Essential Qualities: 

• Value the school's mission centered in culturally responsive/anti-bias teaching, to equitably educate students who are economically, racially, and ethnically diverse
• Lead the creation of a collaborative team teaching environment by honoring the interests, capacities, and skills of Associate Teachers and Classroom Teaching Assistants
• Engage in ongoing professional growth, cultural competency, and self-reflective practice 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead the implementation of a play-based, inquiry-based, constructivist early childhood classroom, influenced by Reggio Emilia philosophy in action, including reflective teaching, family engagement and documentation
• Be curious and intentional in creating lesson plans, curating materials, setting up the classroom, and designing the learning environment to reflect curriculum threads based on students’ interests, developmental milestones and benchmarks, such that students are purposefully engaged 
• Design and maintain learning environments (indoor and outdoor), valuing organization, a sense of peace, wonderment and aesthetics that nourish creativity and foster a young child's sense of autonomy

• Be intentional when setting up the classroom, curating texts and materials, such that a variety of identities and backgrounds are represented 

• Create routines to orchestrate the overall management and functioning of the class including: transitions, toileting, handwashing, snack/meal assistance, setup/cleanup, rest time, yard maintenance, supervision duties, etc.
• Organize and share administrative tasks with the teaching team (photocopying, organizing, preparing materials, etc.) 
• Actively observe, assess, and document the student learning experience 
• Commit to utilizing assessments, tools and technology to enhance planning, assessment and instruction
• Create and commit to an Observation & Recording process 
• Implement the ASQs assessment tool
• Respond and adapt to the varied needs of young children, supporting various points in their emotional, physical, and cognitive development 
• Develop strategies to meet the various developmental and pre-academic needs of young children
• Engage members of the Student Success Team to conduct observations and offer proactive strategies and responsive plans of action to support the growth of individual students 
• Participate in meetings to reflect on teaching practices, give/receive feedback and make adjustments in partnership with administration and faculty
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills with colleagues, families, students and caregivers 
• Effectively communicate with families in weekly messages, report card narratives, and parent-teacher conference discussions, highlighting areas of learning, progress, growth and goals 
• Be a resource to families as they develop an understanding their child’s unique learning profile

Qualifications: 

• 3+ years of Early Childhood Head teaching experience in a similar school setting 
• M.ED, MA or MS in Early Childhood Education (Special Education preferred)
• Health Requirements: All employees are required to have received one COVID vaccine series (but not a booster).Should the DOH institute a mandate for any vaccination, including COVID vaccination, we wil require staff to comply, with due time and notice from the school

Salary Range: $60k-$100k

Apply: Email a cover letter, resume & educational philosophy statement to jobs@corlearsschool.org

About Corlears School

Corlears, a small, independent, progressive school located in the lively Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, is dedicated to the education of young children through the elementary grades. We seek to cultivate joy in learning through active investigation of integrated curricular themes. Daily practice at Corlears is based on the belief that educating students to be well informed, socially engaged, critical thinkers is essential in order to sustain a healthy democracy. We have intentionally created an intimate environment, well suited to the needs of children through the elementary years, where students can easily navigate both the physical space and social networks of the community. We seek to create an economically and culturally diverse community that reflects our immediate neighborhood and reaches into the city beyond.

Connections working at Corlears School