About Us

We exist to partner with you in surrounding your child with a loving, experience-rich environment in which to grow and in helping to equip them with a joy for learning in all developmental areas – physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.

Goals

Provide each child with staff who not only value interacting with them but are also educated, skilled, professional, creative and personable

Promote the acceptance of all children and model an environment of respect for each other

Promote the understanding of learning through play

Assist children in learning to think for themselves and develop problem-solving skills

Be available to parents, supporting their desire to raise capable, emotionally strong, children

Teach by our lives, and from the Bible; the truth that God loves each one of us, that Jesus is our Savior and friend, and that God’s Holy Spirit can lead us

Maintain low teacher/child ratios allowing for more learning interaction and care for each child

Give parents the opportunity to share in their child’s day at Little Lights

Value each member of our staff for their contribution and effectiveness to our team in serving children and their families

Little Lights' Focus

Partnering with parents in providing growth opportunities for each child in an experience-rich environment, involving all areas of development, including the knowledge of God’s love through Jesus.

Our Team


Director	Margaret Rodenberger
Assistant Director	Michelle Kurtz
Pre-K Teachers	Angela Dean
	Elizabeth Barnes
	Darla Koci
	Michelle Kurtz
Preschool Teachers	Kat Williams
	Lauren Morrison
	Lindsay Cowdery
	Michelle Kurtz
Accounting Specialist	Angela Dean
Medical Consultant	Jenny Dreyer, RN

Board of Directors

Name	Field of Experience	Email
Arlene Masterson	Early Childhood Tchr, Past Director	info@littlelights-christian.org
Margaret Rodenberger	Director of Little Lights, PreK Tchr	info@littlelights-christian.org
Angela Dean	Kindergarten Tchr, Retired	info@littlelights-christian.org
Kaitlin Cash	Kindergarten Tchr, Current	info@littlelights-christian.org
Michelle Kurtz	Early Childhd Professional	info@littlelights-christian.org

Parents Say........

We absolutely love Little Lights! Thank you to you and all of the teachers there for pouring into our girls...we are forever grateful for their incredible preschool years. Danielle S.

We truly appreciate the thoughtfulness, care, teachings and songs that Ellie sings around the house and car. Reminding us what a wonderful school you have there. Thank you! Brian F.

More About Us

Little Lights Christian Early Learning Center is a non-profit, early childhood education center, which provides a developmentally appropriate learning environment for children 2 1/2 thru 6 years of age, helping prepare them for Kindergarten and life-long learning. We welcome all children who can benefit from our program.

Preschool/Pre-K sessions are offered during the school year, September through May and Summer Fun sessions during June/July/August. Also available is our year-round Full Day program.

We exist to partner with you in surrounding your child with a loving, experience-rich environment in which to grow. Affirming that a child's greatest resource for love, growth, and development is with their parent, we are here to help meet your child's growing needs and to provide additional learning opportunities.

We believe that learning results from emerging thinking abilities and the impact of the environment. This "environment" must include the nurturing of significant adults by their timely intervention in a thoughtful progression of learning by building upon the child's previous understanding (called scaffolding), as well as providing social interactions. Our center appreciates the work of NAEYC (National Assoc of the Education of the Young Child) in this area.

Our educated staff truly enjoy interacting with young children. They are dedicated to providing an environment in which your child can learn to understand their world through play, exploration, and hands-on activities, while experiencing an atmosphere of respect for one another. Through their play children gain and improve cognitive, language, social, physical, emotional and self-help skills. This is enhanced as our teachers lead and support each child, effectively stimulating their intellectual curiosity, creativity and knowledge. We value our staff and encourage their continued education in the early childhood field.

One of the exciting things about our program is teaching children truth from the Bible. They are learning that God loves them, Jesus is their friend, and that they are uniquely created.

Little Lights is an "early learning center" versus a "daycare". Early learning more accurately reflects what we are about - desiring to use every moment throughout your child's day to provide them opportunities for learning and growing.

If you are interested to hear of an available teacher opening, please contact our Director for details.

Currently: Desiring to hire a part-time, group-leader qualified teacher for our PreK classroom,

Monday thru Friday mornings plus Thursday afternoons for planning, 24 hours p/wk, school year only

Preschool/Pre-K Teacher @ Little Lights
Job Qualifications & Description

DAILY GOAL

Work alongside co-teachers with creativity and joy, to provide rich experiences in developmentally appropriate activities allowing opportunities for each child in your care to grow intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, while supporting character development in a safe and loving environment.

