Brightpoint (formerly known as Children’s Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

As Lead Teacher, you will implement Head Start standards for children, age 0-3 or 3-5, and their families, ensuring that services are individualized and meet the social, emotional, developmental, and intellectual needs of your students. As an Early Childhood Education Center with both COA and NAEYC accreditation and ExceleRate Gold Circle of Quality designation, you’ll be proud to be part of the Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child & Family Center team, and with our cohesive team style and supportive, high-quality supervision, you’ll look forward to coming back each day.

Candidate qualifications:

For Lead Teacher 0-3 year olds:

Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with a minimum of 24 hours of Early Childhood Education classes required. Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Early Childhood Education Level 5 Credential required. Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Infant Toddler Level 5 Credential required. A minimum of two years working with children and/or families required.

For Lead Teacher 3-5 year olds:

Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with a minimum of 24 hours of Early Childhood Education classes required. Illinois Professional Educators License (PEL) required or must be obtained within 24 months of employment. Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Early Childhood Education Level 5 Credential required. A minimum of two years working with children and/or families required.

(Candidates without the required degree/credentials may be considered with an approved educational plan).

Job details:

Compensation: Range starts at $60,000; offers are commensurate with experience. Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, three scheduled weeks of paid time off each year (Spring, Summer, Winter), and additional flexible paid leave that accrues based on tenure; 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match, (more benefit details here).  Location: Classroom setting Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child & Family Center. Schedule: Full-time, salaried; center is open Mon-Fri, 7:30am-5:30pm; assigned shifts will vary. Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Where you work matters.

We believe that by building diverse and inclusive teams of passionate advocates for youth and families, we can continue to show up for Illinois families, putting those families at the center of every decision, and strengthening the communities where we all work, play, and live together. (More about who we are here.)

We invite you to become an active member of a team that supports, inspires, and challenges each other, and grow your career in an organization that celebrates emerging leaders and provides development and learning opportunities aligned with your individual goals and aspirations. If you are looking for an opportunity to do meaningful work, including raising your unique and authentic voice to disrupt the systemic inequality impacting children and families, we encourage you to apply today.  

Click here to review our agency’s Blueprint for Impact.

Brightpoint is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. All employment activities are conducted in an equal and equitable fashion. The Agency prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, veteran status, source of income, and any other legally protected category in the recruitment, selection, hiring, determination of salary level and benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment.