Teacher II for Palm Beach
Head Start / Early Head Start
Located at the Boynton Beach,
FL
Lutheran
Services Florida (LSF) envisions a world where
children are safe, families are strong and communities are
vibrant.
Since 1982, Lutheran Services
Florida has been providing and sharing solutions to protect
Florida’s most vulnerable. Today, we are one of the largest
nonprofits in Florida touching 1 in 50 Floridians with a wide range
of services, including:
- early childhood
education
- refugee and
immigration
- mental health and substance
abuse
- juvenile justice
- child welfare
LSF is looking for a talented
Teacher II who wants to make an impact in the
lives of others.
Purpose &
Impact
The purpose of the Teacher
II is to serves as lead worker in the
classroom. Performs duties planning and
implementing educational activities for pre-school aged children or
infants/toddlers in the Head Start/Early Heart Start Program that
comply with federal performance standards. Participates in
the HS/EHS Quality Assurance efforts.
A Day in the Life of
a Teacher II
- Plans develop and implement daily
lesson plans that provide for educational and enrichment activities
for pre-school age children or infants and toddlers that meet
federal performance standards.
- Plans and arranges classrooms
into distinctive learning areas that promote an effective learning
environment.
- Screens and assesses children to
determine developmental/educational needs and develops and
implements individual education plans that comply with federal
performance standards.
- Monitors meal and snack periods,
classroom and restroom activities, and playground activities to
ensure a safe environment for young children.
- Monitors food service and
supplies for adequate inventory.
- Documents children's progress or
lack of and completes all required manual and computerized forms
and reports in accordance with federal requirements.
- Initiates referrals on children
to the Center Director by submission of a variety of formal
documents.
- Plans classroom activities for
parent and community volunteers.
- Attends and participates in
workshops and other meetings to acquire and disseminate
information.
- Communicates with parents through
parent conferences, written correspondence, and telephone to
apprise them of the child's progress, upcoming events, classroom
activities, individual education plan changes, and other relevant
information.
- Conducts health checks on
children for health concerns, including ringworm, head lice, and
other health conditions, and reports to appropriate Health
Coordinator.
- Ensures lessons and classroom
activities align with the Florida Pre-Kindergarten
standards.
- Conducts Voluntary
Pre-Kindergarten assessments as required.
- Ensures that at least 80% of the
children are kindergarten-ready.
- Performs quality staff-child
interactions resulting in a CLASS scores greater than the lowest
10% of the threshold in each domain.
- Uses active supervision
techniques and maintains positive classroom behavior.
- Receives a satisfactory or higher
score on the Teacher Success Rubric.
- Maintain a comprehensive and
ongoing portfolio assessment for each child, including weekly
observations in each area, examples of the child's work, and a
developmental assessment.
- Uses home visits and parent
conferences to discuss the child's individual development and
progress, assist the parents in developing observational skills and
solicit parent observations;
- Reports suspected child abuse and
neglect to the designated state agency.
- Plans, coordinates and oversees
field trips for assigned children.
- Orders supplies and equipment to
be used by special needs children in the classroom.
- Assists in the transportation of
special needs children by lifting the child into the seat and
fastening safety belt.
- Inspects classrooms and grounds
to ensure the safety, orderliness, sanitation, and cleanliness of
facilities.
- Reviews and forwards accident and
incident reports.
- Discusses plans and coordinates
concerns regarding the child and family with other Head Start/Early
Head Start staff.
- Performs First Aid and
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) as needed.
- Performs other related duties as
required.
Education:
- A baccalaureate or advanced
degree in Early Childhood Education; or a baccalaureate or advanced
degree in any subject, and coursework equivalent to a major
relating to Early Childhood Education with experience teaching
preschool-aged children. Coursework equivalent to a major
related to Early Childhood Education includes but is not limited to
the following:
- Teaching credentials: licensed or
certification by the state for Pre-K teachers recognized by the
local school district or state education agency as qualifying
teachers to teach pre-school children in that school district or
state if the individual has at least 500 clock hours of experience
in an early childhood setting teaching pre-school aged children.
