Senior Teacher - Infant Toddler Classroom

We offer the following competitive benefits to our valued employees:

• Pay: $18.50 per hour
• Monday through Friday 8.5 hour shifts, between 7 AM and 6 PM. 
• $500.00 Retention Bonus ($250 after 90 days and $250 after 6-months of satisfactory service)
• Full benefits package including:
  • Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
  • 401K/403b Plan
  • Short Term Disability
  • Long Term Disability
  • Paid Vacation Days
  • Paid Sick/Personal Days
  • Child Care Discount

Who are we?

St. Joseph Children’s Home provides inclusive and compassionate care to ensure a safe home and bright future for every child in our diverse community. We do this through our core values of caring, compassion, relationships, and teamwork.

As leaders in the child and family welfare arena, St. Joe’s continues to grow through the strategic visioning of our 4 core programs: Residential Treatment Program, Therapeutic Foster Care, Child Development Center, and Behavioral Health Services. Our new Behavioral Health Services includes mental health therapy, targeted case management, and comprehensive community support services.

The annual Picnic For the Kids in August has raised over $1Million for the past two years with help from over 1,500 volunteers each year.

In 2023 the organization celebrated the Council of Accreditation’s (COA) expedited report with outstanding outcomes and zero deficiencies across all programs and departments employing approximately 180 individuals. Our 2023-2026 strategic plan focuses on Families, Community Partners, Volunteers, Staff and Governance(Board).

The Senior Teacher plans, prepares and implements daily routines and activities that promote physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of young children in their assigned classroom. Plans are documented on dated weekly lesson plans that are submitted to the Curriculum Coach weekly.   The Senior Teacher also maintains essential communication with the families of the children in their care according to center policy and procedure.  The Senior Teacher directs the daily workflow of classroom staff assigned to the classroom. 

Essential Functions:

• Maintains confidentiality about issues regarding staff, children and families at St. Joseph Children’s Home, Board of Directors, and/or Center operations.
• In cooperation with the Team Leader, completes an annual self-assessment using the ITERS/ECERS, meets with team leader and the coaches to review the self-assessment and sets achievable goals for the year based on the results of the self-assessment.
• Knows the whereabouts and number of children in care, keeping all children within sight and sound supervision at all times.
• Checks photo ID, if not familiar with an adult who is picking up a child, and ensures that all adults picking up children are on the list of approved escorts in the CDC database.
• Completes Name-to-Face attendance checks multiple times daily as per policy and procedure.
• Prepares and maintains a classroom environment that is clean, tidy, and promotes age-appropriate physical and emotional comfort and educational development of all children in care.
• Maintains weekly lesson plans for the classroom that detail the activities planned and the early childhood standards and benchmarks being addressed.
• Plans and implements individual and group activities for the classroom that are developmentally appropriate, play-based, consistent with a Reggio-inspired approach to learning, and promote the use of open-ended and natural materials
• Limits the use of screen time in the classroom to that which is part of the planned curriculum, noted in lesson plans, and  preapproved by the Curriculum Coordinator. 
• Engages in age-appropriate play with children.
• Provides positive guidance, direction, and encouragement for each child using principals of Positive Discipline
• Follows behavior plans for individual children.  Supports all children's behaviors in the classroom with positive discipline strategies and pyramid model.
• Ensures that classroom staff are monitoring the development of children in care and documenting behavior and/or developmental concerns for individual children in their assigned classrooms.  Reports behavior and development concerns to the Behavior and Development Coach for next steps.
• Ensures that individual results of the ASQ are shared with each child’s family in assigned classrooms.
• If the parent does not complete an ASQ, or if a comparison is needed, the Senior Teacher may be asked to complete it.
• Greets children and families upon arrival and departure.
• Promotes a trusting relationship between children, parents, and staff. 
• Communicates with parents as needed throughout the day by approved means (phone, email, communication app) regarding a child’s development, health and well-being. 
• Ensures that all pertinent information regarding a child’s day, including important paperwork, is passed on to the responsible staff member if the Senior Teacher will not be present at pick-up
• Completes an incident report for any illness, injury and incident and notifies the Team Leader and/or the child's family  as applicable.  Turns in all completed Incident / Illness Reports weekly.
• Keeps the Team Leader informed of any problems concerning children, staff, or families.
• Informs Team Leader, Assistant Director and/or Director of any urgent matters, including but not limited to serious illness or injury to a child, staff or family requiring medical attention, staff misconduct potentially requiring disciplinary action, or licensing violations that put the health and safety of children and staff at risk.
• In the absence of the any member of the CDC Leadership , a Senior Teacher may be asked to temporarily assume the responsibilities of the day-to-day operations of the Center.
• Maintains assigned classroom consistent with the vision for a unified, clean, Reggio-inspired environment throughout the Center. 
• Utilizes Center materials and supplies in a manner that is responsible, purposeful, safe and engaging for children. 
• Returns materials to their proper location for storage when not in use.  Ensures that materials have been cleaned and sanitized prior to storage is if applicable.
• Seeks the assistance of a Team Leader or Curriculum Coach for any questions related to materials use or storage.
• Requests needed supplies from Team Leader at least 1 week prior to the date materials are planned to be utilized.
• Discusses all color printing and/or lamination needs with the Team Lead.
• Serves meals and snacks to children in compliance with CACFP guidelines and KY childcare regulations.  Cleans up after meals (including but not limited to cleaning and sanitizing tables, chairs and floors).
• Is aware of all children’s allergies and/or medical alerts in assigned classrooms.
• Communicates with Team Lead any changes in allergies and/or medical alerts for individual children.
• Reads and responds to all electronic communications from CDC leadership in a timely manner, including but not limited to checking email at least once weekly and responding to the Director's weekly email.
• Assists with implementation of at least two CDC family event per school year.
• Obtains all required staff development and training.
• Attends all CDC department meetings and contributes to the decision-making process at meetings.
• Possesses advanced knowledge of Senior Teacher duties, responsibilities and functions.
• Acts as a mentor for Assistants.
• Contributes to annual evaluations of Assistant Teachers, in cooperation with the Team Leader, especially in regards to goal setting related to daily work flow.
• Safely evacuates all children from the building in case of emergency and during emergency drills.  Completes a Name to Face count prior to, during, and after any drill or evacuation that involves moving children from one place to another, as per Name to Face policy and procedure. Provides required documentation of completed drills to Team Leader.
• All staff  are expected to be flexible in regard to their daily classroom placement. For the consistency of care for children, Senior Teachers are placed in their regularly assigned classrooms whenever possible. However, at the discretion of the Director, Assistant Director, or their designee, a Senior Teacher may be temporarily assigned to a different classroom or role within the CDC if needed to maintain state ratios, meet specific staffing needs for the day, or to otherwise meet an agency need.
• Reports any urgent building maintenance, repairs, or custodial upkeep to the Team Leader.
• Keeps the classroom and all shared spaces within the center clean, safe and free of clutter. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience:

• High school diploma (or equivalent) REQUIRED
• CDA or higher REQUIRED
• 1 year of experience in a Type 1 early childhood education facility preferred

Physical Factors:

• Lifting Requirement: 50 pounds.
• Standing for up to eight (8) hours.
• Reaching above the shoulder level.
• Walking.
• Squatting.
• Twisting.
• Bending.
• Carrying/pushing/pulling