Nature Preschool Director

Mission: 

The mission of Boston Outdoor Preschool Network (BOPN) is to meet the developmental needs of the whole child while initiating them into a lifelong relationship with the natural world. We are committed to expanding access to nature-based early childhood education.

What We Do: 

BOPN is a nonprofit organization focused on nature-based early education. We bring families together in community and give children a joyfully muddy childhood under the loving guidance of dedicated teachers. Our programs combine early childhood and environmental education. Our goals are to promote children’s physical and mental health, encourage environmental stewardship, and to develop habits of mind such as curiosity, initiative, persistence, creativity, problem-solving, and responsibility.

BOPN operates toddler and preschool programs in Boston, Milton, Malden, Sudbury, Sherborn, and Natick. We are committed to expanding access to nature-based early education through our equity programs, including our public school partnerships and by opening Boston’s first free nature preschool at the Franklin Park Zoo through Universal PreK.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

The position includes teacher coaching, program operations, and marketing to a lesser extent. Depending on Location the site director role can be a hybrid teaching and program administration role. We are seeking to fill Director roles at our Arnold Arboretum site location, and our Sherborn Location.

Teacher Coaching and Professional Development:

Teacher coaches serve as a catalyst for professional growth in community. They do the work of culture-making while also helping to maintain efficiencies and compliance. They are mentors who not only monitor programs for safety and smooth operations but also offer opportunities for teachers to engage with heart and intellect in their daily work with young children. The coach makes teachers feel seen and heard by asking questions: “what do you want to be known for?” and “what would you like to imagine is possible?” They help teachers to define and chart a course for themselves, pursuing the question of who they really want to be as educators. They have the courage to pull teachers out of their comfort zones by offering challenges to habitual thinking and doing and are not afraid to unsettle the community’s thinking! The coach guides teachers to re-examine daily routines such as drop-off, circle time, clean-up, lunch, and nap. They guide teachers to tell the stories of the community–stories about children, educators, and families–understanding that stories affirm a community’s sense of identity.

The coach helps teachers to:

• Keep children safe
• See children’s strengths and competencies rather than deficits
• Have a new sense of curiosity and purpose in their role as a teacher
• Gain confidence in using observations and writing meaningful learning stories
• Find their own voice and leadership style
• Enjoy their work and imagine a career in early childhood education
• Become an advocate

Citation: inspired by From Teaching to Thinking by Ann Pelo and Margie Carter

• Collaborate with BOPN Directors and Hiring Manager to identify professional learning needs and opportunities.
• Engage in coaching that support educators in learning and implementing best practices in early childhood and environmental education, classes on a regular basis to observe, meet with educators, and model teaching practices.
• Recognize and build on educator strengths and areas of growth through assessment of needs, engaging in focused observations, and providing reflection and feedback in order to set goals and develop action plans collaboratively with educators to promote the strengthening of teaching practices that lead to improved child outcomes.
• Create a collaborative culture among staff, encouraging teachers to learn from one another.
• Evaluate teacher job performance based on the BOPN teacher evaluation criteria.
• Support our tradition of rolling admissions and create a culture where teachers expect, and welcome mid-year admits
• Support planning and execution of BOPN professional development days.

Coordinate program operations:

• Coordinate logistics necessary for smooth daily operations at our program location(s), including arranging for coverage and scheduling substitute teachers.
• Design systems and protocols to ensure safety. Train teachers on safety protocols.
• Rapidly respond to urgent communications. Respond to non-urgent questions and concerns within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends.
• Assist with EEC licensing compliance
• Substitute teach as needed
• Host tours for prospective families as needed.

Qualifications:

• EEC Director Certification Required
• Minimum five years of experience as a Lead Teacher at a nature-based early childhood program. Experience as a nature preschool director is preferred.
• Proven experience in early childhood program administration, including staff supervision, parent communication, and managing multiple partnerships across several locations
• Excellent classroom management, nature connection, and parent communication
• Experience implementing high-quality practices through intentional teacher-child interactions
• Eagerness to embrace a positive, strengths-based approach to working with teaching teams
• Capability to understand, engage, and provide tools and resources to support educators
• Time management: able to balance time/energy between coaching and program coordinating
• Excellent project management skills. Ability to create systems to keep track of multiple moving pieces and deadlines at multiple locations.
• Adept at navigating relationships with families, teachers, supervisor, admissions staff, and external partners.
• Able to bridge communication between teachers and administrators.
• Makes decisions based on what is best for the organization as a whole, considering both quality and equity goals.
• Proficiency in utilizing computer programs, including google suite and ProCare
• Ability to solve problems collaboratively and adapt to changing circumstances
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• The ability to work independently and also to communicate effectively with team members
• Able to hike across varied terrain in a wide variety of weather conditions, rain or shine.
• Experience with anti-bias education
• Maintains confidentiality
• Eager to work in a nonprofit start-up culture. Tolerant of uncertainty and change and understand that organizations continue to improve when the people who work there are adaptable, take chances, and learn from their mistakes
• Preferred: Bilingual in Spanish and English

Additional Information:

• Hiring is rolling. Please apply at your earliest convenience.
• This position requires successful reference and background checks.
• Candidates who add to our diverse community are encouraged to apply.
• Boston Outdoor Preschool Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.