Forest Preschool Atelierista

Burlington Forest Preschool is a licensed 5 STAR program located at Ethan Allen Homestead, with two classes for children ages 3 - 5. While we have indoor classrooms, we spend as much time as we can outside throughout the year. Our curriculum emphasizes a place-based, inquiry-based, emergent approach, with a focus on the natural world and natural materials. We eagerly welcome applicants of diverse backgrounds, and are committed to DEI practices. We ensure that topics related to anti-bias are regularly addressed within our professional development, curriculum, materials, and overall management of the program. The Atelierista position will be new for our school this fall! The Atelierista will spend two days per week with each class for a total of four days in the classroom; and will then have one day for planning, prepping, and maintaining the atelier and materials. During the four days in the classroom, they will be responsible for carrying out their own curriculum and implementing projections with small groups of children, both inside and outside. The atelierista will also support classroom teachers in learning to use various materials with children and ensuring that they are available in their classrooms. A teaching license or a degree in education is not required (though would be welcome), but mandatory professional development to meet minimum qualifications will be required upon starting (if state requirements have not been met previously). Additional professional development focusing on the Reggio Emilia Approach and the role of the Atelierista may be required depending on candidate's level of experience. The full time position is 38 regular hours per week: from 8:00 - 4:00 Monday through Thursday, and from 8:00 - 2:00 on Fridays. There are additional required hours for staff meetings and school events. Teachers receive 7 weeks of paid breaks during closures throughout the year. The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualities: - Depth and breadth of experience with a range of artistic media, ideally both on your own and in your work with children - Previous work with young children, either teaching or in another organized setting - Understanding of and experience with the Reggio Emilia approach, or willingness to commit time outside of school to learning about this approach and how to implement a meaningful, constructivist, emergent curriculum using the cycle of inquiry - Enthusiasm and motivation to learn about the natural world, spend time outside in all weather, and seek ways to utilize natural materials - Strong organizational skills, including the ability to keep art materials and other open-ended materials organized, and to maintain awareness of what materials are available in the school and what they can be used for - Understanding of how to use various materials to support and integrate children's learning and explorations on a wide variety of topics and subject areas - Strong observational skills, and the ability to use observations of children and classrooms to both plan projects and make changes to plans along the way - Strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work as a team to support classroom teachers in their understanding of artistic media and how to implement use of these materials in their classrooms and outdoors - Ability to develop rapport and reciprocal relationships with children, colleagues, and parents - Commitment to individual, communal, and global well-being, and the willingness to engage in professional and personal reflection practices to support this - Commitment to incorporating our values of social justice, anti-racism, anti-bias, sustainability, land stewardship, and partnership with community members to further these goals - High levels of creativity, flexibility, reliability, mindfulness, and curiosity Pay is directly dependent on where the candidate falls on the Northern Lights career ladder: https://northernlightsccv.org/career-development/early-childhood-career-ladder/ To apply, please send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to nicole@burlingtonforestpreschool.com. We look forward to hearing from you! The child is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages a hundred hands a hundred thoughts a hundred ways of thinking of playing, of speaking. A hundred always a hundred ways of listening of marveling of loving a hundred joys for singing and understanding a hundred worlds to discover a hundred worlds to invent a hundred worlds to dream. The child has a hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more) but they steal ninety-nine. The school and the culture separate the head from the body. They tell the child: to think without hands to do without head to listen and not to speak to understand without joy to love and to marvel only at Easter and Christmas. They tell the child: to discover the world already there and of the hundred they steal ninety-nine. They tell the child: that work and play reality and fantasy science and imagination sky and earth reason and dream are things that do not belong together. And thus they tell the child that the hundred is not there. The child says: No way. The hundred is there. - Loris Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini)

Salary : $20 - $26