Bilingual Montessori Lead Guide; Ages 3

Title Early Childhood (ages 3 –
6) AMS/AMI Certified Lead Guide (Teacher)

Application Due Date June 5, 2026

Salary $40,000 - $42,000

Contract Dates August 17, 2026 – June 11, 2027

About Our School Castle Island is an accredited independent nonprofit Spanish immersion Montessori elementary school in Downtown Albany focused on enhancing the core values we believe in upholding for learning in community.

Our mission is to provide world-class and accessible education immersed in English and Spanish in a fully implemented Montessori learning environment for children of the Capital Region of New York.

We inspire learning by honoring each child’s potential in a research-based learning environment designed to foster curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Immersion in a bilingual, diverse Montessori school will offer our students the unique challenges and opportunities to become creators of solutions and leaders of a technologically advanced, environmentally vital, peaceful global community.

From the beginning, inclusivity has been embedded in the mission, vision, and everyday experience of our school. Diversity is inherent in the structure of our community, and we embrace an ongoing commitment to equity at all levels of our organization. Our global outlook is reflective of our local model which is focused on peace, making joyful connections, and upholding our responsibilities to each other.

The Lead Guide reports to the Curriculum Coordinator, and acts as a link between the child and the prepared environment in the classroom and their goal is to help children’s need to be free, to move, and to experience the atmosphere enjoying their work and play without interruption. The Lead Guide is a great observer of the individual interests and needs of each child.

They use observations to help in the classroom preparations and lesson presentations.

Lead Guides are the main point of contact for their classroom parents and families, holding 1:1 meetings and supported by the Curriculum Coordinator as needed. The guide also devotes a reasonable amount of out-of-class time for curriculum development (a half hour after each school day is also scheduled for this work), assessment record keeping, and progress report writing. Additionally, they will attend family and community events put on by the school as outlined in the Academic Calendar.

Guides are expected to attend 10 hours of in-person or remote professional development including at least 1 hour related to children with special needs, complete a three-hour, or more, visit to another bilingual or Montessori school, and participate in other training and planning meetings as scheduled by the Curriculum Coordinator.

A bachelor's degree in education, child development, or similar; a Montessori AMS credential, or AMI diploma for Early Childhood (Primary), or full matriculation into a Montessori teacher training program; and, at least five years of teaching experience. Bilingual English/Spanish fluency is preferred.

The ideal candidate will be a dynamic Montessorian who will develop and enhance a well-prepared and rich environment accommodating a bilingual model. The school offers Spanish/English immersion; and, the environment embodies fully implemented Montessori approach and philosophy.

This is not a narrowly defined teaching role. It is best suited for someone who is highly organized, proactive, and comfortable taking ownership of the work guiding a class community.

• Shows initiative and supports improvements in the school program
• Classroom operations run smoothly without constant oversight
• Student progress is organized, documented, and moving forward as planned
• Communication across the team is clear and consistent
• Leadership is freed up to focus on professional development, teacher and family support
• Assumes a fair share of joint responsibilities and delegates appropriately and fairly, works as a team in own classroom
• Retains composure in tense situations
• Accepts suggestions from others gracefully
• Demonstrates a positive leadership ability
• Has a positive attitude towards co workers
• Takes extra time to assist…