Lead Teacher - Ojibwe Immersion Classroom

Who We Are

For more than 140 years, The Family Partnership has built strong families, vital communities, and better futures for children. We fulfill our mission through counseling, education, and advocacy, primarily in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul area. The Family Partnership was founded in 1878 as the Minneapolis Humane Society to protect and serve children that were being abused or exploited. Along with a few name changes, our work has continually transformed to anticipate and address the evolving needs of families and individuals, many of whom are the most vulnerable in our community.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At The Family Partnership, we partner with you and in turn, we partner with those we serve. Our programs holistically address the needs of people in our community. Through our two-generation (2Gen) or whole family approach, we work with people so they can heal from trauma and adversity and move towards greater health and well-being. Our shared values establish a common purpose across our array of programs and services. You can bring your authentic self to the workplace, while practicing both cultural competence and inclusivity. We're known for developing future leaders in the non-profit space and we expect employees to share their views. Our culture is one of open communication and transparency regardless of job level.

Wages

$23.00 - $25.00 per hour

Benefits

• $1,000 hiring bonus after 3 months of employment
• Generous paid time off, plus 10 paid holidays
• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and options for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Long-term disability insurance - the employer pays the premiums
• Employer-paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee
• Voluntary benefits: Accident, hospital indemnity, critical illness, short-term disability insurance
• TFP sponsors a retirement plan with a tiered vesting schedule based on years of service, plus a 2% employer contribution after one year of service.

Because TFP is a member with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) who partners with St. Mary's University, TFP employees and their spouses are also eligible for the following benefits at St. Mary's University:

• Discounted tuition for Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate programs
• Professional development opportunities
• Access to advancement (internships, job placement, field practice)

Job Summary

The Family Partnership is seeking a Lead Teacher for their Ojibwe Immersion Classroom at their Four Directions Family Center, which is a full-day therapeutic education and care program for children aged 6 weeks to 11 years of age. TFP is honored to partner with Wicoie Nandagikendan to provide an Ojibwe language immersion classroom, which supports Indigenous language revitalization, identity development, and culturally rooted teaching practices.

Responsibilities

• Supporting and implementing Ojibwe language immersion practices in collaboration with Wicoie language instructors.
• Integrating Ojibwe language, stories, songs, values, seasonal teachings, and cultural activities into daily routines.
• Creating a classroom environment that reflects and honors Indigenous identity, community history, and traditional knowledge.
• Participating in ongoing learning to strengthen Ojibwe language use.
• Providing a safe, healthy, developmentally appropriate classroom aligned with DHS licensing rules and CACFP standards.
• Developing weekly lesson plans that blend early childhood curriculum with culturally sustaining practices.
• Implementing the curriculum and completing child assessments three times per year.
• Adapting activities to support individual developmental needs, strengths, and learning styles.
• Working with onsite occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, mental health clinicians, and program specialists to support individualized goals.
• Including parents and caregivers in assessment, goal setting, and progress updates.
• Participating in family conferences and assisting with appropriate referrals.
• Ensuring continuous supervision of children in compliance with DHS standards.
• Maintaining accurate documentation, including daily notes, attendance, assessments, and required records.
• Maintaining cleanliness and safety of classroom spaces through daily sanitizing and safety checks.
• Participating in field trips, cultural events, community gatherings, and outdoor activities.

Who You Are

• You hold a CDA or equivalent (minimum 24 child development college credits).
• You have at least 6 months of experience in a childcare or early education setting.
• You bring experience working with diverse and/or Indigenous communities and demonstrate cultural humility.
• You demonstrate knowledge of child development from infancy through school age.
• You are committed to learning or deepening Ojibwe language use in the classroom (support provided).
• You demonstrate positive, developmentally appropriate behavior guidance skills.
• You can meet the physical requirements of the role, including lifting up to 50 pounds (to lift children and/or equipment as needed) and participating in active play with children.
• You have the ability to communicate respectfully with families representing many cultures, languages, and identities.

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of The Family Partnership. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We value the contributions of a diverse workforce, and we welcome and encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

The Family Partnership participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf. See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.