OR
- Coursework: No less than
18-semester credits in courses that focus specifically on child
development, early childhood education and curriculum, early
childhood teaching and assessment, psychology, family development,
health and physical development, mathematics, science and
children’s literature. These courses may have been taken in
various departments such as Education, Home Economics, Music, Art,
Library Sciences, Physical Education and Recreation, Psychology,
Family Studies, and others, and must specifically address young
children.
- A baccalaureate degree in any
field and has been admitted into the Teach For America program,
passed a rigorous early childhood content exam, such as the Praxis
II, participated in a Teach For America summer training institute
that includes teaching preschool children, and is receiving ongoing
professional development and support from Teach For America’s
professional staff.
- Completion of State Childcare
Training required including Certificate of Completion of an
approved 10 hour Developmentally Appropriate Practices for
Preschoolers or Infant/Toddlers Course; and proof of successful
completion of the following courses: 6 hours Child Growth and
Development; 6 hours Behavioral Observation & Screening; 8 hours
Health, Safety & Nutrition; 4 hours Identifying and Reporting Child
Abuse and Neglect; and 6 hours Child Care Facility Rules and
Regulations, or a 30 hour Introductory Child Care Training
Course. In addition, all state-mandated courses for the
Voluntary prekindergarten required.
Experience: Two
years of experience teaching Head Start, Early Head Start,
pre-school or kindergarten age children. Bilingual preferred:
English/Spanish or English and other languages present in the local
area.
Also required: Certification in
First Aid and CPR within 90 days from the date of hire; and
successful completion of a Level II background screening, local
criminal record check and drug screening prior to
hiring.
Lutheran Services Florida (LSF)
requires those hired into this position to provide proof that they
have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (including any booster
shots, if required) or must become fully vaccinated within the
first 30 days of employment. Failure to provide timely proof
of your COVID-19 vaccination status will result in the termination
of your employment with LSF.
Any individuals subject to this
requirement may submit for consideration a request to be exempted
from the requirement (based on a valid religious or medical reason)
on forms to be provided by LSF. Such requests will be subject
to review and approval by the Company, and exemptions will be
granted only if the Company can provide a reasonable accommodation
in relation to the requested exemption. Note that approvals
for reasonable accommodations are reviewed and approved on a
case-by-case basis and availability of a reasonable accommodation
is not guaranteed. This vaccination requirement is based, in
part, on recently established government requirements. The
requirement is also based on the safety and effectiveness of the
vaccine in protecting against COVID-19, and our shared
responsibility for the health and safety of members, clients, and
community.
Why work for
LSF?
Ability to Make an Impact
in Multiple Areas
LSF offers several programs,
spanning across a wide range of populations in need. This gives our
team members an opportunity to learn and potentially work in
programs outside of their direct area. Either way,
members of the LSF family will play a part in transforming the
lives of those in need.
Community
A career at LSF means working and
learning alongside talented professionals in a dynamic and
inclusive environment. The values of our organization –
OPEN-MINDED, COMPASSIONATE, GENEROUS, VISIONARY and HONESTY –
drives each one of us.
People working at Lutheran
Services Florida treat each other like family. Whether you work on
the front lines or work in an office, you share a common bond that
is felt throughout the organization.
Growth
Opportunities
Because of the variety of programs
we offer throughout Florida, team members have the option to
explore areas of interest in other programs or grow within their
existing program/department.
Amazing benefits package
including:
- Medical, dental and
vision
- Teledoc (24/7 access to doctors
via phone and video)
- Employee Assistance Program
(EAP)
- Long-term disability
- Employer-paid life insurance (1X
salary), AD&D
- Health and dependent care
FSA
- Paid holidays
- Generous PTO policy
- 403(b) Retirement plan with 3%
discretionary employer match
- Tuition reimbursement
- LifeMart Employee Discount
Program
Additional Voluntary
Benefits
- Short-term disability
- Group life insurance
- Accident, critical illness/Cancer
and hospital policy
- Legal Shield coverage
Lutheran Services Florida is an equal
opportunity employer and a drug-free
workplace.
Lutheran Services Florida Children & Head
Start Services
3230 Commerce Place, Suite A, West Palm
Beach, FL 33407
EOE/DRUG-FREE
WORKPLACE
