Preschool Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher

Our vision as a church is to be a house of prayer for all nations. Our Mission is to make disciples whose hearts burn for the Great Exchange, the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission. The foundation for disciple-making at Grace Fellowship is relationship; we will relationally make disciples who in turn are themselves relational disciple-makers. And this starts with the staff. Each of us will incorporate a relational approach to everything that we do, and we will each consistently seek to perform our defined roles relationally; each of us will daily pursue our job within the context of being a relational disciple-maker.

Preschool Lead and Assistant Teachers are part-time hourly positions requiring a maximum of 26 hrs. The work week is Monday – Thursday; September – May. These positions report to the Grace Preschool Director & the Grace Preschool Assistant/Curriculum Director

Teachers provide a warm, nurturing, safe, loving, and Christian environment where self-concepts are enhanced, independence is encouraged, and individuality is respected. To teach Grace Preschool students using a variety of methods and focusing on biblical principles.

Qualifications

▪Must have a love for Jesus Christ and be a member of a Christian Church, active in attendance and stewardship

▪Must be 18 years of age; Must complete application, criminal background check, provide references and high school or college transcript. Must be fluent in English

▪As a Grace Preschool staff member, the Lead Teacher will maintain their position in such a way as to be supportive of Grace Fellowship Church and Grace Preschool, its staff, and ministries

▪Must have a strong knowledge of educational techniques and methods for teaching young children

▪Must have a patient, supportive and enthusiastic approach to the learning process; Be an encourager

▪Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills

▪Must have the ability to stand and move around for long hours at a time while teaching

▪Must have an obvious love for children

▪Must meet basic requirements of Texas Health & Human Services as included in the Minimum Standards for teachers

▪Must have current CPR and First Aid training; Must provide proof of a negative TB test

▪Will be on a probationary status during the first ninety (90) days of employment; Offenses reported from the criminal history check may be grounds for dismissal

▪The Lead Teacher will be required to participate in at least 24 hours of documented training each year per Minimum Standards.

Teacher Responsibilities

General Responsibilities

•Be familiar with Texas Health & Human Services Minimum Standards and ensure that they meet or exceed such standards

•Be familiar with the Grace Preschool Parent Handbook and ensure that all policies are followed; Know and abide by all the policies set forth by Grace Fellowship Church and Grace Preschool

•Required to be present and ready to work on all contracted days from 8:30am - 3:00pm unless otherwise stated in employee contract; Must make it a priority to attend all contracted workdays without excessive absences; When absent, absence procedures must be followed per the teacher handbook

•Maintain a positive attitude toward parents, students, and other staff, relating with courtesy, respect, friendliness, compassion, patience, and flexibility; Be able to communicate and get along well with others in a variety of circumstances

•Have knowledge of social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs of young children

•Communicate on a regular basis with the Director, Assistant/Curriculum Director, and other teachers in person, via email, text, phone calls and the GroupMe app

•Must attend all required staff trainings and meetings

Classroom and Planning

•Complete lesson plans and turn copies in to the Assistant/Curriculum Director at least two weeks in advance (Lead Teacher) or May collaborate with lead teacher to plan activities and/or possibly lead certain parts of the curriculum (Assistant Teacher)

•Post lesson plans, monthly calendar, and daily schedule in the classroom where visible to parents (Lead Teacher)

•Plan activities that are developmentally appropriate and in line with the approved curriculum; Have a creative mindset, use out of the box thinking and a variety of techniques, materials, and methods so that all students meet with success (Lead Teacher) or Assist lead with planned activities that are developmentally appropriate, according to the approved curriculum; Use a variety of techniques, materials, and methods so that all students meet with success and activities are purposeful and interesting (Assistant Teacher)

•Record daily attendance of students and turn in attendance sheets to Assistant/Curriculum director

•Supervise and ensure the safety and well-being of students at all times being alerted to needs and problems that might arise

•Engage and interact with students at all times during the day (on the playground, during centers, etc.)

•Provide each child with opportunities for individual development; Record observations to use in progress reports and evaluations

Student Discipline

•Abide by the Discipline and Guidance Policy as set forth in the Preschool Parent Handbook

•Use appropriate, positive, and consistent discipline. Discipline will be done in a manner that shows love for the student and understanding their individual needs.

•Exceptional discipline cases will be referred to the Director

•Per Minimum Standards, all childcare providers are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect, whether it is suspected to occur at the preschool or elsewhere.

Parent Relations (Lead teacher)

•Establish and maintain communication with parents through written reports, scheduled parent conferences, and phone calls or by using the ProCare Parent app; Parents must be given contact information for your preferred method of communication

•Conduct developmental assessments of each child 2 times a year; Complete progress reports in the Fall and Spring; Parent conferences will be held once a year; Other conferences with parents will be scheduled as necessary

•3’s, 4’s, and Transition teachers will complete a note, email, or use the ProCare Parent app to communicate weekly academic and biblical activities with parents

•Toddler and 2’s teachers will complete a daily activity report (diaper changes, moods, etc.) for parents

•Keep student and parent information confidential

Safety and Sanitary Procedures

•Assist and instruct students in personal hygiene such as diaper changing, toileting, face and hand washing, and clothes changing

•Is knowledgeable of and able to conduct emergency procedures, including, but not limited to, fire, tornadoes, hurricane, CPR/1st Aid, when necessary, including lifting and carrying injured students

•Ensure that all students are supervised at all times during the day including sleeping/resting hours (no covering heads with blankets, sheets, etc.)

•Ensure that classroom is properly maintained, cleaned, and sanitized according to licensing and preschool requirements (includes table surfaces, toys, fabric items, etc.)

Additional Duties

•Help with carpool

•Oversee the completion of a yearbook or scrapbook for each child

•Help in other classrooms if necessary

•Demonstrate care and accountability of all Grace Preschool resources and supplies

•Dress in accordance with preschool staff dress code

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to jump; stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit in a chair and on the floor, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and will frequently lift or move average weight as in lifting, carrying, and holding students, up to 60 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Must be able to physically and mentally react immediately to unexpected circumstances.

Work Environment 

This job operates in a Preschool and office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and paper cutter.

Work Authorization 

Employees must be authorized to work in United States under Federal requirements.

Other Duties 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.