Under the direction of the Program Director, with oversight from Associate Executive Director/Executive Director, the Preschool Lead Instructor is responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of providing a high-quality educational experience. This includes maintaining the physical appearance of the classroom to meet Licensing standards. The Lead will supervise and train assistant(s) to comply with the YMCA's policies, procedures, and philosophy of education. The individual in this position will act as a liaison between the Program Director and families participating in the program. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: * Plans and conducts developmentally appropriate daily activities for children. * Has a strong knowledge of all aspects of the daily routine and anticipates the needs of the children. * Guides the children's behavior and learning through active interaction and implementation of curriculum and lesson plans. * Maintains accurate records for potential licensing and funding agencies. * Maintains a safe, clean, pleasant physical environment conducive to optimal growth and development of children. * Appreciates the diversity of families and knows how to share with them information effectively and appropriately about their child. * Knows and follows all emergency policies and procedures. * Supervises children during indoor-outdoor activities, handwashing, and toileting. * Conducts parent conferences with individual parents at least twice yearly to report on child's progress, discuss concerns with parents and act on those concerns. * Greets each child and parent upon arrival. * Visually scans each child upon arrival and checks for illness, disease, or any physical impairment. Notes in daily health check report. * Conducts daily/weekly observations and assessments on children. * Conducts developmental assessments on children. * Ensures completion of all classroom records. * Attends staff meetings and contributes to the meeting. * Attends staff training and YMCA special events. * Additional duties as required and assigned by a supervisor to support the overall mission of the YMCA and to ensure the success of the program. Education/ Experience Required: * Must be 21 years of age or older. * Minimum High School Diploma or GED, Child Development Associate (CDA); Associates or Bachelors in related field; AND/OR equivalent experience. * 45 DCF Training Hours preferred or obtained within one year of employment. * Must have a minimum of one year's experience working in an early learning/preschool/childcare setting; licensed childcare experience a plus. * Must be able to work cooperatively with children, parents, and peers; demonstrate character, integrity, adaptability, and patience in communicating with others. * Strong computer skills. * Strong verbal and written communication skills. * Bilingual English/Spanish a plus. * Any additional mandatory or assigned training. Certifications/Trainings Required: * Must obtain within 30 days of employment and then maintain current certifications in CPR, AED and First Aid. * 45 DCF Training Hours preferred or obtained within one year of employment. * Maintain other required certifications as stated in the training matrix. WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job includes, but not limited to: * The employee needs sufficient strength, agility, and mobility to perform essential functions and to supervise program activities in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor locations. * While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time and be able to communicate using a computer and authorized work phone/smart device. * Ability to instruct and observe participants during program activities. * The employee frequently is required to see, observe, and hear all participants, and make sound judgments and decisions. * Ability to perform all physical aspects of the position, including, but not limited to, leading class, walking, standing, bending, reaching, and lifting. * Ability to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment. * Hear noises and distress signals in the program environment, including in the classroom and anywhere around the zone of responsibility. * Must have flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. * Ability to lift and move a minimum of 30 pounds. * Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. * Ability to work in a variety of environments, specifically those subject to extreme humidity/dampness, heat and cold. * The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high. * This position requires reliable transportation and a willingness to travel, if needed. * This position may require availability to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed. ACCOUNTABILITY: Accountable for completion of assigned goals as measured by the number of people served, cause driven measures, service satisfaction scores, operating results, and supervisor evaluation of assigned duties. Accountable for attaining and exceeding all State licensing standards as well as Association Operating Guidelines.