Lead Early Childhood Educator

Purple Unicorn is hiring an Lead Early Childhood Educator on behalf of The Mandel JCC

JOB TITLE:

Lead Early Childhood Educator

LOCATION:

Barbara and Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center - Palm Beach Gardens

CLASSIFICATION:
Full Time Salary Exempt, Full Time Hourly or Part Time Hourly, based on supervisory responsibilities

REPORTS TO:

Early Childhood Director

The Barbara & Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center prides itself on the quality of its educators. Whether your position stated in your letter of hire is Lead Teacher, Teacher Assistant or After Care Teacher, the job description is the same. The position you have been assigned is based on your education and your experience; however it is not intended to be a limitation to your duties or the fragmentation of the tasks needed to be completed in the classroom and/or the responsibilities towards the children.

It is important to mention that some of the tasks and responsibilities are limited by the fact that some educators work part time. We believe in collaboration and teamwork; therefore it is up to each team to set a structure and system based on each other's strengths and that will allow each member to maximize its potential. We aspire to hire educators who are capable
and competent to continuously grow and further develop as professionals, resulting in a change of position. One of the many strategies that we, as a school, implement to further develop educators is ensure all of them have access to the same caliber of tasks and opportunities to experience varied responsibilities. It will be up to each educator to take advantage of the opportunity.

Barbara and Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center Mission Statement
Based on a forward-thinking and constantly evolving – yet deep-rooted educational
philosophy – the Barbara & Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center focuses on welcoming
children and their families into a quality educational experience based on Jewish values.
Children are encouraged to develop and grow as individuals as well as members of the Jewish
community.

Position Summary
The Barbara and Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center embraces the JCC Association Early Learning Framework, Sheva. Its seven lenses and seven core elements inform the decisions and guide the practice in which we educate our children and their families. At the same time, they inform and guide the behavior of the educators and frame the educational practices in each of the classrooms.

By agreeing to be a member of the educational team of the Barbara & Jack Kay Early Childhood Learning Center, you agree to:

1. Ensure the seven lenses are manifested daily in your classroom in the ways in which you structure the time, the curricula, and the environment; in the quality of our relationships with your students, your colleagues, and your host institution; and in the partnerships you forge with the families in the community. They are:
Masa, Brit, B'Tzelem Elohim, Kedusha, Hitorerut, Drash and Tikkun Olam – See addendum for a description of each lens.

2. To educate according to the core elements of:
Children as Constructivist, Environments as Inspiration for Inquiry, Parents as Partners, Discover: CATCH as Shmirat HaGuf, Israel & Judaism as a Source and Resource.

3. View yourself as lifelong learners, constantly engaging in the pursuit of learning opportunities. Understand that observing and listening to children and families is both skill and art, requiring continuing growth and vigilance.

Responsibilities:

Children as Constructivist

• Based on an image of the child as a competent and capable learner full of potential, engage with children in research as a way of co-constructing knowledge

• Develop curriculum that emerges from the children's ideas, abilities, and interests.

• Create time and space for children to reflect and build upon experiences.

• Create documentation (pedagogical narrations) of children's work, making it visible and using it as a learning tool.

• Develop relationships of trust and security, allowing children to thrive.

• Develop a classroom culture that is emotionally responsive, enhancing children's and families' emotional well-being. Environments as…