Cooperative forest school is a forest school morning program in Stoneham, MA for children ages 2-7, in the process of state-licensing with the Department of Early Education and Care.  Founded by two parent-educators and artists, we came together through a commitment to play-based outdoor education, and disability justice.  Cooperative Forest School we are committed to the principles of community care, open play, collaboration, exploration, nurturing and environmental stewardship.

We are looking for an Experienced, Outdoor Educator to join our adventure in care and community and to lead our program, 5 days a week. This is a 20-25 hr/week position with the possibility of additional hours.

Duties

• Lead the Cooperative Forest School program 5 mornings per week during the school year.
• Make sure children are safe and supported.
• Observe children’s behavior and learning, and foster problem solving, collaboration, confidence building and imagination by providing scaffolding experiential learning based on those observations.
• Maintain visual and auditory supervision of children at all times to ensure their safety in the forest and on any field trips
• Help children resolve and negotiate conflicts when they arise; support development of self-regulation, impulse control and coping mechanisms through supporting conflict resolution; use consistent techniques in guiding children’s behavior.
• Develop strong positive partnerships with families, students, and possible co-teachers.
• Use positive, appropriate and supportive language with children.
• Embrace a wide variety of weather conditions as pedagogical inspiration. 
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with children, caregivers, and other teachers. 
• Coordinate with Cooperative Forest School core team on planning, preparation and organization.

Qualifications

• Experience in early childhood education and/or outdoor/nature education programs.  
• Strong emotional intelligence, including empathy and listening skill set.
• Loves working with young children and is energetic and passionate about working one-on-one with children, as well as with groups of children.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of hazards and risk assessment as related to the environments of young children.
• Able to work cooperatively and collaboratively in an all outdoor, forest setting, and open and flexible to new ideas.
• Dedication to place-based education and a passion for exploring the natural environment. Working knowledge of local flora, fauna, and seasonal changes is a plus!
• Current Emergency First Aid and Child CPR certificate (or willing to obtain quickly)
• Comfortable with meeting children where they are on a given day.
• Familiarity with the principles of disability justice and community care.
• Reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Formal studies in the core subjects of Early Childhood Education 
• At least one to two years preschool teaching experience
• Knowledge of forestry, environmentalism, conservation, herbology, any and all Earth based / nature based wisdom or knowledge 
• Interest in collaboratively creating alternative approaches to schooling and community-building.

Salary: Competitive, and Based upon Experience, starting at $24 /hour. Salary will include paid time off for breaks and holidays.

Cooperative Forest School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a diverse, inclusive staff reflective of our community. We especially encourage applications from Black, Indigenous and People of Color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGTBQIA+ community.

How to apply: Send a 1) resume and 2) short note describing your teaching philosophy to Mary Jirmanus Saba cooperativeforestschool@riseup.net or mjirmanus@riseup.net

Note: Our commitment to disability justice means making our school accessible to disabled children or children who live in households with high-risk individuals. As the pandemic continues to impact disabled, elderly, people Black, indigenous and latinx communities disproportionately, we prioritize making our school safe for high-risk children and families.  To this end, we are following a layered protections system. We will ask all children and educators to wear high quality masks at all times, and use surveillance testing. We are committed to fair labor practices. This includes COVID pay in case of exposure, quarantine or illness.