Lead Teacher

Full-time position, 35-hour work week, Monday through Friday, to begin August 25, 2025 through June 18, 2026. Report Date August 25, 2025.

• Build responsive, nurturing relationships and engage in meaningful learning experiences with a group of children.
• Collaborate closely with a team of educators and contribute to a professional, reflective teaching community, which may include mentoring college or graduate student teachers.
• Support associate teachers, student teachers and college student assistants.
• Facilitate developmentally appropriate experiences and care‑giving.
• Support pedagogical plan for play based learning.
• Articulate developmental based philosophy and play‑based curriculum.
• Support maintenance of partnership with parents via newsletters, meetings and conversations as needed.
• Prepare presentations for classroom parent meetings and lead in production of student reports.
• Co‑lead parent‑teacher conferences.
• Attend weekly staff development meetings, participating in meeting development.

• BA degree in Early Childhood Education, with an Initial License and the NYS Teacher Certification tests must be in progress.
• Must meet DOI fingerprinting and all relevant clearances.
• Candidates submit cover letter and resume.
• 2‑5 years experience working with young children between the age of 1‑2 years old in a childcare setting.

• Masters degree in Early Childhood Education, permanent certification in birth‑2nd grade.
• Strong understanding and experience with progressive, play‑based, or Reggio Emilia‑inspired pedagogies.
• Experience developing emergent curriculum and using observational documentation to support learning.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with both families and colleagues.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran.

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.