Lead Therapeutic Child Development Teacher (3003)

Help children feel safe. Help them grow.

At Father Joe’s Villages, we believe every child deserves a place where they feel safe, valued, understood, and capable of succeeding. Our Therapeutic Childcare Program provides that kind of place for children and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability. We are looking for a Lead Therapeutic Child Development Teacher who is passionate about helping make it happen.

This is more than a classroom leadership position. It’s an opportunity to be a steady, caring, and encouraging presence in a child’s life during a time when consistency and connection can make an enormous difference. You'll spend your days teaching, nurturing, observing, encouraging, problem-solving, mentoring staff, partnering with families, and creating experiences that help children build confidence, resilience, social-emotional skills, and a sense of belonging.

What You'll Do

• Provide leadership for the classroom, creating a warm, predictable, and developmentally appropriate learning environment.

• Recognize opportunities to understand challenging behavior and respond in ways that support learning and connection.

• Establish clear expectations, routines, and healthy boundaries that help children feel secure and successful.

• Mentor team members in effective classroom practices, child development, positive behavior support, and therapeutic approaches.

• Communicate with families about children’s development, classroom experiences, strengths, and areas of need.

• Maintain accurate classroom records, observations, development documentation, and other required records.

• Contribute to program quality improvement efforts and help identify opportunities to strengthen classroom and child development practices.

Who Thrives in This Role?

You may be a great fit if you:

• Enjoy working with children and find meaning in helping them grow.

• Are warm and nurturing while also being confident, consistent, and able to set healthy boundaries.

• Stay calm and grounded when a child is dysregulated or having a difficult day.

• See challenging behavior as an opportunity to understand and teach

• Can balance compassion with structure, consistency, and accountability.

• Enjoy mentoring others and leading by example rather than simply giving directions.

• Are dependable, flexible, and willing to jump in wherever the team needs you.