Position Summary

Provide Leadership and supervision of a Child Care Program, i.e. Pre-School and Kindergarten. Develop and teach a high quality, well-rounded, age appropriate curriculum; while providing care, guidance and developmental experiences in accordance with YMCA guidelines and State Licensing requirements.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Include the following. Other duties may be assigned Develop and teach a well-rounded curriculum in accordance with YMCA guidelines and State Licensing requirements with assistance of other staff members.
• Supervise and evaluate staff regularly; reviewing staff effectiveness and individual performance and recommending any annual wage increase to the Child Care Director.
• Work directly with the Child Care Director in the implementation of the program and its policies.
• Make appropriate referrals of suspected instances of child abuse or need for special education.
• Gear the program to the needs of individual children with concerns for their interest, handicaps; special talent, diversity and individual style and pace of learning.
• Keep abreast of the trends and needs in child care and plan for ways to meet those needs.
• Treat children with dignity and respect.
• Help children to become aware of their roles as integral members of a group.
• Provide supervision and demonstrate the ability to set and maintain limits for children using positive reinforcement.
• Conduct parent/teacher conferences on children’s school adjustment and classroom behavior.
• Develop a plan for parental involvement in the program
• Responsible for maintenance of equipment, supplies and snack inventory. Report needs to Child Care Director.
• Be responsible for the ordered arrangement, appearance, décor and learning environment of the classroom.
• Responsible for maintaining the necessary records involving attendance and sign-in and sign-out sheets.
• When releasing child(ren), ensure that the proper release procedures are followed and appropriate identification is shown.
• Maintain good public relations with parent. Understand that you represent the YMCA and maintain a positive disposition, demeanor and attire. Attempt to answer parent concerns or make appropriate referrals to your supervisor.
• Work in harmony and cooperation with the staff, volunteers and members of the YMCA.
• To ensure the health and safety of all the children, i.e. caution regarding unsafe practices and conditions and perform rescue/first aid when necessary. Report accidents and injuries and complete incident reports.
• Responsible for attending staff meetings/events.
• Demonstrate and teach the character development values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
• Participate in recommended training programs, conferences, courses and other aspect of professional growth.
• Supervisory Responsibilities Directly supervise 1-4 employees in the Child Care Department.
• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the YMCA Guidelines and State Licensing requirements.

Qualifications

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
• The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability requires. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Education and/or Experience R.I. Certificate in Early Childhood Education; or Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development from an accredited or approved institution or higher education; and have minimum of three months supervised teaching experience; or Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited or approved institution of higher education and have met the course work and experience requirements defined in the Rhode Island Early Childhood certification standards.
• Certifications / Training: Within first two months of employment: CPR/ First Aid Certification Listen First Child Abuse Prevention
• Obtain a chauffeur’s license or MA 7D certificate Meet RI DCYF or MA OCCS requirements
• Participating in ongoing education in early childhood development
• Must complete a minimum of 20 hours of training per year, i.e. attendance at Early Childhood Conference, Child Care Symposium and Y’s Way to Child Care program offerings.