Lead Preschool Teacher

Overview

At Prairie Flower Children’s Center, we seek to nurture children’s innate senses of wonder, curiosity and gratitude, and to honor their vital need for an unpressured childhood where imagination, creativity and self-discovery can bloom. For more than 25 years, we have provided children in Ames, Iowa, and beyond with a nature-based, love-centered and belonging-based early childhood experience.

At a time when parents are feeling pressure to “ready” even their toddlers and preschoolers for future school and college careers, Prairie Flower Children’s Center is fiercely committed to protecting the simplicity and wonderment of early childhood. We believe all children have the inherent capacity and desire to learn through play, deep connection to nature and place and a curriculum that nurtures their minds, bodies and spirits.

Our Programs

We offer a range of early childhood programs, including year-round morning-only or full-time preschool and mixed-age kindergarten for children ages 3-6; after-school programs and summer camps for children ages 5-12; and a parent-child playgroup for children 18 months to 3 years old and their caregivers. We also hold occasional community festivals for families to strengthen ties and celebrate our shared connection to seasonal rhythms.

We are located at 1517 Northwestern Ave in central Ames, which isn’t a far walk from nearby woods. We rent two classrooms (but are otherwise not affiliated with) Bethesda Lutheran Church.

Job Description

The Preschool Lead Teacher is an employee of the Ames Waldorf Association (AWA) and is responsible for developing, delivering and overseeing the preschool programing offered at Prairie Flower Children’s Center. This includes but is not limited to:

Curriculum Development for Prairie Flower Children’s Center Preschool programming

• Establish and maintain the rhythm and routine for the days and weeks
• Provide items or activities to meet children’s developmental and remedial needs
• Determine what items, crafts, and projects to include in the indoor and outdoor setting
• Develop a curriculum plan for the year that is developmentally appropriate and inspired by nature or forest school approaches and other complementary educational philosophies. Include seasonally inspired:
• Circle times and movement appropriate to the children’s needs
• Songs, stories, crafts, and projects
• Establish a reverent meal routine in which the children and staff share meals and snacks together in a style inspired by Nature-Based Education

Administration of Curriculum for the Preschool program

• Provide for the safety and supervision of children during outdoor and indoor play
• Requires the ability to lift and carrying up to 50 pounds
• Requires traversing rugged and steep terrain on a daily basis in all weather conditions including temperatures in a range from -10 to 100 degrees fahrenheit, rain, snow, and heat.
• Requires the ability to assess the risk of various activities and respond appropriately in emergency situations
• Creating a peaceful, joyful, reverent, supportive space and mood for children and staff in the classroom
• Develop and execute morning routine in order to be fully prepared to receive children at least 15 minutes before school begins
• Establishing expectations of acceptable behaviors for the children, implementing classroom (and outdoor/forest classroom) management parameters consistent with a Nature-Based Education approach, and with the philosophies and requirements set forth in the Parent Handbook
• Lead the children in exploring of the forest and natural landscapes on a daily basis
• Oversee preschool setup and cleaning:
• Maintain a healthy, clean and orderly preschool space, indoors and outdoors, throughout the year.
• Maintain forest trails and outdoor spaces, including removal of dangerous plants
• Preparation and maintenance of outside play area, walking paths, and parking areas as needed
• Oversee food preparation and service by self, staff and children
• Plan any field trips and organize transportation or carpools (in communication with the Director and in coordination with other Prairie Flower happenings)

Staff training and mentoring

• Meeting briefly with assistant teachers during classroom preparation and cleaning times to review and discuss individual children’s needs and group dynamics
• Mentor assistant teachers in carrying out the intent of the program
• Lead portion of regular staff meetings pertaining to preschool teaching matters
• Present curriculum to preschool staff during meeting
• Discuss behavior and classroom management successes and challenges, and strategize solutions

Communication with Parents

• Work with Director to organize communications with returning and new parents
• In case of emergency or serious incidents, follow DHS and Staff Handbook procedure for notifying parents immediately, then filing an “Accident or Injury Report”
• Communicate individually with parents when concerns arise, on the part of teachers or parents, regarding child behavior, learning, social interactions, emotional needs, etc.
• Communicate with the Afternoon lead to help them understand any reported incidents and anything that will need to be passed on at pickup time
• Cooperate with the communication system between staff to make sure afternoon staff can confidently speak to families.
• Provide all parents with a regular written update of program happenings
• Communicate to parents upcoming events, changes in activities and weather, and any preparation they need to do/provide/bring.
• Hold parents to the standards set forth in the handbook and communicate quickly when problems arise.

Other Duties: The Lead Teacher will:

• Work with the Program Director to attend to, organize, update and maintain files on students and staff, maintaining knowledge of paperwork storage and systems in order to be prepared to direct DHS and other oversight bodies to these files for reference
• Assume other center-related tasks and responsibilities as assigned by the Board of Directors
• Oversee and coordinate the administration of sunscreen, bugspray, topical ointments and medication as needed

Applicant Requirements

• Meet On-Site Supervisor requirements through DHHS
• Dedication to excellence in teaching
• Demonstrated capacity to work with and inspire parents
• Confident classroom presence; strong social and communication skills
• Independent and self-motivated
• Commitment to excellence in program offerings
• Ability to effectively lead and work with assistant teachers
• Able to give and take constructive, respectful feedback
• Able to work independently and part of a team
• Able to learn and adapt quickly
• Respect for each child’s unique personality and temperament, and able or willing to learn how to lovingly mediate classroom conflicts between children while setting appropriate boundaries
• A commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming classroom for all children and families

Benefits and How to Apply

This is a 28-35 hour per week position with a set daily schedule Monday-Friday, early morning to early afternoon. Exact hours and times to be determined upon hire to accommodate needs of staff and program. The pay for this position is $15-$16.50/per hour based on experience.

Teachers have time off during school-scheduled holiday breaks (same holidays as Ames Community School District, with a one-week break in the summer). We offer professional development opportunities, a commitment to work-life balance and small class sizes that allow for strong relationships with children and their families. The position reports to the Prairie Flower Children’s Center Director.

To apply, please email your resume and two professional references. We will review applications on a rolling basis. Please include a cover letter to help explain why you are a great fit for Prairie Flower and this position.

Questions? If you have questions about any aspect of the position or application process, please email director@prairieflowercc.org.

For a deeper understanding of our mission, values and what we do at Prairie Flower Children’s Center, please visit our website.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $15.00 - $16.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Professional development assistance

Ability to Relocate:

• Ames, IA 50010: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $15 - $17