Dare County Schools 

Title:   NCPK Teacher

School: TBD

Reports to:   Principal and Director of NCPK

Salary: State Salary Plus Local Supplement

QUALIFICATIONS:  

All teachers shall hold, or be working toward a North Carolina (NC) Birth through Kindergarten (B-K) Continuing License or B-K or Pre-K/K Add-on License issued by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Teachers working toward the required education and license shall meet the requirements specified by the NC PreK program.

SUPERVISES: 

 Coordinates and directs the activities of the teacher assistant assigned

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

The NC Pre-K program is designed to provide high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible four-year-old children. The program focuses on five of the developmental domains critical to children’s overall well-being and success in reading and math as they enter school.  The program serves year-olds who meet at least one of the following criteria:  

• The child is from a family whose gross income is at or below 75% of the State Median Income (SMI). (Children of certain military families are also eligible without regard to income.) or
• The child is from a family whose income exceeds the 75% SMI and they have documented risk factors in specific categories including developmental disability, Limited English Proficiency, educational need, or chronic health condition.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Teacher is required to follow all Board Policies and procedures and to comply with the NC Pre-K Program requirements regarding instructional practices and ensuring the classroom environment meets standards established through NC PreK and the ECERS (Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale). The teacher must also have the ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all children including at-risk, special needs, gifted and culturally diverse populations.

This position involves providing high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible four-year-olds that comply with the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education and NC Pre-K requirements and the Head Start Performance Standards

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Participate in professional development activities required to maintain NC B-K licensure. 
• Manage classroom activities while ensuring compliance with NC Division of Child Development and Early Education- goals and objectives of the current NC Pre-K curriculum including progress toward School Readiness Goals
• Build and maintain a positive, nurturing, and supportive relationship with the children and families
• Plan and implement learning experiences that address physical health and development, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, logic and reasoning skills, language, literacy, mathematics knowledge and skills, science knowledge and skills, creative arts expression, and social studies knowledge and skills
• Plan and implement experiences to support English language development, including ESL students
• Conduct ongoing assessment of the growth and development of assigned children to inform instruction and measure progress toward School Readiness Goals; plan an individualized curriculum to meet specific needs of children including children with disabilities
• Arrange for children to be outdoors each and every day, for a minimum of one hour, weather permitting.  The outdoor classroom is considered an extension of the learning environment.
• Both indoor and outdoor environments shall address curricular objectives by encouraging child-initiated, teacher-supported, active learning experiences
• Communicate with parents and encourage their input regarding the growth and development of their children
• Conduct two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences per child per year
• Establish and maintain procedures to support successful transitions for enrolled children and families into and out of NC Pre-K including a transition to kindergarten
• Participate in developing and implementing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for those children who meet the appropriate criteria for having such a plan.
• Maintain a safe and healthy environment in the classroom and on the playground; report safety hazards and/or equipment needs to the building administrator
• Follow health and safety procedures for hand washing, toileting, handling bodily fluids, sanitizing toys and equipment, administering medication, serving food, dealing with children's illnesses, and supervising children
• Complete timely, neat, accurate documentation of screenings, assessments, individualized plans, attendance, feedings, daily activity logs for parents, home visits, and other documentation as may be deemed necessary for providing quality services

Further, the teacher will ensure the following.

1. Arrival at school each day at an appropriate time designated by the principal ready and prepared to complete all assigned duties.
2. When the employee is absent, completion of detailed plans for all classes/assigned duties during the period of absence. If an absence can be anticipated, plans should be left the day before the absence occurs. Because absences cannot always be anticipated, emergency lesson plans should be kept on file in a location designated by the principal.
3. Delivery of instruction that will ensure attainment of educational goals and objectives. Each teacher will prepare daily well-prepared lesson plans to ensure superior delivery of the curriculum program.
4. Teachers and other licensed employees will participate in all required staff meetings and student academic meetings, including required meetings for students with special needs, in a professional manner.
5. Teachers and other licensed employees will complete and transmit all required reports and other documentation in a timely and professional manner.
6. Teachers and other licensed employees will respond to all parent inquiries, complaints and/or concerns in a timely and professional manner.
7. Teachers and other licensed employees should direct complaints regarding the work environment to the appropriate supervisor(s). Further, they should avoid confrontations with co-workers, including but not limited to, engaging in actions or conversations which the employee knows or should know will result in an actual disruption.
8. Teachers and other licensed employees will manage students’ behavior to minimize disruption to the educational environment and refer students, as necessary, to the administration for disciplinary action.
9. Teachers and other licensed employees are responsible for seeking clarification whenever unsure about any requirements outlined in the policy.

The failure or unwillingness of a teacher to comply with professional standards of conduct and performance may result in contract non-renewal or disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from employment. In all matters concerning a teacher’s compliance with policy, consideration shall be given to the impact on the education of a student or group of students and on the overall educational environment of the school.