Jumpstart Team Leader

Applications are now live for the 2023-2024service term! 15 positions will remain open until filled. Application priority deadline is April 24, 2023. Start date is September 27, 2023. 

A Jumpstart team leader collaborates on a team of Jumpstart members to provide educational activities to young children and families. Responsibilities include planning and implementing effective Jumpstart classroom activities using the Jumpstart curriculum, facilitating team meetings, and coaching members to use developmentally appropriate practices with young children. The team leader plays a variety of roles, including coach, trainer, and observer and is essential to making Jumpstart a high quality program. This position serves vulnerable populations, i.e. preschool children.

Missed the Spring 2023 Team Leader Info Sessions? View the slides and recording here.

COVID-19 Vaccination now a condition of employment

The University of Washington requires all employees, whether on-site or remote, to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment unless a documented medical or religious exemption is approved. The UW allows for reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons as outlined here. A philosophical reason is not an acceptable exemption reason. Please note that all preschools that Jumpstart partner with require proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Some sites do not accept exemption notes, regardless of reasoning, so please expect Site Managers or preschool staff to ask for this. 

Description

Team leaders complete an intensive commitment and make a substantial impact in the life of young children. During the school year, Team Leaders serve 300 hours, 12-19 hours per week by fulfilling the following responsibilities in two main settings: 

Essential Functions 

Overall

  • Able to verbally communicate with peers, Jumpstart staff, children, children’s families and classroom teachers and model appropriate interactions for team members.
  • Able to facilitate connections between members and children’s families including multiple means of communication (notes, newsletters, in-person conversations, etc.). 
  • Able to professionally represent Jumpstart at partner early childhood center when questions and concerns arise for the team.  
  • Able to arrange their own transportation to service site in a timely and reliable fashion.

In the classroom

  • Able to interact with preschool-age children at their level in a classroom setting with high activity and noise levels and other varying environmental conditions. Interaction includes being able to move around the classroom to participate in various activities with the children. 
  • Able to participate fully in and lead a team of peers in implementing Jumpstart programming - two times per week for two hours each, totaling four hours a week. This classroom time includes a variety of activities in a consistent routine such as reading, small and large group activities, and facilitating centers. Team leaders lead and/or manage some of these activities and ensure that programming follows Jumpstart guidelines.
  • Able to see both print and illustrations in order to read children’s books.
  • Able to hear children and adults in order to participate in back and forth conversations.
  • Able to demonstrate effective reading skills in English in order to implement Jumpstart programming. Includes reading children’s books, song charts, and materials in the classroom.
  • Able to demonstrate effective writing skills in English in order to implement the Jumpstart program. Includes writing children’s names and demonstrating how to write words and letters for children. 

Outside the classroom

  • Able to participate fully in 30+ hours of pre-service (including additional team leader training) and 10+ hours of on-going in-service trainings, and weekly team leader meetings, broken down in 1/2-8 hour increments/ exact increments will vary. Trainings are delivered in a variety of formats including web-based trainings, group in-person trainings, PowerPoint presentations, small group discussions, and role-plays.
  • Able to lead a team of peers during 1+ hour team planning meetings and classroom activity preparation 2-3 times per week, which includes demonstration, planning, reflection, and/or training, for a total of 2-5 hours per week, working with other members in a small group to reflect on and plan for weekly classroom activities.
  • Able to complete 1-5 hours weekly of individual planning and preparation for Jumpstart classroom activities. This includes preparing for team leader-led elements (such as Group Meeting) and gathering materials for classroom activities.  
  • Able to demonstrate effective reading skills in English in order to participate in the Jumpstart program. Includes reading lesson plans and training manuals. 
  • Able to demonstrate effective writing skills in English in order to participate in the Jumpstart program. Includes writing reflections and written responses to questions in training.

 

Marginal Functions

  • Able to participate fully in 2-5 hours each week in additional individual classroom service, implementing individualized activities with children and supporting teacher-led activities. This participation involves working with preschool-age children and other adults in a preschool classroom.
  • Able to attend periodic service days and events outside of regularly scheduled service, occasionally held on weekends. May involve leading one’s team in these activities.
  • Able to professionally and accurately represent Jumpstart at community meetings, if requested.

Required qualifications

Leadership 

  • Strong language and communication skills 
  • Experience in a leadership role, preferably with college students/peers
  • Ability to lead a team of diverse members to effectively plan and implement Jumpstart classroom activities in accordance with Jumpstart guidance
  • Ability to manage and prioritize time and multiple responsibilities 

Dedication to early childhood education

  • Experience working with young children, and/or a desire to learn more about early childhood education 
  • Strong language and communication skills
  • Ability to communicate and collaborate with children’s families
  • Willingness to learn about Jumpstart program implementation and planning
  • Willingness to implement Jumpstart’s research based curriculum with integrity 

Commitment to service

  • Community service experience and/ or a desire to serve in the community
  • Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
  • Ability to fulfill a yearlong community service commitment
  • Enthusiastic and positive attitude toward helping others
  • Willingness to learn and actively participate in social justice learning.

Professionalism

  • Ability to work well on a team to collaborate, communicate, and problem solve
  • Desire to seek opportunities for self and team growth 
  • Willingness to receive and provide feedback in an effort to improve quality of one’s service in the program
  • Availability, dependability, and willingness to be flexible in different contexts, such as in training, scheduling, in the classroom, with unexpected changes
  • Professionalism and good judgment in relating to Jumpstart peers, children, partners, and families 
  • Ability and openness to work with people from diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds

Desired skills and abilities

  • Bi-/multilingual/cultural
  • Lived in or familiar with communities Jumpstart typically serves (South Seattle, White Center, Highline). 
  • Successfully completed at least 1 year of Jumpstart experience as a Corps Member, experience working in preschool classrooms for more than 6 months, or majoring in ECFS or ECE
  • Training or experience in social justice and/or educational justice work

Compensation and employment benefits

  • Potential to earn a Federal Work Study award or stipend during term of service
  • AmeriCorps members will be eligible to receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon completion of their 300 hour service term 
  • Extensive training in the field of early childhood education
  • Unique opportunity to join a national network of individuals serving young children 
  • Invaluable opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children
  • Build mentor-like relationships with site managers and other CELE staff members
  • Opportunities to earn academic credit - meets service-learning requirements for most courses and LEAD 298 offered in Fall (2 credits) and Winter (2 credits)

Application questions

To apply: 

  1. View the Spring 2023 Team Leader slides and recording here
  2. Fill out an application: https://my.jstart.org/apply/
    1. Select "University of Washington"
    2. Select "Team Leader"
    3. Select "School Year" service term
    4. Select the correct school year you are applying for
  3. Join a Jumpstart General Info Session to meet a Site Manager and ask additional questions. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/LLH5L6HpbUwKcvX5A 
  4. Applicants who move onto the next round will be invited via email by a Site Manager to attend an individual or group interview

View full Team Leader position description here.

Interview Agenda

  • Introductions
  • Reading Activity
  • Questions for you
  • Questions for us
  • Next Steps
  • Written Reflection instructions (post-interview)

Jumpstart is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, mental or physical disability or handicap, medical condition, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), sex, gender, marital or parental status, amnesty, political affiliation, veteran status, military service, sex stereotyping (including assumptions about a person’s appearance or behavior, gender roles, gender expression, or gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The Organization is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.