Are you passionate about early childhood education and nurturing young minds? Do you have a knack for leadership and a love for guiding children through their formative years? If so, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) invites you to join our team as a full-time Head Preschool Teacher located in our state-of-the-art Sweatt-Winter Childcare & Education Center.

The center serves members of the University campus and the greater Farmington-area community and is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We take a comprehensive approach to creating an environment that nurtures children’s holistic development, transforming the future of childcare and preparing students for their careers in education. The center is a vibrant mix of children, teachers, university students, and UMF early childhood faculty who work directly with the staff and students daily. The center sets itself apart from other childcare centers by having highly qualified and passionate teachers and staff who create an engaging and stimulating learning environment for all children. Sweatt-Winter Childcare & Education Center hours of operation are 7:00 am - 5:15 pm. Work schedules variable and based on Center's coverage needs.

Essential Duties

• Protects the safety of all children in the center and monitors children closely.
• Communicates and interacts with children during caretaking routines and free engagement time, including narrating activities, naming objects, encouraging interest, and soliciting verbal, gestural, or behavioral feedback.
• Exhibits sensitive and responsive caregiving, reading and responding to children’s cues and needs, and facilitating independence and the development of self-help skills when appropriate.
• Exhibits behavior management consistent with Sweatt-Winter philosophy, including recognizing and identifying difficult feelings, redirection, setting up the environment so as to minimize stress and conflict, and positively reinforcing children while engaging positively with others.
• Interacts with children during play activities both indoors and on the playground.
• Treats parents and children with dignity and respect, recognizing the cultural and socio-economic diversity of the population.
• Responds to the individual needs and learning styles of children.
• Plans activities reflecting the anti-bias philosophy with age-appropriate and individualized activities. Provides a well-balanced schedule of individual/group activities, and active/quiet activities with variations of structure.
• Plans supervised activities for outdoors, or indoor gross motor play during severe inclement weather which prevents outdoor play (at least 1 hour per day).
• Responsible for all required screenings and assessments. This may include the development and maintenance of portfolios of children’s developmental progress, keeping records, work samples, and other evidence of growth and development.
• Plans group activities to include hands-on, interactive activities.
• Attends all staff meetings.
• Completes all required training.
• Fills in for teachers in other rooms, if needed.
• Responsible for scheduling, planning, and participating in parent conferences.

Note: UMF reserves the right to change or assign additional duties as necessary.

A full job description can be found here.

About University of Maine at Farmington:

The University of Maine at Farmington has earned a national reputation for excellence, gaining stature as one of the finest state-supported liberal arts colleges in the northeastern U.S. Additionally, UMF is rated 5th in U.S. News & World Report Top Regional Public College North for 2023 and has been rated one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News 25 times since 1998.

The campus is in historic downtown Farmington, just a short walk away from coffee shops, funky stores, restaurants, banks, bookstores, a multi-screen movie theater and a whole lot more. Our perfect location combines the active outdoor lifestyle with the arts & smarts of a small college town. With enrollment at around 1,600 full-time students, UMF is about the same size as many of New England’s most selective private colleges and offers many of the same advantages, yet at a very affordable price — providing a tremendous college value in a spectacular natural setting. Established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, the University of Maine at Farmington is a founding member of The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) an exclusive national group of public colleges and universities committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education.

Who is the University of Maine at Farmington?

A Nationally Ranked public university, recognized for its academic excellence, educational value and inclusion.

An Outdoorsy College located in the heart of world class skiing and snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking, kayaking and rafting.

An Affordable, high-quality, residential, liberal arts college.

A school that offers challenging and innovative Academic Programs in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation, and other pre-professional fields.

A small, friendly campus where Students are the center of the universe.

A place where caring Professors work side by side with students — in research, creative endeavors, in the classroom and outside.

An institution that offers unparalleled research opportunities — often at the level and depth found at graduate school.

A campus of 1,600 bright, creative, independent-minded students who thrive on challenges.

A college where students work hard but also enjoy kicking back and having Fun — lots of fun.

A quirky yet warm-hearted, accepting community where it’s OK to be you.

We may not be for everyone, but we just might be the perfect place for you.

Required Competencies

• Communications - Excellent communications skills – oral and written.
• Planning, organizing, and prioritizing: Plan and organize work to manage time effectively and accomplish job duties.
• Innovative thinking: The ability to use existing and emerging technology and tools to create new and innovative practices.
• Adaptability: The ability to react positively and effectively to change. To be able to quickly learn and work effectively with the changing landscape of campus focus, administrators/leadership, and strategy in a changing environment.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Observe and evaluate the outcomes of implementing the solution to assess the need for alternative approaches and to identify lessons learned.
• Customer support: Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively.
• Technology Utilization - Computer proficiency/knowledge; adept at learning and using software programs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development or a related field

• Current First-Aid and CPR certification

• Teaching Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development or a related field

Materials must be submitted electronically via "Apply for Position." Please create an applicant profile, complete a brief application, and upload:

1) A cover letter, which describes your qualifications, interests and suitability for the position

2) A resume/curriculum vitae

3) Contact information for three (3) professional references

You will also need to submit the affirmative action survey, the self-identification of disability form, and the self-identification of veteran status form.

Review of applications will begin at the end of business day on February 20, 2024 and continue until filled. Materials received after that date will be considered at the discretion of the university. Incomplete application materials will not be considered. We are not able to consider applicants who require Visa sponsorship support.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background screening and references.

The University of Maine offers a wide range of benefitsfor employees including, but not limited to, tuition benefits (employee and dependent), comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short and long term disability as well as retirement plan options. View ourBenefits Information Summary for additional information.

The University of Maine at Farmington employees are Mandatory Reporters with the exception of UMF’s licensed, clinical medical providers (including athletic trainers) and mental health providers and their clinical interns when working in their capacity as providers.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).