Kindergarten Teacher Position at Woodland Park Cooperative School

Woodland Park Cooperative School is looking for a caring, creative, and enthusiastic kindergarten teacher who is passionate about cooperative education to lead the kindergarten at our school. We have indoor and outdoor classroom spaces and believe that kids learn best during the act of playing freely; real, unstructured, freely chosen play. We trust and empower our kids with the ability to make sense of the world, while learning about themselves, their friends, and the adults working alongside them. As a cooperative school, our teachers’ role is dual as they provide an environment for children to grow emotionally, intellectually, socially, and physically while also providing the working parents with direction and serving as a model for working with young children.

ABOUT WOODLAND PARK COOPERATIVE:

Woodland Park Cooperative School includes a mixed-age preschool and a kindergarten. The kindergarten program has focused on play-based learning, social emotional scaffolding, lots of outside time (rain or shine), social justice, environmental education, celebration of cultures and diversity, community service, positive discipline and de-escalation, celebrations of individuals and opportunities for children to learn to express themselves, growing and creating food from the garden.

The kindergarten class has traditionally been structured around weekly themes that are woven into activities such as cooking, art projects, science experiments, social and emotional exercises, and outdoor play. Kindergarten class takes frequent field trips to see new places and make discoveries.

As a cooperative school, teachers work with and guide working caregivers/parents. The kindergarten class will be led by the teacher and assisted by 1-2 working parents each day as well as supported by a parent educator from North Seattle College who can advise teachers and help caregivers build parenting and classroom skills.

SCHEDULE

Kindergarten Class: Monday through Friday 9:00am - 2:00pm (potential for early release on Wednesday if that is helpful to teacher) plus setup, breakdown, and planning time. Approximately 28-32 hours per week.

Two evening meetings per month: one 2-hour board meeting and one 2-hour class meeting with parent education.

RESPONSIBILITIES

● Plan and implement a developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant and anti-bias curriculum for the class in keeping with the Woodland Park values and philosophy

● Select classroom supplies

● Create and foster a warm and supportive environment for children

● Teach the kindergarten class of up to 12 students

● Model for parents and encourage their participation as assistant teachers

● Provide children with a developmentally appropriate program that follows National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards, and meets their emotional and physical needs

QUALIFICATIONS

● Degree in Early Childhood Education, related fields or equivalent amount of experience working with kindergarten age children. Experience in a co-op setting a plus.

● Demonstrable experience of working with kindergarten age children

● Strong interpersonal and communication skills with both children and adults

● Enthusiasm for and commitment to the collaborative nature of a cooperative school.

● Ability and comfort to move frequently between different physical classroom stations (kitchen, play areas, circle time, etc.) and positioning self to interact with children in these areas.

● First Aid and CPR certifications, or ability to obtain prior to start date.

BENEFITS

● A competitive salary based on education and previous experience; paid sick leave and holidays.

● 10 work months per year with option for work during the summer.

● Follow the Seattle Public School calendar for holidays.

● Opportunity for professional development via classes/seminars paid for by the Cooperative Preschool.

● Small class ratio of 1:5 (with typically 1-2 working parents in classroom daily)

● Opportunity to work with and get support from consulting Parent Educators from North Seattle College.

● Supportive and enthusiastic All School Board.

TO APPLY

Please visit our job listing on our school website for additional details on how to apply:

https://woodlandparkcoop.com/contact/job-openings/

Priority deadline: May 17, 2024; applications accepted until position is filled.

(Woodland Park Cooperative School is affiliated with the North Seattle College cooperative preschool system and follows Equal Opportunity Employer guidelines.)