The Co-op School was founded in 2003 by a group of parents who saw the need for a high-quality and affordable preschool option in the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene neighborhoods. Since then, the Co-op School has matured from a small, parent-run playgroup to a fully staffed and licensed non-profit school.

After residing in two prior homes in Clinton Hill, The Co-op School moved into 87 Irving Place in the fall of 2009. In 2011, The Co-op School launched the first kindergarten class of its elementary program at 40 Brevoort Place. In 2019, we opened our doors at 644 Gates Avenue in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood—in a 3,500-square-foot building with a double-height gym, a rooftop library, and two playgrounds—housing our preschool, lower school, and middle school students under one roof.

OUR MISSION

The mission of The Co-op School is to inspire passion and teach children to become protagonists in their own educational journey by fostering their innate sense of curiosity and creativity. The Co-op School facilitates joyful learning through a unique and rigorous constructivist approach that listens to and honors the individual interests and strengths of each child. The Co-op School doesn’t just belong to the students and educators but extends to the family community as a whole. It belongs to those who participate in it and is a more resilient and creative place because of it.

JOB SUMMARY

Lead classroom teachers promote the education of students by planning and delivering engaging units of study.  Create a safe and nurturing classroom environment conducive to learning and appropriate to the physical, social, and emotional development of students, utilizing a Responsive Classroom approach. 

Responsibilities

• Teaches students by planning and delivering units of study consistent with The Co-op School's mission and philosophy, emphasizing inquiry, creativity, and critical thinking.
• Creates differentiated classroom experiences by providing individual and small group instruction to achieve scaffolded support for all learners.
• Develops and delivers lesson plans that use a variety of techniques, group discussions, projects, exhibits, field trips, visual and library resources, and technology.
• Creates and supports a positive, safe, and nurturing classroom community utilizing Responsive Classroom.
• Consistently monitors and reports student achievement through formal and informal assessments, summative and formative.
• Assists students in analyzing and improving habits and attitudes of learning.
• Counsels students with academic challenges and draws on school resources for additional academic support.
• Keeps parents informed of all elements of student development, including academic performance, attendance, and social-emotional learning, through formal and informal communication methods such as conferences, both regularly scheduled and as-needed.
• Presents a positive role model for students that supports the mission of the school and demonstrates behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible.
• Collaborates with school staff in planning and implementing instructional goals, objectives, and methods according to school requirements.
• Provides student support services by assisting with transitions, recess, and lunch duty.
• Attends and participates in staff development programs, events, and meetings
• Attends faculty meetings, participates in educational opportunities, and reads professional publications.
• Demonstrates flexibility and a positive attitude toward new challenges and growth opportunities.
• Collaborate with teachers, coaches, and division heads to plan out and provide high-quality, relevant instruction to all children
• Actively participate in a learning community, including teacher committees that meet on a monthly basis, peer observations, planning meetings, and staff meetings, sometimes outside of school hours
• Use a variety of assessments to measure student learning and drive instruction
• Use student performance data to tailor and differentiate the curriculum to individual students and to determine small groupings and modifications
• Collaboratively plan interdisciplinary units of study
• Regularly communicate with families, students, and community partners through phone, face-to-face conversation, email, and blogs
• Integrate The Co-op School Values into classroom culture, units of study, and interactions with staff, families, and students
• Integrate the real world and the surrounding community into units of study, lessons, and classroom culture
• Maintain positive relationships with students, families, and colleagues
• Maintain confidentiality with student information and records
• Create a positive and safe classroom culture and community
• Participating in all professional development provided to the staff 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in Education/Master’s Degree in Education preferred
• Lead teaching experience preferred if no Master's degree in education

• Experience with varied reading programs in phonics and phonemic awareness
• Experience with a Math Curriculum that is common core aligned, along with math practices that push students to think, collaborate, and emphasize conceptual understanding
• Experience with or training in Responsive Classroom 
• Understands that students in a diverse classroom require differentiation to access concepts 
• Experience with inquiry-based learning, especially around social studies
• Experience interpreting and using multiple forms of data to inform instruction
• Knowledge and experience in developing and assessing curriculum
• Experience with the integration of instructional technology
• Excellent written communication, public speaking, and presentation skills

• Experience working with children with special needs as some students have IESPs
• Experience in Early Childhood Education (Including Pre-K through 2nd grade) 
• Experience with teaching through an anti-bias and anti-racist lens
• Commitment to diverse learning environments

Annual Salary:  The salary range for this position is $55,000 - $70,939; The position on the scale will be based on years of teaching experience and education.

Level: Union Full-Time position

Start Date: August 2026

This Position reports directly to the Upper School Division Head

TO APPLY: 

• Send your resume to the Director of Human Resources, Evelyn@thecoopschool.org

The Co-op School COVID-19 Vaccination Policy:

We appreciate your interest in employment at The Co-op School. We would like to note that the School has a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination is required.

The Co-op School is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, citizenship, national origin or ancestry, religion or religious practices, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, prior arrest or conviction record, genetic predisposition or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local laws. Our policy extends to all employment practices including but not limited to, hiring, transfer, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, lay-offs, and termination.

About The Co-Op School

We are a progressive constructivist program that teaches to the individualities of every child and every unique classroom. The Co-op School models its curriculum based on these following beliefs: Joyful learning lays the foundation for lifelong learning and critical thinking. Creativity cannot exist without passion. Children learn best when they are invested in finding out the answers to their questions and when learning is embedded in meaningful contexts, which makes learning fun and engaging. It is important to us to educate the entire child on all levels: emotional, social, physical, and intellectual. Students work as a group and think as individuals, expressing feelings and contributing ideas peacefully and respectfully. Students will leave The Co-op School confident in their ability to effect change in the community and comfortable reflecting on ways to challenge and grow themselves. As creative problem solvers, each with unique viewpoints and learning styles, students will embrace the idea of a more equitable world. We strive to inspire passion and teach children to become protagonists in their own educational journey by fostering their innate sense of curiosity and creativity.

Connections working at The Co-Op School