Early Childhood Certified Pre-K Teacher

Godine Early Learning at JCC Greater Bostonin Newton, MA, has an immediate need to hire a passionate and experienced Certified Pre-K Teacher!

This role offers you the opportunity to join our mission driven team of professional educators within our highly reputable Godine ELC and become a vital part of JCC Greater Boston's respected and valued community of diverse services providers. This is a great opportunity for you to work with students of all backgrounds, with a focus on providing a positive, nurturing environment that fosters learning and growth. Our ideal candidate is an experienced, dedicated educator with a passion for helping students achieve their full potential with a kind and compassionate approach to their work and in their partnerships with their colleagues.

As a valued Certified Pre-K Teacher you will be instrumental in shaping the educational journeys and social-emotional growth of our students. While engaging with young children facilitating a loving and supportive atmosphere, you'll collaborate with a dedicated team of enthusiastic educators, and develop captivating and age-appropriate lesson plans that ignite curiosity and inspire our young learners.

JCC Greater Boston is deeply committed to valuing and celebrating the uniqueness of each constituent. We welcome staff and participants from diverse backgrounds. While being proudly Jewish, we strive in every way to provide an open and welcoming setting for all, irrespective of personal practices, beliefs, or background. We are guided by JCC Greater Boston’s core values - Belonging, Joyfulness, Collaboration, and Transformation - which resonate with many who do not identify as Jewish.

This is a full-time position offering a starting salary of $47,940-$53,040 annually. The salary offered will ultimately be determined by the scope of the position, the candidate’s relevant qualifications and experience, and internal equity. JCC Greater Boston also has openings for part-time Pre-K Teachers with multiple shift options. For teachers with interest in working with other age groups (infants, toddlers, preschool) or floater positions, please contact us to explore those options.

Primary Responsibilities include, and are not limited to:

Aligned with JCC's core values, collegially collaborate regularly with co-teacher(s), colleagues and director to develop a high quality program around a base of observations which support the intellectual, social/emotional, moral and physical development of each child:

• Effectively implement developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum
• Communicate and document children’s interactions and experiences aligned with best practice and policy
• Assess the developmental stages of children and maintain records, including writing children’s progress reports using COR Advantage; observe and produce play-based assessments and clear effective written evaluations using COR Advantage
• Use best practices incorporating Mass EEC, and the JCC SHEVA frameworks and curriculum guidelines; adhere to all EEC regulations as well as NAEYC guidelines
• Maintains an aesthetically pleasing, organized, vibrant classroom environment that promotes health, safety, and positive age appropriate developmental experiences for each child
• Effectively and consistently set limits using positive language and providing emotional safety for each child; maintain excellent classroom management
• Work with and incorporate suggestions from the regular support of our Child Development Specialist
• Document learning as an instructional/curriculum tool through portfolio, observational checklist, play-based assessment, digital photography/iPad,  journals, or other methods as determined by your center director
• Review and update files of all children in your classroom, noting allergies or special traits pertinent to the maximization of the child’s potential

Instruct and foster learning using a wide variety of activities, materials, and experiences that encourage children to explore and develop through play; effectively foster and provide a healthy, safe and secure, positive, nurturing, and fun learning environment:

• Help each child develop a positive self-image and respect each child’s right to be an individual
• Facilitate each child’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth and development; fostering the effective development of the verbalization of feelings and emotions
• Encourage each child’s independence leading to a sense of competency
• Assist with and foster the development of each child’s own awareness of their needs and their understanding and respect for the rights of others

Establish positive, interactive and effective relationships with families through informal conversations, feedback, and conferences:

• Aid parents and children in the transition and adjustment to school
• Provide excellent communication to effectively inform parents about developmental stages of young children and developmentally appropriate curriculum; provide supportive and informative communication daily with parents of each child and maintain classroom newsletters
• Maintaining on-going communication with parents about the administration of classroom activities and activities. 
• Participate in scheduled parent conferences throughout the year
• Maintain the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality regarding children and families and embody the principles of excellent customer service; as an employee of the JCCGB, the teacher is a representative of the mission and philosophy the JCC Early Learning Centers.

Standard staff expectations include and are not limited to:

• Actively create a welcoming dynamic environment where each individual is valued and respected
• Support JCC Greater Boston’s mission, vision, and values including through personal role modeling
• Attend JCC meetings and actively participate in the department's goals and initiatives
• Other duties, as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities: Provide mentorship to assistant teachers.

Requirements

Education and Experience: This position requires the EEC Teacher certification in addition to an A.A. in Early Childhood Education and a minimum of one year of supervised relevant work experience. B.A. in Early Childhood Education or related field (i.e. elementary education, social work, psychology) is preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted at the JCC’s discretion to meet minimum criteria.

