We’re Hiring! 2019-20 SCHOOL YEAR LEAD TEACHER (30 – 40 Hours Per Week, Multiple Positions across Seattle and King County)

apply at www.tinytrees.org/about/careers(link is external)

Tiny Trees Preschool gives children a quality education and a joyful, nature rich childhood: one full of play, exploration and wonder. By creating joyful, outdoor classrooms in public parks throughout Seattle and King County, Tiny Trees makes preschool and nature accessible. Tiny Trees is committed to hiring and retaining staff who are committed to equitable early education and aims to support a diverse community of administrators and educators. Tiny Trees is an official partner of Seattle Parks and Recreation; King County Parks and Recreation and Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. Most Seattle locations are providers for the Seattle Preschool Program – Pathway, which provides free tuition at Tiny Trees for children in households below 350% of federal poverty line.

As a Lead Teacher, you will:

• Be the most senior educator at your outdoor classroom’s park and will work closely with our director of education, program supervisor, and fellow teachers. Duties will include:
• Teach and develop curriculum of Tiny Trees Preschool with other members of the teaching team using High Scope as the framework.
• Adapt your classroom to the cultural needs of your student body by incorporating an anti-bias curriculum.
• Assure that the classroom operates within the guidelines and standards of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, & Families (DCYF).
• Create an inviting and emotionally safe classroom that receives a high quality rating.
• Be responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of all children.  This includes helping children stay warm and dry in wet weather, managing risk in an outdoor setting, and addressing student conflict.
• Conduct ongoing assessment of students using Teaching Strategies GOLD.
• Lead family-teacher communication and student data tracking, using technology including collaborative tools such as Gmail, Google Drive, Facebook, and online search engines on a regular basis.
• Collaborate with and cultivate a team of equally passionate, engaged educators, modeling best practices for teaching team at your site.
• Help train and mentor assistant teaching staff for your classroom in partnership with the off-site director of education and program supervisor.
• Mentor classroom  volunteers and apprentices/service learners from our college and university partners.
• Conduct home visits (prior to the start of school) and twice-yearly family-teacher conferences.
• Overall planning for equipment and supply needs in partnership with the assistant teacher and other program staff. Monthly budget provided.
• Setup and take down classroom daily, including canopies in wet/cold weather.
• 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 and procedures in conjunction with Tiny Trees administration as appropriate.
• Be an ambassador for the classroom’s park when interacting with the public.
• Other duties as assigned.

The most competitive candidates will have 3+ years teaching experience, including experience in a nature-based setting, and will be working toward or have completed formal education in Early Childhood Education. We are looking for educators who are:

• Experienced teaching 3-5 year olds in traditional preschool 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.
• Creative and driven to adapt lessons to outdoor classrooms in city, county or state parks.
• Inter-culturally fluent and familiar with anti-bias approaches in the context of early childhood education.
• Passionate, creative, intentional, and reflective in your work with children.
• Be able to confidently and consistently guide and direct the classroom, ensuring student and staff safety while creating a culture of caring, respect, and curiosity.
• Engaging and easily able to communicate with students, families, and peers in respective and responsive ways, including in difficult conversations, with support from program supervisors.
• Excited to get dirty and laugh a lot while teaching outside even in Seattle’s cold and wet winters.
• 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 mistakes.
• Able to work occasional weekends and evenings (open houses, family-teacher conferences, etc.).
• Ability to lift 50 pounds on a regular basis, including loading and unloading boxes of classroom materials, pulling a wagon, moving sticks and logs, and moving children.
• Bonus Points! Experience teaching in a Seattle Preschool Program or Seattle Preschool Program Pathway classroom; BA in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, P-3 endorsement, Environmental Education, or related; Knowledge of Pacific Northwest natural history; Multilingual; Special talent (play an instrument, sing, puppetry, storytelling, knot tying, artistic, etc).

Job Title: Lead Teacher

Reports to the Program Supervisor.

Weekly hours: Monday through Friday, 30-40 hours per week depending on site schedule. Occasional evening and weekend hours. All teaching teams have weekly flexible planning and prep time.

The position is slated to begin with mandatory PD in mid-August; class starts September.

Benefits: The following benefits are split between bi-weekly pay periods and prorated for part time staff (under 35 hours/week):

• Health insurance: employer provided Gold level health care plan from Kaiser Permanente.
• Retirement benefit: 3.75% annual salary contribution starting after 6 months of employment.
• Paid training (approximately 18 days/year): monthly professional development and annual staff training plus $350 Professional development stipend
• Discounts on outdoor clothing.
• Approximately 65 hours paid time off (PTO) plus federal holidays and 5 school closure days for 10 month school year; additional PTO accrual dependent on summer schedule.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for assistance with issues that interfere with your health, well-being, and productivity at home or at work.

Commitment to Equity

Tiny Trees Preschool welcomes all children, all families and all staff members and works every day to create an emotionally and physically safe space for every child, family member, and staff member while challenging our community to think critically about bias and systemic oppression. Tiny Trees believes that having a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates a vibrant environment where all members of the Tiny Trees community thrive. Tiny Trees is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates and honors diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, race, color, physical or developmental ability or ethnic origin in the hiring of its personnel. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, male-identifying educators, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, non-binary applicants and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.