Sprout Spiral; yo Lead Educator

Sprout Spiral (4-6yo) Lead Educator
- Full Time

School Around Us (SAU) in Arundel, Maine has an opening for a full-time early childhood educator to join our team and lead our sprout spiral (ages 4-6) starting in August 2026. SAU’s mission is to bring together young people, educators, families and our extended community to create a participatory, learner‑driven environment grounded in meaningful relationships, which expresses the world we would like our children to live in—a world where all are supported to be self‑aware and engaged global citizens.

As a “Co‑Learning Community” one of our core values is that we focus not only on learners, but on families and communities together as ecosystems of learning. School Around Us serves youth ages 5‑14 who are registered with the State of Maine as homeschoolers.

SAU seeks an awesome and adaptable educator who values a co‑created educational environment balancing structure and spontaneity/freedom. This educator will be responsible for designing and implementing holistic, learner‑driven educational programming for a group of children ages 4‑6.

SAU is led by a Core Leadership Circle made up of employees (educators & admin) who also want to shape the vision and nurture the sustainability of the organization. Coming into our third year of this staff‑led model, we are actively fine‑tuning our systems and looking to grow and adapt as our progressive organizational structure finds its form.

You may be an amazing fit for our organization if you are a passionate educator who believes that humans are built to learn, that education is a life‑long journey, and that education is a collaborative process of self‑discovery where one size doesn't fit all.

• A teacher, mentor, and guide for students
• A collaborative co‑creator of educational experiences with fellow teachers, parents, and learners
• An advocate and coach who aids young people in developing and achieving their own desired path to learning and becoming themselves
• Someone who uses an integrated, hands‑on curriculum appropriate to developmental stages, knowledge, and abilities and able to adapt to emergent curriculum
• Someone who shares their own passions with the SAU community
• Someone who implements School Around Us’ philosophy of holistic education through the framing of Eight Knowledge Areas (Logical Thinking & Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry & Environmental Understanding, Practical Life Skills, Creative Arts, Language & Communication, Citizenship, Body Knowledge) in our curriculum
• Someone who addresses issues of diversity, inclusion and equity with learners
• A creative guide able to balance freedom with co‑created structure
• Someone who establishes strong relationships with learners and their families by:
  • Being consistently in contact with families in person and by email/phone as needed
  • Posting on our “Loft” social network to inform our community of SAU programming (through written posts and videos) and through our year‑long portfolio‑building process
• Someone who facilitates supportive conflict resolution processes
• A willing participant in a democratic organizational and staff culture

At SAU we contract our teachers annually for 210 working days through the school year:
August
- June. These days include on‑site school days, planning time before and during the school year, and other events that support our organization. A typical week for teachers during the school year is Monday
- Friday, 8:30 to 3:30. There are weekly staff meetings and monthly community gatherings after school / in the evening that we ask teachers to attend in addition to occasional evening school events (e.g. School Play, Concerts). It is important to note that a substantial amount of time is spent outdoors throughout our programming through all four seasons so teachers are expected to be prepared for both indoor and outdoor time.

• Salary Range: $43, (depending on experience and qualifications)
• 10 days Paid Time Off (includes both sick and personal days)
• 50% Tuition Discount
• Professional Development Stipend
• Certification Support (if needed)

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent educational and training…