LEAD TEACHER and TEACHER/NATURALIST Application 

(13-37 hours per week, various combinations of days and hours. Mornings Monday-Friday 8:30am-12:30pm, Afternoons Tuesday-Thursday 12:30-4:30pm)

We seek dedicated, seasoned educators with a love of the outdoors to teach with Minneapolis Nature Preschool (MNP), Sept 2020-June 2021. 

Cultivating the innate curiosity and wonder of young children through nature-based education in Minneapolis is the mission of the Minneapolis Nature Preschool.

The purpose of the Minneapolis Nature Preschool is to support families in helping their children succeed through participating in a high quality learning experience. We also give children and families a better understanding of the environment and reasons to protect it.   

The Minneapolis Nature Preschool welcomes families from throughout the metro area. Our organization prioritizes enrollment for currently enrolled children and siblings. In our effort to create accessible early childhood educational opportunities for communities that have been historically and systemically excluded from green spaces, we prioritize enrollment for Northside Minneapolis residents, Black and Indigenous children and families of color, and LGBTQ+ identified families. 

Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+ and Northside residents strongly encouraged to apply. 

NP is located within Bryn Mawr Elementary, 252 Upton Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55405. 

In this time of COVID-19 we are focusing on a 100% outdoor preschool program. 

As a Lead Teacher, you will:

Work closely with fellow educators and MNP preschool director. 

This will include:

• Teach and develop curriculum in conjunction with other members of the teaching team.
• Be responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all children. This includes helping children stay warm and dry in cold weather, managing risk in an outdoor setting and addressing student conflict.
• Be prepared to implement MNP’s COVID-19 preparedness plan and perform daily health check-ins with children in your small group. 
• Adapt your teaching to the cultural needs of your student body by incorporating an anti-bias curriculum into your work.
• Maintain proficiency in current philosophies of environmental education.
• Create an inviting and emotionally safe outdoor classroom.
• Conduct ongoing assessment of students.
• Be a mentor for your education team.
• Coordinate parent learning and engagement events along with the director.
• Plan for equipment and supply needs in conjunction with the teaching team. Budget provided.
• Be the primary contact for families in your small group of 5-7 children. 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 the Minneapolis Nature Preschool’s policies, procedures and activities in conjunction with the preschool director. 
• Be an ambassador for the Minneapolis Nature Preschool when interacting with the public.
• Assist with the development and implementation of future programming. For holidays, we follow the Minneapolis Public Schools district calendar at this time. This is subject to change.
• 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 or outdoor-based programs.
• Dedicated to anti-racism; 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 an outdoor classroom.
• Educational experience thoughtfully managing groups of children out of doors.
• 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.
• 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.
• Able to work occasional evenings (outdoor home visits, parent education nights, family gathering, etc.).

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform tasks requiring physical exertion, outdoors, in all weather conditions and on difficult terrain.
• Ability to stand, stoop, bend and carry loads.
• Ability to do moderate physical activity such as hiking, playing outdoor games and limited lifting (under 50 pounds).

Required Certifications

• CPR/First Aid certified (or ability to complete before position begins)
• Abusive Head Trauma
• Anaphylaxis & Epinephrine Auto-Injector certified

 Bonus Points!

• Experience as a Lead Teacher
• Knowledge of Minnesota’s natural history
• Familiarity with Minneapolis
• Special talent (play an instrument, sing, puppetry, storytelling, knot tying, artistic, etc)
• Multi-lingual 

Job Title: Lead Teacher

Reports to the preschool director

Location: Bryn Mawr Elementary School Forest

This position is varied: Monday-Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12:30pm to 4:30pm, with opportunities to substitute teach if working only in the am or pm session. 

The position is slated to begin August 31, 2020 and end June 4, 2021. This allows for two weeks of prep before the school year and one week to close the program.   

Salary and Benefits: Pay is $20.00 an hour.

Health insurance and retirement benefits not provided. Professional development funding provided.