Local Teaching Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Preschool Teacher- Nature-Based Program

2026–2027 School Year

About Us.

We are a small very well-established nature-based playschool for children ages 2- 6. Our days are spent outdoors and hands-in-the-dirt, and our curriculum is built around themed weeks that weave botany, chemistry, art, and story into one another.

We keep our group small and our ratios low so every child gets real attention and a workspace of their own.

We should tell you plainly: this is a school with high standards. We care enormously about the details, and we hire teachers who care about them too.

The Role.

You'll co-lead the daily rhythm for a group of 2-6 year olds: morning circle, read-aloud and discussion, hands-on projects, outdoor exploration, and weekly science investigations. We believe in extended periods of free play.

You'll work from a written curriculum with anchor texts, discussion prompts with talking points, songs and chants, materials lists, and do-ahead notes are all provided. You won't be inventing a program from scratch. But you will plan each month, week, and day alongside your co-teachers, and we'll expect you to bring the director new ideas for extending and supplementing what's there.

Day to day:

• Maintaining active supervision at all times- always knowing where every child is
• Leading circle-time and conversations that go beyond recall: what makes something magical, where a seed goes when it flies away, and following children's thinking wherever it lands
• Setting up individual tray workspaces and guiding open-ended projects with real materials- clay, mortar and pestle, twine, dried flowers, root vegetables, glass jars
• Running simple science experiments and helping children observe, predict, and describe change over days rather than minutes
• Documenting learning journeys and communicating regularly with families about the wonderful things and the hard ones
• Tending the space- garden watered, materials organized, walkways swept, surfaces reset at the end of every day
• Supervising outdoor play in all weather, including collecting natural materials alongside the children

Who Thrives Here.

• Someone who genuinely adores working with children- this is your passion and it shows.
• You're genuinely curious about the natural world and comfortable not knowing every answer- "let's find out" is a real sentence for you
• You're at ease with mess: dirt, dye, wet clay, all art mediums
• You talk to young children like they're capable thinkers and are incredibly loving and kind
• You notice the quiet child, not just the loud one
• You're organized enough to have Tuesday's materials ready on Monday afternoon
• When you see something that needs attention, you handle it or flag it- you don't walk past it
• You want to be fully present with children during the school day, which means personal phone use waits for breaks
• You're a genuinely good co-teacher: collaborative, direct, open to feedback

Terms & Compensation

• Term: Fixed-term 10 month contract for the school year, August 12, 2026 through June 11, 2027. Summer contracts available separately.
• Classification: Salaried exempt
• Compensation: very competitive annual salary, based on total contracted responsibilities.
• Pay schedule: Prepaid monthly, processed by the 7th of each month
• Schedule: Full-day with a flexible start times and break structure agreed with the Director. Some prep, planning, and documentation hours may be worked from home.
• Time off: Follows the school calendar. We are year-round but we do close for significant breaks totaling 11+ weeks a year.
• Probation: 90-day period with a formal review at the end

Requirements.

• LIVEScan fingerprint clearance (DOJ/FBI), TB clearance, and current MMR and Tdap immunizations
• Pediatric CPR and First Aid certification
• Willingness to serve as a mandated reporter under California Penal Code 11164–11174.3
• Ability to be on your feet outdoors for the full day and lift up to 50 lbs

Nice to have: experience with Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, or forest school approaches; gardening or cooking background; Spanish.

Please note: our curriculum and teaching methods are proprietary, and all staff sign a confidentiality agreement covering curriculum materials and family information.

To Apply.

Send a resume and a short note. In your note, tell us about a time you followed a child's curiosity somewhere you didn't expect to go- we'd rather read three honest paragraphs than a polished cover letter.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.