We’re Hiring! LEAD TEACHER (40 Hours Per Week, Big Finn Hill Park, Kirkland, WA)

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 eliminates the cost of a brick and mortar facility. This makes preschool affordable and accessible to all families and allows us to invest in what really matters: empowering great teachers. 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 low income households.

Tiny Trees opened 7 locations in September 2016 & 2017 at Camp Long (West Seattle), Carkeek Park (North Seattle), Jefferson Park (SE Seattle) & John C Little Park (SE Seattle), SAM Olympic Sculpture Park (Downtown Seattle), Cougar Mountain (Renton/Bellevue) and Big Finn Hill (Kirkland/Bothell). Three new locations are opening in September 2018 at  Beer Sheva Park (Rainier Beach/Columbia City/Renton), Seahurst Park (Burien/White Center/SW Seattle), and Five Mile Lake (Auburn/Federal Way/Puyallup/E Tacoma). Find more information in this Q13 Fox News interview, this Seattle Times article or at TinyTrees.org.

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, regional manager, team of coordinators, curriculum coaches, and fellow teachers. Duties 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.

Adapt your classroom to the cultural needs of your student body by incorporating an anti-bias curriculum into your work.

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 inclement weather, managing risk in an outdoor setting, and addressing student conflict.

Conduct ongoing assessment of students using Teaching Strategies GOLD.

Help train and mentor assistant teaching staff for your classroom in conjunction with the director of education, regional manager,  and curriculum coaches.

Mentor classroom  volunteers and 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 conjunction 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 experience as a lead teacher, 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 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.

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 mistakes.

Able to work occasional weekends and evenings (open houses, family-teacher conferences, etc.).

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.

Classroom location: to be determined based on preference and availability.

Weekly hours: Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. All teaching teams have weekly planning and prep time.

The position is slated to begin August 20, 2018, with accomodation

Salary:  This is a full time exempt position (40 hours per week) or 30 hours per week paid hourly. Pay is $18.75 an hour (equivalent to $39,000/yr salary), increasing to $19.23 after 6 months (equivalent to $40,000/yr salary). Additional increases after one year based on performance.

Benefits: The following benefits are split between bi-weekly pay periods and prorated for part time staff:

Health insurance: Choice of stipend of $3,600/year or employer provided Gold level health care plan from Kaiser Permanente.

Retirement benefit: 3.75% annual salary contribution starting  after 6 months of employment.

Technology stipend: $300/year

Paid training (approximately 18 days/year): monthly professional development and annual staff training plus $350 Professional development stipend

Discounts on outdoor clothing.

80 hours paid time off (PTO) plus 10 holidays and 5 school closure days (total paid time off a yr: 5 weeks).

Apply: Please submit a single document that includes a cover letter, resume, and contact info for three references at tinytrees.org/about/careers. Hiring process is rolling, and we are looking to do interviews immediately. Please apply today!  This position requires successful reference and background checks. Tiny Trees Preschool is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates who add to our diverse community are encouraged to apply. Address cover letters to Rachel Franz, Director of Education.