We’re Hiring!
LEAD TEACHER
(Full time, 5 day/week morning class, 3 day/week afternoon class, based at Carkeek Park.)
Tiny Trees Preschool gives children a quality education and a joyful, nature rich childhood: one full of play, exploration, and wonder. Through the use of outdoor classrooms in Seattle city parks, Tiny Trees eliminates the cost of a brick and mortar facility, making preschool affordable and accessible to all families and allowing us to invest in what really matters: empowering great teachers. An official partner of Seattle Parks and Recreation, Tiny Trees is opening nine locations in the Greater Seattle Area in 2016 and 2017. More information is available by watching this video from our win of SVP’s Fast Pitch Competition, listening to this KUOW interview, reading this recent article on Medium, and at TinyTrees.org.
With the help of a courageous board of directors, a capable CEO, and a gregarious director of education, we’ve built the organization needed to bring affordable, high quality, and culturally responsive preschool to scale at parks across Seattle and Puget Sound. We have just over 160 families enrolled and a dynamic teaching team. What we need now is one more capable and educator at Carkeek Park. We need you!
As a Lead Teacher you will:
Work closely with our director of education, team of coordinators, and fellow teachers. This will include:
-Teach and develop curriculum of Tiny Trees Preschool in conjunction with other members of the teaching team using High Scope as the framework.
-Create an inviting and emotionally safe classroom that will achieve a high Early Achievers rating.
-Adapt your classroom to the cultural needs of your student body by incorporating an anti-bias curriculum into your work.
-Be responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of all children. This includes helping children stay warm and dry in chilly weather, managing risk in an outdoor setting and addressing student conflict.
-Conduct regular assessment of students using Teaching Strategies GOLD.
– Conduct home visits (prior to the start of school) and family-teacher conferences.
– Train and supervise assistant teaching staff for your classroom in conjunction with the director of education and program coordinators.
– Be a mentor for your education team including an assistant teacher, community volunteers, and apprentices from our college and university partners.
– Overall planning for equipment and supply needs in conjunction with the assistant teacher and other program staff. Budget provided.
– Be the primary contact for families in your program. You will gracefully and professionally communicate with parents and caregivers, both formally and informally, individually and in groups.
– Contribute to the development, implementation, and review of Tiny Trees Preschool policies, procedures, and activities in conjunction with Tiny Trees director of education, as appropriate.
– Be an ambassador for Seattle Parks and Recreation when interacting with the public. This may include giving directions, explaining what outdoor preschool looks like, and highlighting resources or activities in the park.
– Hold the big picture for your classroom as the most senior staff at your location.
– Assist with the development and implementation of year-round programming. For holidays we follow the Seattle Public Schools calendar.
– Other duties as assigned.
The most competitive candidates will have 3+ years teaching experience and completed formal education in Early Childhood Education. We are looking for educators who are:
– Experienced teaching 3-5 year olds in traditional preschool and/or outdoor-based programs.
– Dedicated to equal access to education, early learning, child-directed and play-based learning, and the
outdoors. You love children, equity in education, and the environment.
– Tolerant of uncertainty and change and understand that organizations continue to improve when the
people who work there are adaptable, take chances, and learn from their mistakes.
– Creative and driven to adapt lessons to an outdoor classroom at Carkeek Park.
– Inter-culturally fluent and familiar with anti-bias approaches.
– Passionate, creative, intentional, and reflective in your work with children.
– Engaging and easily able to communicate with students, families, and peers.
– Excited to get dirty and laugh a lot while teaching outside in all types of weather.
– Able to work occasional weekends and evenings (open houses, family-teacher conferences, etc.).
– Bonus Points!
o Experience teaching in Seattle Preschool Program or Seattle Preschool Program Pathway
classroom.
o Multi-lingual: Spanish, Mandarin, Somali.
o BA in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, P-3 endorsement,
Environmental Education, or related.
o Experience as a Lead Teacher.
o Knowledge of Pacific Northwest natural history.
o Special talent (play an instrument, sing, puppetry, storytelling, knot tying, artistic, etc).
Job Title: Lead Teacher
– Reports to the Director of Education and Operations.
– Classroom location: this position is based out of a Seattle city park: Carkeek Park.
– This position is Monday through Friday, full time, and paid hourly (40 hours a week).
– The position is slated to begin mid-January 2017.
– Tiny Trees Preschool is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates who add to our diverse community are
encouraged to apply.
Salary and Benefits: This is a full time, 40 hours a week position. Range is $17.31 to $18.27 an hour (equivalent to a salary of $36,000 – $38,000 a year). A health insurance stipend of $3600/year is provided (split between 26 pay periods). Retirement benefits include a $1,200/year employer contribution after one year. Paid trainings and technology stipend. Two weeks paid time off (PTO) plus 10 holidays (PTO) and some school closure days (total paid time off: 5 weeks). Discounts on outdoor clothing available.
Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume with contact info for three references at tinytrees.org/about/careers. Positions will remain open until filled. This position requires successful background check and reference checks.