and their parents each year. We are seeking enthusiastic, creative, dynamic, and team-oriented individuals who enjoy working with children while fostering a supportive learning environment.

Job Overview:

The Head Teacher is responsible for initiating, planning, and implementing education programs within the classroom following the policies, procedures, and philosophy of Head Start Federal and State regulations.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Provide relationship-based care in daily routines such as mealtime, toileting, hand washing, and napping for preschool-age children.

• Plan and implement a developmentally appropriate curriculum.

• Collaborate with the team on developing and implementing daily lesson plans.

• Conduct assessments, develop individual development plans, and record ongoing observations of children in assigned groups. 

• Prepare and conduct parent-teacher conferences and home visits for each child in the assigned classroom environment/setting according to the schedule of requirements. 

• Utilize classroom materials and routines to promote an environment conducive to appropriate levels of development, interests, and specific needs of the children. 

• Maintain effective and professional relationships with enrolled families.

• Maintain a safe and healthy classroom environment following Head Start Program Performance Standards, Title 5, and Title 22 Regulations.

• Attend regular staff meetings as scheduled by the Site Supervisor and Administration.

• Awareness of safe lifting techniques for lifting children, supplies, and furnishings and commitment to using preventive health measures in the classroom to prevent the spread of disease.

• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Site Supervisor, Associate Director, Assistant Director, and Administration.

 Qualifications/Skills:

• Ability to create and implement daily curriculum plans.

• Ability to work well harmoniously in a multi-cultural team.

• Ability to promote a feeling of security and trust in infants and toddlers, and preschool age children by being warm, supportive, and comforting.

• A caring, compassionate approach to working with children and families as well as maintaining an open, friendly, and cooperative relationship with each child’s family.

• Awareness of safe lifting techniques for lifting children, supplies and furnishings and commitment to using preventive health measures in the classroom to prevent the spread of disease.

• In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion, well-being, open communication and accountability.

Educational Requirements

• Teacher Permit or permit eligible (24 ECE units, including 9 units Core Courses (Child Growth and Development, Child, Family and Community, and Curriculum).

• AA Degree in Child Development or related field preferred, or higher.

• BA preferred; six units in Infant/Toddler Care (or six units in progress) preferred for Early Head Start.

• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Certification or obtain within the first year.

Physical Requirements

Must be able climb stairs, reach, bend, lift 20-30 pounds, crawl, kneel, stoop, twist, grasp with hands and fingers materials, use arms and legs, able to walk, climb ladders if applicable.

Pre-Employment Requirements

• Licensing 503 Health Screening w/ TB clearance.

• TB clearance or Chest X-ray clearance) should have been administered within a year.  

• Background/fingerprint clearance.

• MMR and Tdap vaccinations.

• CPR/First Aid.

• Influenza vaccine should have been administered within 8 months, or you may sign the Influenza waiver.  

The hourly rate range for this position is $21.53 - $25.62 per hour base. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.