Special Education Preschool Teacher

Are you a warm, engaged early childhood educator who leads with heart, empathy, patience, and an unwavering commitment to helping your students grow and flourish?

Do you want to help create learning environments and experiences that celebrate strengths, support needs, maximize success, and build lasting self-worth for autistic and neurodivergent children?

As a Special Education Preschool Teacher, you’ll have the great privilege of building a solid foundation for the children in your classroom. By designing and delivering highly customized instruction grounded in evidence-based practices, you will work to help children achieve IEP goals while cultivating a deep sense of self in each student that can catalyze progress for years to come. Whatever the combination of developmental, communication, social-emotional, and academic needs might look like for each child, you will have the opportunity to work with a collaborative interdisciplinary team to shape future outcomes. This is purpose‑driven work that is deeply rooted in our mission of optimizing quality of life for individuals with autism. In this position, you can align with values that probably inspired you to enter this profession - and make a profoundly meaningful impact.

Playing such an instrumental role in early childhood education also presents a special opportunity to build relationships with families. As an expert resource, you’ll have the rewarding work of empowering them with tools and strategies to more effectively and confidently enrich life for the children they love.

And as part of our team at Anderson, you will likewise have the chance to fully thrive! Robust benefits, generous time off, retirement plans with employer contributions, and career advancement pathways await; joining our team means that you can enhance your own journey as you do the same for others!

What You Will Do as a Special Education Preschool Teacher:

• You will help create a supportive, engaging, and structured learning environment where young children with autism can grow and thrive.
• You will develop and maintain evidence-based classroom systems and multi-tiered positive behavior systems to promote classroom management and a strong classroom learning environment.
• You will demonstrate excellent time management skills, maintaining high standards for organization and management of materials, equipment, paperwork, and schedules.
• You will prepare, deliver, and assess individual and group instruction on a daily basis.
• You will develop and evaluate results in the context of student IEP goals and objectives, and conduct training when needed.
• You will utilize behavioral supports to drive student learning and skills development success.
• You will help cultivate a collaborative, cohesive classroom team experience focused on actively addressing student learning, communication, social skills, and behavioral needs.
• You will provide direct supervision, and guidance as needed, to all Teacher’s Aides.
• You will be responsible for initiating routine parent/guardian communication and parent/guardian education opportunities, building a partnership between families and schools while setting the stage for generalization of student skills across settings.
• You will help foster a culture of unconditional positive regard that maximizes strengths while effectively navigating any challenges that arise, ultimately doing what you can to ensure that students have the tools needed to experience greater self-confidence and success, now and in the future.

What You Can Bring to the Team:

• Dependability, compassion, integrity, creativity, adaptability, perseverance, and a genuine desire to foster a sense of belonging and feelings of self-worth for students with autism and other disabilities or neurodiversities.
• Strong communication, organizational, collaborative, interpersonal, teaching, and problem-solving skills.
• Deep understanding of evidence-based practices, neurodiversity-affirming frameworks, and sensory sensitivities.
• Alignment with our mission and values.
• A commitment to coaching and training colleagues and family members.
• Genuine interest in evidence-based practices, and a passion for early childhood education.

Additional Requirements:

• Master's Degree in Special Education and Initial/Professional NYS Certification in Students with Disabilities Birth-2nd
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Special Education and Certificate of Qualification or Provisional Certification in Special Education with a commitment to pursue Master's in Special Education at the rate of at least 6 credits per year and achieve Birth-2nd SWD NYS Certification.
• Ability to perform and assist in agency crisis intervention procedures
• Commitment to student safety and emergency preparedness
• Complete agency training.
• Fulfill all mandated reporting requirements, ensure compliance with agency policies, and adhere to organizational protocols.

Anderson’s QUALITY OF LIFE Expectation:
To actively support Anderson’s mission by promoting and enhancing the quality of life (QofL) of the individuals we serve through thoughtful, comprehensive, and person-centered practices.

A Benefits Package Designed to Optimize YOUR Quality of Life Too:

• Follows Academic Calendar with paid time off and recess days (Winter & Spring Break, school holidays, etc.)
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match and annual contribution
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Wellness program
• Ongoing professional development
• Discounted tuition at select colleges/universities
• Scholarship program for those seeking educational experiences aligned with the role (*restrictions apply)
• Invitations to staff appreciation events and experiences

And much, much more!
To get a better understanding of the benefits that will be available to you, visit andersoncenterforautism.org/benefit.

Pay Range: $54,859 – $62,699 (based on education and NYS certification)
Location: Anderson Early Learning Academy - Latham, New York
Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Ready to Bring Your Purpose to Life?
A bright future for you begins here at Anderson Center for Autism.
Open the door to a rewarding career with advancement opportunities; expand possibilities for yourself AND for individuals with autism, their families, your colleagues, our cause, and society as a whole!

Apply today. You’ll contribute to a meaningful mission, now and for years to come!

Life as Part of our Anderson Center for Autism Team
If you are looking to build a career that brings you a deep sense of purpose and a high quality of life, Anderson Center for Autism might be just the landing place you’ve envisioned.

Here you will enjoy a supportive, friendly work environment that values your ideas and insights, provides rewarding mentorship experiences, and opens doors to new professional opportunities that can transform your journey.

And by working at Anderson, you will be part of a movement so much bigger than all of us. Founded over 100 years ago (in 1924), our award-winning, evidence-based educational, vocational, residential, clinical, and consulting/training programs have successfully optimized the quality of life for individuals with autism for decades now. In addition, we work every day to cultivate a broader culture of acceptance in society, further adding to the legacy of compassion for which we have come to be known throughout the country and around the world.

In addition to a rewarding career experience, as part of our team you’ll also enjoy competitive pay, a generous retirement plan (including employer match and annual contribution), abundant vacation time, robust benefits, ongoing opportunities for learning and advancement, wellness programs, staff appreciation events, and a chance to work alongside wonderful professionals in a positive environment.

Our Mission at Anderson Center for Autism: To optimize the quality of life for individuals with autism.

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This position description in no way states or implies that the responsibilities listed are the only duties to be performed by the person filling this position. The person in the position may be required to perform other duties as necessitated by the situation or requested by his/her supervisor.

Our organization is committed to providing a diverse workforce by ensuring that discrimination barriers to equal employment opportunity and upward mobility do not exist here. Equal opportunity means employment, development, and promotion of individuals without consideration of race, color, disability, religion, age, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship or immigration status, unless there is a bona fide occupational requirement which excludes a person in one of these protected groups. Our organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

EOE