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 instructional blocks that cultivate joy, emotional security, and quantifiable developmental progress
• Establish a movement- and sensory-responsive classroom environment that sustains high engagement and enables four-year-olds to learn across diverse modalities
• Conduct real-time observation and documentation: Record same-day, objective observations aligned 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 threshold and design responsive instructional strategies
• Create individualized, interest-driven activity modifications grounded in each child's motivations, integrate one targeted developmental objective, and reassess outcomes within two weeks
• Support children through moments of frustration by employing calm co-regulation and emotional coaching instead of reactive behavior management
• Share student progress, daily routines, and emerging developmental observations clearly and proactively with families

• Approach PreK as custodial care instead of purposeful early education
• Default to scripted worksheets or compliance-focused instruction as your primary teaching method
• Allocate the majority of your time supervising academic applications rather than facilitating live, tactile learning experiences
• Apply reactive behavior management instead of calm co-regulation and emotional coaching

Ensure NYC Pre-K children develop a genuine love of school while exhibiting accelerated early-learning growth through purposeful play.

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, OR CDA/Montessori/Reggio credential
• At least 2 years of experience working with 3–5-year-olds in a structured group environment (classroom setting, not exclusively individual care)
• Documented success leading play-based instruction that produces measurable developmental advancement
• Confirmed ability to record developmental milestones objectively and reliably on a weekly schedule using a structured system or rubric
• Excellent relationship-building and emotional perception: Capacity to establish trust rapidly, interpret emotional signals precisely, and apply personalized motivators to activate engagement
• Co-regulation and frustration support: Assist children through emotional escalations using calm demonstration and systematic emotional coaching
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Available to work full-time on-site in New York City, NY