Preschool Teacher

About the Role

We are always excited to connect with passionate educators who are enthusiastic about high‑quality Early Childhood Education, nurturing young children, and learning through nature and play. While this position does not have a definitive start date, we are continuously building a pool of talented educators who are interested in becoming part of our teaching community. Applicants may initially be invited to join our substitute teacher pool, offering a wonderful opportunity to get to know our school, build relationships with students and colleagues, and experience our community firsthand. For educators seeking a long‑term position with us, substitute teaching can be a meaningful first step toward joining our team.

We are looking for nurturing, creative, and collaborative educators who enjoy working with young children and are excited to embrace a nature‑immersive approach to early learning. Our ideal candidate has experience working with young children in a group setting, provides warm individualized care while confidently supporting and supervising a group, believes in Developmentally Appropriate Practice, play‑based learning, and experiential education, and is enthusiastic about spending time outdoors in all kinds of weather.

Responsibilities

• Maintain audio/visual supervision of a group of 8‑10 children as needed.
• Maintain health and safety standards through routine diapering, wellness checks, and environmental cleaning/maintenance.
• Take direction from Lead Teachers regarding developmentally appropriate practice.
• Give Lead Teachers breaks for lunch, bathroom, etc.
• Follow curriculum as directed in the occurrence of teacher absence.
• Communicate with the teaching team about needs, wants, etc., at monthly meetings.

Requirements

• Must be healthy and have the stamina for a full day with children.
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with students, the public, supervisors, and co‑workers.
• The ability to multitask, assess children’s needs, and prioritize them.
• An up‑to‑date Merit Account.
• Current “Portable Background Check” from WA State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
• Proof of negative TB testing (per WAC 170‑295‑1120).
• Current CPR & First Aid certification (pediatric and adult) (per WAC 170‑295‑1100).
• Bloodborne Pathogens/HIV training (per WAC 170‑295‑1110).
• The Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ Child Care Basics.

Nice to Haves

• Higher education in a field related to Early Childhood Education.
• Experience with Google Workspace.
• Experience with curriculum development.
• Experience with Teaching Strategies Gold.
• Experience with outdoor schooling.
• Experience with gardening.

Benefits

• 5% one‑time hourly raise after one year of full‑time employment to contribute toward a Health Savings Account set up independent of the employer.
• 40 hours maximum of vacation pay at current state minimum wage after one year of employment and each year thereafter (accrued at a rate of 1 hour per 40 hours worked).
• Unused paid vacation time can be paid out in the last paycheck of each year after two years of employment (paid December 15) or accrued to a maximum of 80 hours.
• Vacation pay can be cashed out upon parental leave after two years of employment and each year thereafter.
• Paid holiday time per WCC subsidy payment for designated days (if we are closed) after one year of employment, paid for 8 hours at current wage.
• Each employee is assigned three unpaid personal days per year; unpaid personal days expire at the end of each year with no option to accrue.
• Accrued sick pay per Washington State guidelines (1 hour per 40 hours worked).