Skills and Abilities:

• Computer literate; must have working knowledge of MS Office Suite applications and Outlook email.
• Displays a knowledge with the needs of families with young children, with a creative ability to translate ideas, feedback, and data into innovative and meaningful experiences that meet the needs of families.
• Displays a commitment to best practices relating to fostering the development of a child’s self-image as a competent and capable learner. 
• A record of excellent classroom management skills, oral and written language skills and excellent/effective communication skills with parents, children, and colleagues
• Displays a commitment to being welcoming and warm toward children and must enjoy working with young children and their families; has a love of children and a strong desire to make a difference every day
• Must be able to multi-task and juggle competing priorities while keeping child safety at the forefront at all times.
• Must be committed to continuing professional development
• Displays a history of working well independently and with others, with an excellent ability to build/sustain collaborative working relationships; including an ability to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Strong organizational skills, including teamwork, relationship-building skills, the ability to multitask, the ability to manage situations effectively and diplomatically
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability and commitment to build strong relationships with families, co-workers, ELC leadership, and JCCGB colleagues
• Commitment to create and foster a dynamic environment where play and learning are a top priority

Physical Requirements:  Must be willing and able to work in person at the Newton site.

• Requires daily outside playground duties in weather elements.
• Must have the ability to stand and walk for long periods of time, climb stairs or hill to outside space for a variety of activities.
• Must be able to climb stairs with children between floors or in an emergency.
• Ability to continually bend, kneel and reach.
• Must be able to lift and carry young children, up to 20-30 pounds, on a regular basis.
• Requires the ability to frequently stoop or squat to be at child’s eye level and frequently sits on floor or in very small chairs.

ADA Statement: Individuals must possess these criteria for knowledge, skills, and abilities or be able to explain and demonstrate that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation and using some other combination of skills and abilities.

About JCC Greater Boston

JCC Greater Boston is a nonprofit organization with roots in earlier Settlement Houses and Young Men’s Hebrew Associations; JCC Greater Boston today offers a wide range of services and program activities throughout the Greater Boston region (~50,000 individuals annually in 98 communities). The organization provides a variety of programs and services to children and adults in the Greater Boston Jewish community including preschools, day camps, a regional model of Jewish family engagement, a fully equipped fitness and aquatic center, arts and culture classes, performances, lectures, and Jewish holiday celebrations.

Our vision is to create a vibrant and evolving Jewish community where everyone belongs. Our mission is to be at the heart of that community by:

• Creating a thriving community that nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships
• Welcoming a growing and increasingly diverse set of individuals and families from all over Greater Boston
• Supporting the building of unique identities rooted in Jewish values and deeper connections to Jewish life
• Nourishing minds, bodies, and spirits through dynamic, innovative, and accessible experiences and expanding engagement by partnering closely with other organizations to ensure the continuing vitality of our community as a whole

JCC Greater Boston takes the welfare and safety of staff, children, and program participants very seriously. On an ongoing basis, we align our operating procedures with guidance from the CDC and the state. In response to current local public health situations, our practices have previously included, and in the future may include, ensuring proper physical distancing, sanitation, hygiene, vaccination requirements, and use of face coverings to promote the health of our staff and program participants.

To learn more about what makes JCC Greater Boston a wonderful place to work, please visit our careers page at https://www.bostonjcc.org/careers/

JCC Greater Boston is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or disability. In a continuing effort to maintain and enrich a diverse environment, we actively encourage applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.

Benefits

In addition to a rewarding career building futures and shaping lives within our mission driven and values driven and family centric environment, JCC Greater Boston proudly offers full-time employees a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive cost-sharing Health and Dental Insurance
• JCC Sponsored/Paid Health Reimbursement Account
• JCC Sponsored/Paid Group Life Insurance and LTD Coverage
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Tax benefit
• 403(b) retirement plan enrollment
• Voluntary Supplemental Vision Insurance
• Additional Voluntary Supplemental Life/ADD coverage for you and your family
• Generous paid time off

Our Perks! Each employee is eligible for complimentary Individual JCC membership to the JCC Greater Boston facility in Newton – offering virtual and in-person programs including indoor swimming, many fitness classes, and workout facilities, as well as discounts to many JCCGB events, classes, outdoor pool, and more. Complimentary individual membership includes:  

• Use of the Fitness Center at Leventhal-Sidman
• Access to group fit classes, Arts & Culture adult programming at member rates,

Other membership discounts off of other JCC programs and services including:

• Discounted child care at JCCGB Early Learning Centers and after-school program
• Discounted JCCGB camp tuition

Benefits and eligibility are subject to review and change by the Organization and plan documents are primary determinant.

A Great Place to Work!

JCC Greater Boston is consciously evolving as a great place to work! In our recent 2023 employee engagement survey, at least 88% of our staff gave us top ratings on:

• Supportive colleagues
• Team camaraderie
• How their managers treat them.
• Individual autonomy
• Knowing what their work contributes to and how it impacts others
• Pride in working for the JCC
• Program and service quality
• Holding ourselves accountable·      

Our staff and leadership bring experience, excellence, and commitment to everything we offer and we are committed to a culture where all our employees may thrive. Our culture is built on our values, driven by our mission, and nurtured through the expert contributions of our professionals.