State Mandated Teacher - Garfield, New Jersey

                                 Every Child Deserves a Head Start

                                        P-3 Teachers

Greater Bergen Community Action’s (GBCA) Head Start Preschool program is a rewarding environment for P-3 educators who seek to advance their careers while making a positive impact. Our mission is to provide a quality, comprehensive educational program that prepares children and their families for kindergarten and life beyond. With its origins in the War on Poverty, Head Start is one of the longest-running federally funded programs in the United States. The Head Start model has been praised and emulated throughout the country. 

At GBCA, our Head Start Preschool program collaborates with local school districts to provide quality education.  Our compensation package is highly competitive.  We offer a supportive work environment that recognizes the value of every employee, and our focus is continually on staff wellness.  

Whether you are new to preschool education or an experienced teacher, we welcome you to join our Head Start preschool program. Come make a difference. Discover what it's like to teach children and reach families through the Head Start approach. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or related discipline with a Standard P-3 Certification or Certificate of Eligibility (CE). 
• Ability to work effectively with children 3-5 years old.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to work with children and families of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Energetic and positive attitude with a passion for teaching

Responsibilities include:

• Learns and adheres to the philosophy and mandates of Head Start and Early Head Start as outlined in the Performance Standards, licensing requirements, and the Policies and Procedures of Greater Bergen Community Action (GBCA).
• Creates a learning community in which individual differences are respected.
• Ensures children receive individual attention and supervises children all the time by using your eyes and ears.
• Prepares the classroom daily for the children's arrival.
• Designs and implements developmentally appropriate learning experiences, making subject matter accessible and meaningful to all students.
• Prepares weekly lesson plans one week in advance and posts them in a designated area that is easily visible to all pertinent individuals.
• Maintains a neat classroom and ensures all equipment and materials are in good working condition.
• Maintains the safety and bodily cleanliness of each child.
• Participates and conducts the Early Screening Inventory and Ages & Stages and/or any other assessment tool required by the agency and/or any other regulatory body.
• Attends in-service and pre-service training workshops as required and/or requested.
• Plans for and participates in in-home visits, parent/teacher conferences, and back-to-school events, which will be scheduled during the day and evening.
• Plans and/or participates in class trips or any other event that may take the teacher and/or students out of the typical classroom environment. 
• Share information with parents/guardians and plan, as a team, strategies for meeting each child's individual needs.
• Meets with supervisors to discuss progress, classroom observations, program planning, professional development, and plans for specific training as needed.
• Submits weekly anecdotal records in the program's online assessment tool on each child and completes written evaluations of each child’s development.
• Implements the program's curriculum with fidelity.
• Assumes responsibilities for all mandated classroom documentation for the education component.

 Benefits Include:

- Healthcare: Medical, dental, vision

- Agency paid life insurance

- Tax Savings Plans: Medical, dependent care, commuter plans

- Retirement Account participation with an employer match after one year of employment

- Paid Time Off includes: Holiday, vacation, floating holiday, and sick

- Professional Development