Pre-Kindergarten Guide

$120,000 USD/year ^{Pay is set based on global value, not the local market. Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks}  ($60 USD/hour)

• Plan and lead 30–60 minute play-based learning sessions that foster joy, emotional safety, and quantifiable developmental progress
• Establish a movement- and sensory-responsive classroom environment that sustains high engagement and enables four-year-olds to learn across multiple modalities
• Observe and record in real time: Collect same-day, objective observations linked to developmental domains, then refresh each child's milestone tracking weekly
• Leverage data to inform teaching: Review weekly documentation to pinpoint each child's next developmental edge and design responsive instructional moves
• Create individualized, interest-driven activity modifications grounded in each child's motivations, integrate one focused developmental target, and reassess outcomes within two weeks
• Support children through frustration using calm co-regulation and emotional coaching instead of reactive behavior management
• Share student progress, daily routines, and emerging concerns transparently and proactively with families

• Approach PreK as childcare instead of intentional early education
• Default to scripted worksheets or compliance-driven teaching methods
• Spend most of your time supervising academic apps rather than facilitating live, hands-on learning
• Apply reactive behavior control instead of calm co-regulation and emotional coaching

Ensure NYC Pre-K children develop a love for school while exhibiting accelerated early-learning growth through intentional play.

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, OR CDA/Montessori/Reggio credential
• Minimum 2 years of experience working with 3–5-year-olds in a structured group setting (classroom, not solely one-on-one care)
• Demonstrated success leading play-based learning that produces observable developmental growth
• Proven capacity to document developmental milestones objectively and consistently on a weekly basis using a structured framework or rubric
• Strong relationship-building and emotional attunement: Capacity to establish trust rapidly, interpret emotional cues accurately, and apply individualized motivators to drive engagement
• Co-regulation and frustration scaffolding: Support children through emotional surges using calm modeling and structured emotional coaching
• Eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Ability to work full-time on-site in New York City, NY