The UPK Teacher is a member of an early education team that provides educational programming for preschool children at the ESM Park Hill preschool. The UPK Co-Teacher is responsible for implementation of UPK curriculum in compliance with East Syracuse Minoa School District guidelines, collaborates with the Elmcrest Special Education Teacher to co-teach the class, and directly supervises teaching assistants in the classroom.
Responsibilities:
- Plan, implement and evaluate developmentally appropriate early education programming in conjunction with the teaching team to ensure compliance with the program curriculum, Elmcrest, and East Syracuse Minoa School District guidelines
- Develop professional, positive, and productive relationships with children, families, agency staff, visitors, outside agencies, and the general public
- Express a supportive and caring demeanor to relate sensitively to children, families, and program staff
- Create a welcoming, clean and orderly classroom environment that is culturally responsive and fosters high expectations for children
- Implement positive classroom management strategies for effective functioning of the classroom and to promote positive student-teacher interactions
- In collaboration with the Special Education Teacher, develop and implement weekly written lesson plans that follow the East Syracuse Minoa UPK curriculum and reflect instructional activities for all aspects of the school day, including large group, small group, and learning center times
- Actively engage with children through conversation and play at all times of the day, in a way that is developmentally appropriate and on their level (e.g., on the floor)
- Monitor children’s development and learning with ongoing assessment strategies and data tracking, and adjust teaching practices as needed based on the assessments and data monitoring
- Use available resources to differentiate teaching and modify the environment to address the individual needs of children
- Complete paperwork in a timely manner as required for Elmcrest and the East Syracuse Minoa School District UPK Program
- Provide regular feedback, information, and support for parents, including at minimum yearly conferences to discuss developmental and pre-academic progress
- Attend assigned meetings and facilitate classroom team meetings on a regular schedule
- Supervise paraprofessionals in the classroom to ensure appropriate interactions with children, and coordinate the assignment of paraprofessionals to meet the programmatic and individual needs of the classroom
- Attend training/conferences for continuing professional development
- Follow all State Education regulations and East Syracuse Minoa regulations, as well as agency and program policies and procedures
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the ESM/Park Hill Early Education Program Administrator
