Job Description
Position: Early Childhood Lead Teacher
Posting Dates: May 27, 2026� Until Filled
Reports To: Riley Farms & Woodside Elementary Principals
Beginning: August 17, 2026
- Qualifications:
- Educational Background: Possess a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or child development with a specialization in preschool teaching. Alternatively, a valid Michigan teaching certificate with an Early Childhood Education (ZA) or Early Childhood-General and Special Education (ZS) endorsement
- Certifications: Hold current certifications in CPR and First Aid. (will provide training)
- Training: Willingness to complete all healthy and safety requirements as mandated by LARA licensing by the State of Michigan.
Experience: Prior teaching experience with preschool-aged children, especially those considered at-risk, is preferred. Familiarity with research-based preschool curriculum and knowledge of Michigan's Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Pre-Kindergarten (ECSQ-PK) are preferred.
Job Responsibilities:
- Plan and execute developmentally appropriate lessons using Creative Curriculum, ensuring alignment with GSRP guidelines and West Ottawa District expectations.
- Conduct screenings and ongoing assessments to tailor instructional support to each child's needs. (ASQ, PELI, TS GOLD)
- Maintain a safe, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment that fosters social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development
- Engage with families through home visits, conferences, and school events to support children's educational experiences
Work collaboratively with associate teachers and staff, participating in meetings and professional development to enhance program quality
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:
- Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
- Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.
- Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
- Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken work; those activities where detailed or import spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
- Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.
- Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
- The worker is subject to environmental conditions.
- The worker should provide consistent and reliable in-person attendance.