The Harmony School at Beth David
At The Harmony School, childhood is a time of delight, wonder, and discovery. Nestled in the woods with sunlit classrooms and a nature playground, our intimate, play-based preschool offers an emergent curriculum rich with art, music, movement, storytelling, and hands-on exploration. Rooted in Jewish values and culture while celebrating diverse stories and identities, we cultivate a joyful community grounded in connection, compassion, and belonging—embracing who children are and making space for who they're becoming. The Harmony School will open in Fall 2026 with one mixed-age class (ages 2–5).
Beth David Reform Congregation is a long-established hub for inclusive values, diversity, and welcoming families and young children. Now we are expanding our educational offerings to open a preschool! This Jewish synagogue in Gladwyne, PA is a space of close-knit community and care, dedicated to recognizing everyone as contributors and learners. Our members come from diverse backgrounds, including multicultural and interfaith families, and we embrace multiple pathways to engaging with Jewish tradition and spirituality.
General Position Description
The Preschool Co-Director / Lead Teacher is a senior leadership position within the Harmony School, with half of each day spent in the classroom as the lead teacher, and the other half as the co-director of the school. This position reports to and collaborates closely with the Director of Early Childhood Programs, who is full-time and will be responsible for many of the traditional Director responsibilities.
We are seeking someone with start-up energy to be the first to fill this role. This person should be a creative thinker and problem solver with desire and drive to be on the ground floor of creating this new school; your voice and knowledge will play a large role in developing the shape of this preschool. Throughout this spring and early summer, work will be part time with some scheduling flexibility and will involve helping with compliance and generating policies and procedures, helping devise and host events to connect with the community, and collaborating with the Director of Early Childhood Education to create a warm, creative, inclusive, and responsive environment for staff and families. We welcome new ideas and innovative thinking!
Beginning in August, this role will be full time, and as The Harmony School reaches two full classes and beyond over the next couple years, we will have capacity for both a full-time Co-Director (without a daily teaching component), and a full-time Lead Teacher. The person first filling this half/half role will be able to move to the position best suited to them as we hire more staff.
Foundations of Our Work Culture
- We foster a sense of belonging and care, including all staff, families, and children.
- We prioritize Jewish values including joy, curiosity, and kindness into our work and workplace culture.
- We integrate social justice, especially around race, gender, and disability, into our work and working relationships.
- We represent and model the philosophy, language, and practices of The Harmony School in all interactions with staff, parents, and children.
Key Administrative Responsibilities
After mornings in the classroom, afternoons will primarily be focused on administrative aspects of the position. During the first one to two years, while splitting time between teaching and administration, these responsibilities will be shared with the Director of Early Childhood Programming. In the future, the Co-Director will be responsible for the full set of administrative responsibilities listed below.
- Co-evolve and maintain the school's mission and strategic plan in alignment with state and local requirements
- Support staff hiring, training, and evaluation (minimum two annual reviews per staff member)
- Ensure adherence to planned activities, hygiene, safety, illness, and emergency procedures per PA Code
- Manage professional development for staff and yourself, including facilitated PD sessions and ongoing DEI learning
- Communicate regularly with families through conversations, newsletters, and handbooks
- Oversee family programming for the broader community (after-school classes, parent workshops, events)
- Maintain compliance with regulatory agencies and legal/financial requirements
Key Teaching Responsibilities
Generally, the Co-Director / Lead Teacher will spend mornings in the classroom each day. Time will be provided in the weekly schedule for lesson planning and working with your co-teachers as well. We are open to hiring someone who is excited to grow into some of these skills.
- Teach mixed-age classroom (ages 2-5) with attention to diverse developmental needs
- Prepare and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum using The Creative Curriculum, and tuned to children’s emergent interests
- Integrate social justice concepts around race, gender, and disability in age-appropriate ways into the classroom, culture, and curriculum, and be able to answer questions and provoke thoughtfulness
- Integrate Jewish and multicultural holidays, customs, and traditions into the curriculum
- Lead teaching team through modeling, coaching, and collaboration
- Curate materials and maintain classroom supplies
- Lead bi-annual parent-teacher conferences
- Maintain healthy, safe classroom environment including hygiene and security standards
- Assist with diapering and toileting
- Maintain accurate records and files for students
Educational Requirements
- Master’s (preferred) or Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or human services.
- Alternatively, a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in another field with at least 30 credit hours in the above.
Additional Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Familiarity with Judaism and Jewish traditions appreciated but not required
- 3 years of supervisory experience (preferred, not required)
- 5 years of direct professional experience in an early childhood setting
- Strong oral and written communication skills and computer skills
- Steady energy and the ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents) and to foster a team environment
- Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills
- Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification
- Fire safety training
- Must clear full background checks and must pass health screening
Physical Expectations of the Job
- Ability to take frequent walks and to be actively engaged both indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
- Ability to use hands and fingers to manipulate objects, tools, or controls.
- Ability to maintain visual supervision of children at near and far distances.
- Ability to hear voices at many levels. Ability to communicate amongst many voices or noises.
- Ability to lift 50 lbs.
- Accommodations will be provided to the extent possible if needed for any of the above.
Compensation and Benefits
- Full Time position (~40 hours/week), on site minimum 30 hours/week
- Salary:$67,600 annually for the first school year
- Annual increases beyond cost-of-living aligned with school growth while holding this role. Target salary depends on this person transitioning to full-time Lead Teacher or full-time Co-Director.
- $13,000-$16,000 for part-time work during spring & summer 2026
- Benefit Package includes medical insurance, paid holidays, sick time, personal time, and funding for professional development
To Apply
- Please submit a resume and cover letter to: [email protected]
- Your cover letter should answer at least one of the following:
- What appeals to you about starting up a new preschool?
- What appeals to you about a combined teaching/administrative position?
- What appeals to you about working in a Jewish preschool?
- If writing is not where your voice best thrives, you may instead submit a short video “cover letter”
We will be conducting interviews in March, seeking to hire shortly thereafter.
Questions can be addressed to Sarah Gladwin Camp, Director of Early Childhood Programs: [email protected] or 610-896-7485 x150
NOTE: We will be hiring other teaching and staff roles this spring. Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in working with us in another capacity!
We are committed to building a staff reflecting the diversity of the Greater Philadelphia region and the Jewish community and encourage applications from those identifying as BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and/or disabled. Beth David Reform Congregation prides itself on being a space of many voices and conversations, making our culture richer. We want you to be part of that, and as such, are an equal opportunity employer selecting the team based on experience, merit, and shared goals.