BENEFITS

Benefits include Paid Planning Time and all Staff weekly gathering; Earn 1.5 hrs Personal Leave for every 30 hours worked; Paid holidays, Paid conference fee & wages to attend required 15 hrs p/yr of Professional Growth; College Tuition assistance of $400 p/yr & Teach Scholarships for further Early Childhood Ed; opportunity to enroll in a Simple IRA; Time off using accrued hours; Ratio of 8 children p/teacher; tuition discount for your child 2 ½ yrs thru 6.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a major area of study in Early Childhood Ed, Elementary Ed, Special Ed, Family & Child Development, or Child Psychology. If Bachelor’s Degree is in another area, you must have 2 three-semester hour Early Childhood Education college courses with one course being either Intro to Early Childhood Ed or Guidance Strategies. Preferred experience: 6 months (910 hours) of care/supervision of 4 or more children under 8 yrs of age who are not related to you.
OR

Eighteen semester credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university, in the area of Early Childhood Education from the following list (one being Intro to Early Childhood Ed or Guidance Strategies), plus 3 months (455 hours) of verified experience in the care and supervision of 4 or more children under 8 yrs of age who are not related to you.

Introduction to Early Childhood Professions 3 credits

Introduction to Early Childhood Lab Techniques 3 credits

Early Childhood Guidance Strategies for Children 3 credits

Early Childhood Health, Nutrition, and Safety 3 credits

Admin of Early Childhood Care & Education Programs 3 credits

Admin Human Relations for Early Childhood Professionals 3 credits

Early Childhood Curriculum and Development 3 credits

Early Childhood Growth and Development 3 credits

The Exceptional Child 3 credits

Infant/Toddler Theory & Practice or Expanding Quality 3 credits

OR

Completion of 2 three-semester hour Early Childhood Education college courses with one course being either Intro to Early Childhood Ed or Guidance Strategies with 21 months (3,185 hrs) of verified experience in the care and supervision of 4 or more children under 8 yrs of ago who are not related to you.

EITHER WAY ABOVE, PLUS:

Prior Preschool or Kindergarten teaching experience of at least one year preferred

Familiar with Colorado Dept of Early Childhood Rules & Regulations of Child Care Centers

Provide proof of college transcripts

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE

--Treat each child with dignity and respect and provide for their physical care and safety

--Greet each child & parent upon arrival and share about the child’s day upon pickup

--When assisting individual children, be alert to what is going on in other parts of the room

--Design lesson plans and lead developmentally appropriate activities to include each child

--Observe children’s current skills/abilities, to provide activities to meet their continued development

--Eat snack with children family-style to promote socializing & table skills, serving & cleaning up according to Health Regs

--Plan curriculum in detail with co-teacher in accordance with our guiding educational philosophy

--Plan for two programs for children to share with their parents, at Christmas and school year end

--Maintain an interesting and stimulating environment with posters, pictures, children’s artwork, color, etc.

--Set up interest centers for exploring and learning opportunities. Change things about them often and/or set up different ones to rotate activities and keep them inviting for the children

--Supervise, train, and develop teachers with less experience

--Maintain children’s records and documentation

--Work as a team with other staff, maintaining open communication. Keep Director advised of situations needing her input, as with developmental concerns about a child or a parent’s question

--Follow the State’s Rules and Regulations as well as the center’s policies and procedures

--Continue to observe, assess, and document children’s learning experiences to share with their parents

--Be aware of children who may need further professional skills in all development areas

--Submit requests, one week in advance, for materials or supplies needed for instructional activities

--Disinfect toys, clean classroom, wash sheets, disinfect mats as needed or at least weekly

--Requests for time off (1 week in advance) or for vacation (1 month in advance) must be in writing to the Director

--Complete additional tasks that may need to be assigned

--Direct Parent volunteers in classroom and do not leave them unattended with children in their care

--Be flexible and willing to work in other rooms or have other children join yours to cover unexpected needs

--Work with other staff members as a team

--Know positive guidance skills to assist children in appropriate and inappropriate behaviors

--Attend workshops and seminars in Early Childhood to increase your skills and knowledge

--Report to the Director any signs you may see of possible child abuse

--Attend monthly staff meetings and training sessions

--Prepare a monthly newsletter for your class for the Director to share with parents

CHARACTERISTICS

--Have an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ

--Accept the Bible as God’s divinely inspired revelation to man and have a strong biblical foundation.

--Understand and support the teaching on salvation involving faith, repentance, confession, and baptism by immersion for forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit

--Exhibit warmth, emotional stability, and awareness of the needs of the children in your care and their parents