Assistant Preschool Teacher

The Farm & Forest School Assistant Preschool Teacher is responsible for the supervision and care of students, ensuring their safety in our outdoor preschool program. The Assistant Preschool Teacher will support the Lead Teachers to implement activities that foster an intimate connection to the natural world and local community while developing cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. The Assistant Teacher is responsible for implementing our curriculum as directed by leadership staff and in accordance with licensing and agency practices, policies, and procedures.

They are expected to communicate with families as needed about student injuries and behavioral incidents.

• Treat children as competent and capable human beings.
• Understand that children learn best through play.
• Respect and practice curiosity about children’s interests and play.

• Work with the Director and other preschool staff to facilitate and support engaging activities that incorporate all learning domains and support our emergent curriculum.
• Acknowledge student feelings with sensitivity and model appropriate social behavior.
• Support and manage student behaviors so that all students can engage meaningfully in learning in a calm, regulated environment.
• Design the classroom spaces (indoors and outdoors) to promote positive social interactions and meaningful play experiences.
• Document children’s learning and play daily by taking photos & videos.
• Utilize the Seesaw app to share photo & video documentation with families throughout the day.
• Upload photo & video documentation to Ketcha’s SharePoint weekly (by end of day Thursday).
• All photos and videos of students must be deleted from your personal devices at the end of each week.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences in the Fall & Spring to support the Lead Teachers as they communicate with families about their child’s growth & development.
• All other tasks as assigned.

• Actively supervise all students in your care.
• Ensure students’ daily needs are met, including (but not limited to): sunscreen, bug spray, water, food, warmth, and physical comfort.
• Manage risk and always stay aware of student safety.
• Document any behavior incidents and/or injuries with an incident report to be signed by parents within 24 hours of the incident.
• Communicate with all Ketcha staff, students, and families in a positive and respectful manner.
• All other tasks as assigned.

• Visually assess the classroom and playground environments to detect hazards. Remedy or report unsafe conditions immediately. Reports can be made to the Preschool Director.
• Organize indoor and outdoor environments daily to keep the spaces safe, clean, and accessible for children to use independently.
• Clean and sanitize the classroom spaces (indoor and outdoor) at the end of each day per licensing requirements and Ketcha policies and procedures.
• Communicate supply needs to the Preschool Director.
• All other tasks as assigned.

• Be a lifelong learner by engaging in regular professional development to expand, improve, and refine your teaching practice. (Licensing requires full-time teachers to complete at least 30 hours of training per year and part-time teachers to complete at least 18 hours).
• Attend all scheduled professional development days during the school year.

ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL:
This position belongs to a class of employees referred to as Essential Personnel. Essential Personnel are those needed on site to meet the needs of our students or general maintenance operations. Essential personnel must report to work during their regularly scheduled hours unless otherwise directed by a supervisor.

• Fingerprinting-based background check through the Maine State Department of Health & Human Services.
• Complete a background check, which will include the National Sex Offender Registry, that is sent to you by Ketcha Outdoors upon offer of employment.

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or similar is preferred. High School Diploma, GED, or HiSET is…