Lemberg Children's Center

Teaching Fellow Job Description

Teacher of Infant/Toddlers and/or Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten

Definitions

• Supervisors: refers to Head Teacher(s), Program Director(s) or the Executive Director.
• The Center: the Lemberg Children’s Center, the Gersh & Sarah Lemberg Children’s Center.
• Lemberg: the Lemberg Children’s Center, the Gersh & Sarah Lemberg Children’s Center.
• Classroom: Any assigned classroom or spaces designed for the care of young children.
• Fellow: the Teaching Fellow
• TAs: Teacher Trainees, Teacher Assistants, Volunteers, or Lesson Planners

Prerequisites for the Position

• BA/BS degree in Early Education and Care or related field (e.g. child development, infant-toddler development, education methodologies).
• Have (or have sufficient coursework and experience to have) Teacher Certification from the MA Department of Early Education and Care at Lead Teacher or Teacher levels for Infant-Toddler and /or Preschool levels.
• Knowledge of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards for Program Accreditation and NAEYC Code of Conduct.
• Familiarity with the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS-rev) and/or the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS-rev).
• In addition to fluency in English, it is helpful if the Fellow is able to speak and write in another language spoken at home by children in attendance.

Expectation or Conditions of Employment

• Complying with and meeting the responsibilities as agreed in the Statement of Employment Policies and the Letter of Appointment.
• This position is limited to a maximum of two years (currently effective ____________and ending ____________) but may be ended at the discretion of the Executive Director. (For additional information see Employment Policies, section on termination policies and grievance procedures.)
• The Fellow reports to the Head Teachers on the appropriate team and has at least two performance evaluations done by them within the school year. The coordination and evaluation of all staff members is the responsibility of the Executive Director or to those delegated to do so by the Executive Director.
• The Teaching Fellow is a member of the corporation and the teaching staff and must abide by the NAEYC Code of Conduct (rev.2011) as well as conditions of employment and obligations of corporate members and stated in the Corporate By-Laws.
• The Fellow is expected to work the Summer Program at the end of their first and second year. See employment policies for the Summer Program.

The Fellow is responsible for:

1. Arriving at work in time to be in the classroom Monday through Friday for a period of 8 hours as determined by the Executive Director.
2. Attending and actively participating in weekly staff meetings held usually on ____________ evening from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m..

Attendance at weekly staff meetings to coordinate efforts, discuss children and school business (as arranged by the director or supervising head teacher). The Fellow is responsible for presenting and discussing children in care, Teaching Assistants (TAs) under supervision, ideas from readings, professional development, and personal experience.

3. Complying with and meeting the responsibilities listed below under the guidance of the assigned supervisors:
   1. The day-to-day implementation of ongoing school philosophy, policies and structure as presented in the Staff Orientation Guides (there are currently 4 documents), Lemberg Parent Guidebook, and/or as amended by supervisors.
   2. Planning, developing and implementing curriculum for the children as assigned by the Head Teachers. The curriculum shall include but not be limited to: social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, mathematical, science, physical development and creative expression. This information is to be recorded daily in a Lesson Plan book, and Daily Activities Report.
   3. Environmental planning as assigned by supervisors, which includes: design of school environment and periodic adjustment of the center as the children’s skills mature, awareness of the condition of the physical space, what repairs need to be made, and communication of this information to supervisors. The Fellow is responsible for keeping classroom supplies and teaching materials up to date, and organized.
   4. Maintaining an awareness of each child’s development and progress in conjunction with supervisors. The Fellow is expected to adjust the program to the needs of the children thus providing a balanced program for all children.
   5. At the discretion of supervisors, the Fellow may be assigned to formal conferencing with selected parents on their child’s progress or to meeting informally as needed. Formal conferences require the use of High Scope Online COR which includes information on the child’s adjustment to school, social skills, cognitive development, and maturation.
   6. After orientation and instruction in methods of supervision, the Fellow will assist in supervising the work and development of aides and TAs. The training will include:
      1. Performing scheduled classroom orientation and training seminars.
      2. Providing individual meetings with and attention to assigned TAs.
      3. On the job supervision and instruction for all TAs in classroom.
      4. Doing performance evaluations of assigned TAs.
4. Participation in team teaching situations, i.e. younger and older, AM and PM.
5. It is expected that the Teaching Fellow will maintain a journal or weekly diary with reflections on children, classroom, and self-evaluation.
6. The Fellow will maintain a library in ECE and will update personal portfolio with materials from their work at the Center. The Fellow will maintain his/her professional status and keep informed of developments in ECE curriculum and policy.
7. When a Head Teacher is absent or on vacation, the Fellow takes over the teacher’s responsibilities. The Head Teacher with the approval of the Executive Director, will schedule the working hours and plan with the Fellow the day/week’s activities.

If you have any questions regarding the Teaching Fellow Job Description, contact the Executive Director or your Supervising Teacher(s).

Educational Obligations of the Supervisor to the Fellow

First Year – First Semester

1. Orientation to community and introduction to parents and TAs.
2. Orientation and guidance to familiarize Fellow with policies and procedures of the classroom and community.
3. Guidance in TA supervision.
4. Guidance in Lemberg methods for daily reporting to parents.
5. Train Fellow in the use of High Scope Online COR and recording instruments.
6. Regular review of the Fellow’s Lesson Plans.
7. Regular review of a journal of reflections on classroom and self-assessment.

First Year – Second Semester

1. Continue with First Semester tasks as required by the supervising Head Teachers.
2. Train the Fellow in procedures for doing formal evaluations of children and reporting to parents at formal conferences. The Fellow will sit in on conferences when possible.
3. Observe the Fellow in on-going and formal conferences with up to three TAs.
4. Supervise the Fellow’s use of NAEYC Standards, ECERS or ITERS.

Second Year – First Semester

1. Continue with First Year tasks as assigned by supervisors.
2. The supervisor will assign one or more families to the Fellow and observe or support conferences done by the Fellow.
3. Observe and supervise the Fellow’s work with parents and his/her formal parent/teacher conferences.
4. Provide assistance to the Fellow’s career plans such as employment references or graduate school admissions.

Second Year – Second Semester

1. Continue with First Year and Second Year assigned tasks.
2. The Program Directors and/or the Executive Director will provide orientation and guidance in Child Care Administration.
3. Provide assistance and career advancement in Early Care and Education.