As a thought-leader and best-in-class provider in education, wellness, youth development, and community-building, The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is one of the oldest and most essential non-profits serving in Atlanta. Today, we’re looking for you to join us as we carry out our mission to positively impact lives and communities across the state.

At the Y, we’re an association of like-minded people (staff, volunteers, and members), on the forefront of a movement to ensure that everyone -- especially children -- experience an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. In the course of a year, we provide more than 3,000 children, ages 6 weeks through Pre-K with high-quality literacy and STEAM-infused learning; give 58,000 youth and teens access to sports, aquatics, day and resident camps, teen leadership development programs, and employment opportunities; provide over 200,000 members with programs, services, and facilities to enjoy connection and maintain wellness regardless of age; and engage over 25,000 volunteers and donors from across Atlanta to share in the gift of supporting their communities.

The opportunities to serve are vast, and we’re looking for a diverse mix of people, who share our values of CARING, HONESTY, RESPECT, and RESPONSIBILITY, to join us and do their best work. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is reflected in our people, our members, and our partners. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other wonderful characteristics that make us different.

Commitment to Health and Safety

The YMCA of Metro Atlanta has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination requirement for all Full-Time positions. For further information, please visit our Vaccine Hub, or speak to your recruiter. Reasonable accommodations for medical and religious objections will be considered.

Nature and Scope:
Under the supervision of the Center Manager, the teacher is ultimately responsible for the implementation of the day to day operation of educational services in coordination with other service areas.

Responsibilities:

• Consistently implements developmentally appropriate practices that are individualized, inclusive of children with disabilities, and age appropriate and integrated across all areas of a child’s development; i.e. cognitive (reasoning), social, emotional, and physical.
• Meets all job-related federal, state, local and program regulations and timelines for compliance, implementation and documentation. In particular meets performance standards, monitoring guidelines, licensure regulations, disabilities service requirements, and the completion of developmental assessments, parent conferences, and home visits.
• Actively participates in teaching activities by consistently moving around the learning environment both indoors and outdoors; sitting or stooping to communicate at the child’s eye level; actively engaging in imaginative play, creative movement and songs; facilitating family style dining, and engaging the child in conversations that are interactive, supportive and stimulating.
• Provides constant supervision of children during all activities (indoors & outdoors) as well as during all times when children are under their direct care.
• Re-directs inappropriate behaviors in a positive manner that is supportive and non-punitive; utilizes discipline methods that do not include hitting, shoving, pinching, pushing, complete isolation, or language that is harmful and hurtful to the child.
• Responds quickly to a child in distress or a crying child by immediately calming them in a nurturing and appropriate manner.
• Utilizes developmentally appropriate feeding, toileting, cleaning, and health care practices for children with special health care needs.
• Collaborates with other agencies, resources, and service delivery components to best meet the needs of families and children.
• Recognizes and respects the variety of cultures, developmental needs, and ethnic backgrounds of children and families being served by the program.
• Models appropriate language behaviors for children including grammatically correct verbal and written language usage.
• Creates a language rich environment that includes daily story reading, as well as regular writing activities and environmental (basic) print.
• Plans, prepares, and implements age appropriate activities that are integrated across the curriculum; thematic; real, concrete and relevant; stimulating and challenging; and based on the child’s individual needs and interests.
• Prepares in advance lesson plans and materials, ensures that the classroom environment is organized, interactive, appropriate, clean, safe, and hands on.
• Plans and implements a balance of open and structured child-initiated and teacher-directed activities.
• Implements large group, small group, and individualized instruction.
• Prepares, plans and implements transition strategies for daily activities.
• Organizes classroom space into functional areas (i.e. interest centers) that are easily recognizable and clutter free.
• Conducts and records ongoing observations that are descriptive of the whole child and his/her developmental milestones rather than just exclusive reports of problem behaviors.
• Conducts all home visits in the home and in a timely manner as required by the program guidelines.
• Conducts all scheduled parent conferences and any additional conferences, in a timely manner and ensures that a location that is most convenient for parents. These conferences shall predominantly contain positive and developmental information rather than reports of behavior related incidents and child’s areas of concern.
• Administers and records regularly scheduled developmental assessments as required by program guidelines.
• Consistently utilizes information from developmental assessments in the planning, teaching and individualization of classroom activities.
• Based on assessments, observations, developmental milestones, and/or typical behavior immediately refer all suspected disabilities and abuse to the appropriate authority.
• Plans and provides activities that ensure parent and volunteer participation in the classroom as well as in the home.
• Behaves in a professional manner that is always open, cordial, family- and child care centered, and in the best interest of the Head Start program.
• Submits the accurate attendance for ChildPlus and other applicable reports. Submits a copy of the page from the roll book with tabulated attendance for the month prior to the third day of the following month.
• Records and totals attendance accurately in the roll book daily.
• Counts, records and submits accurate meal count reports daily after each meal for the number of children eating to the food service staff.
• Serves as bus monitor, attends required trainings and meetings and assists in other program areas as deemed necessary by the Center Manager.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must have a Infant/Toddler CDA, TCC, AA in ECE or higher
• 3 to 5 five years of work experience with children zero to five years of age.
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills.
• Must submit a cleared GCIC and NCIC before working.
• TB screening and a Physical must be submitted before working.
• 21 years of age or older

Internal Career Site: https://ymcaatlanta.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/YMCA_Early_Learning/details/Early-Head-Start-Teacher_R0008660?primaryLocation=fe9d111270c001ea4acc34d0224a6225

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

• Do you currently have at minimum a CDA?

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Experience:

• Early Childhood General Education Teachers: 3 years (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• CPR Certification (Preferred)

Work Location: In person