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Form of workPosition Title:Early Childhood Instructor
Reports to: Parent and Early Childhood Education Program Supervisor
Status: Permanent, Full time, Non-exempt
Salary: $20.00 per hour, plus generous PTO and benefits package
Schedule: Monday – Friday daytime hours, occasional evening availability required
Company Overview:
Neighborhood House believes that communities and neighborhoods thrive when families have the opportunity to build safe, stable, and rewarding lives. That is why, for over 125 years, Neighborhood House has been working alongside families to ensure that they have access to food and housing for their basic needs and education opportunities to help them achieve their dreams and goals. Today, we serve more than 15,000 people through our integrated programs in six St. Paul neighborhoods.
Program Summary:
The Neighborhood House Parent and Early Childhood Education (PECE) program has been thoughtfully designed with family input to address the unique barriers immigrant and under-resourced families experience in preparing their children for school. Our materials are offered in multiple languages and are culturally inclusive. We utilize trauma-informed approaches to instruction and offer a flexible attendance policy to meet the needs of our families. The success of our approach is evident in our high rate of children being prepared for kindergarten and our reputation in the community, with multiple generations of a family trusting us with the education of their littlest ones. Additionally, we are proud to serve children ages 1 to 5 years old from all backgrounds, abilities, and skills levels, as well as students who are neurodiverse and neurotypical.
Minnesota has some of the highest costs of preschool education in the country, with annual fees exceeding $15,000 per year. At Neighborhood House, our PECE classes and home visiting program are completely tuition-free, eliminating a major barrier for families and ensuring that St. Paul’s littlest residents have the opportunity to learn in a nurturing and creative environment. In addition to our classroom instruction, we want to support caregivers and parents who are their child’s best and most influential teacher; we partner with them by providing support and resources to ensure they are prepared for their child to enter the US school system.
Who You Are:
You care deeply about our community and the families who participate in programs at Neighborhood House, holding them in the center of all that you do. You like to find solutions to problems, you are adaptable, resourceful and curious, and enjoy interacting with people. You are knowledgeable of and skilled in using equity as a process and understand the systemic social patterns that make it difficult for families to succeed. You have a strong affinity for Neighborhood House’s strategic framework and are not only prepared, but excited to achieve this vision for and with our community. And you enjoy engaging children in learning, opening the world to them through play.
The Role and Expectations:
Neighborhood House is seeking a creative and enthusiastic Early Childhood Instructor to lead our Small Steps Early Childhood program. The Early Childhood Instructor will be an important member of our Parent and Early Childhood Education (PECE) Team. Neighborhood House has a staff of nearly 70 people, five of them in our PECE program. We are a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about our work and the families and neighborhoods we serve. We like to roll up our sleeves and provide education services to our participants both in their homes and in our classrooms, all with the goal of ensuring our youngest participants are developing age-appropriate skills that will have them ready for kindergarten and a lifetime of success.
In this role, you will be instrumental in providing high-quality, participant-centered educational services for young children by leading our Small Steps program which provides educational child care for young children whose families are attending Adult Education classes, as well as instructing preschoolers in our Skills for School Kindergarten readiness program.
Accountabilities:
Program Facilitation
- Lead Small Steps Early Childhood education classes for children aged one to five years old while their caregivers are attending daytime Adult Education classes
- Develop and lead culturally-sensitive lesson plans that are age appropriate for a mixed age group of young children
- Lead Skills for School preschool classes for children aged three to five years
- Establish and maintain relationships with families in early learning programs
- Supervise children and participate with children in activities
- Lead parent-teacher conferences
- Train classroom aides and volunteers to assist the teacher in the classroom
- Maintain professional communication with staff, volunteers, interns, participants, and partners
- Perform all work in accordance with Neighborhood House policies, procedures, and norms, and maintain confidentiality of participants in accordance with privacy laws, standards, and policies
Data and Evaluation
- Collect and enter all required data in accordance with agency and funding requirements
- Complete agency-provided ClientTrack database training; implement program evaluation tools and track progress using ClientTrack database
- Collect and compile observations of students; record and assess observations using Teaching Strategies GOLD system and/or Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
- Discuss concerns about children’s development with Parent and Early Childhood Education Supervisor; develop plan of action to address developmental concerns
- Assist with gathering data or anecdotal stories for program reports as instructed by funding agreements and/or supervisor
Team Collaboration
- Work collaboratively with the Parent and Early Childhood Education team members to uphold programming that is safe, fun, and enriching for children ages one to five years
- Attend and actively participate in monthly PECE team meetings, occasional department meetings, Neighborhood House all-staff meetings, external partner meetings, and relevant trainings
- Collaborate with program partners to provide holistic services, especially for children with special needs
- Assist in the planning and implementation of quarterly after-school family engagement events
- Collaborate with other Neighborhood House programs and community partners to recruit families for Early Childhood programs
- Other duties as identified for the success of Parent and Early Childhood Programs and Neighborhood House
Qualifications:
- Education in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Family Social Science, Social Work, Human Services, or related field
- Experience working with children in an Early Childhood education setting and planning lessons for Early Childhood education classes
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills in English
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team; must be creative, innovative, flexible, a self-starter and a good problem-solver
- Experience with child development, emergent literacy, and family systems in multicultural settings
- Working knowledge of racial equity and social justice issues, immigrant/refugee trends and needs, and self-sufficiency issues relevant to the communities we serve
- Strong time management skills with demonstrated ability to manage tasks, projects, and priorities
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs and online platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, required; willingness to learn new technology and evaluation tools as needed to succeed in role
- Must be able to work occasional evenings as needed
- Must be able to pass a criminal background check
- Must be able to safely lift a minimum of 30 pounds
- Ability to speak Spanish is highly beneficial, but not required
Diversity:
So you don't meet every requirement listed in this job description? Do you think your experience level is not where it needs to be? Studies show that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they believe they meet every single qualification. Neighborhood House is focused on building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. If you're interested in this position but your past experience doesn't line up perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we want you to apply anyway. The right role for you may be right around the corner.
An Equal Opportunity Employer:
Neighborhood House is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds. The Neighborhood House provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other status protected by law.
