Preschool Director

About Crow’s Path

Crow’s Path is a relationship-centered nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people of all ages to wildness. Through nature-based education, natural history, earth-based skills, creative play, storytelling, and community building, we cultivate meaningful relationships between people, place, and the more-than-human world.

Statement on Experience, Qualifications & Inclusivity

Crow’s Path is wholly committed to creating, sustaining, and advocating for a safe, welcoming, and respectful community where staff and participants can show up as their full and wild selves. Our staff come from different backgrounds and have taken many different paths to become mentors in our programs. As much as we value practical experience and education backgrounds in hiring, we also value and weigh life experience, knowledge, and soft skills in our hiring process. 

We work to support people of all identities in our programs. Research shows that people from marginalized groups (women, LGBTQ+, and people of color) are less likely to apply for jobs when they do not meet the listed criteria in the job description. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, even if your experience varies from what we have asked for. Above all, we seek applicants who will support our young participants as they navigate their own identities and those of their peers. Applicants should be prepared to engage in discussions with other staff on gender, race, class, and power as topics arise.

The Opportunity

The Wilds Preschool has become one of the most exciting new chapters in Crow’s Path’s growth since we first started running programs in 2010. We opened our doors (or a secret portal in the forest) to preschool families back in 2023. As we enter our fourth year, we are seeking a Preschool Director who is passionate about early childhood education, collaborative leadership, and nature-based learning to guide the continued development of our small, tight-knit preschool community.

The preschool is integrated into a larger tapestry of Crow’s Path programs allowing kids the opportunity to grow, learn, and explore as they get older, moving from the preschool into the Field School and then on to middle school apprenticeships and high school internships. This position offers a unique opportunity to guide our preschool forward as it continues to hone its identity, deepen and expand connections between the preschool and our youth programs, and work alongside an experienced and creative team committed to relationship-centered education. 

The Preschool Director serves as both an educational leader and mentor, balancing administration, licensing, staff leadership, curriculum development, family partnerships, and direct work with children. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building community, supporting educators, and helping an innovative organization continue to grow.

Position Summary

This position reports to the Executive Director (Jeff Doretti), and will work closely with Program Development Director (Teage O’Connor), Afterschool Program Director (Ian Nesbit), and Youth Programs Director (Ross Doree). Our outdoor basecamp is on City land and the Preschool Director collaborates closely with the Conservation Field Coordinator at the City of Burlington (Daniel Schmidt). The Preschool Director supervises preschool teaching staff and oversees student teachers, interns, and volunteers

Location: Burlington, Vermont (primarily our basecamp in the Arms Grant Forest as well as indoor classroom space at North Avenue Alliance Church)

Schedule: The position is fulltime, Monday-Friday. There are built-in scheduled, paid time off around school vacation weeks and other breaks in our academic calendar.

Position Purpose

The Preschool Director provides educational leadership for The Wilds Preschool by fostering a collaborative staff culture, ensuring licensing compliance, supporting high-quality curriculum, partnering with families and outside organizations to create an environment where children can forge deep connections to themselves, others, and the land.

Core Responsibilities

Educational Leadership

• Guide implementation of Crow’s Path’s educational philosophy
• Support curriculum development
• Mentor teaching staff
• Observe classrooms and provide coaching
• Promote high-quality documentation of children’s learning

Leadership & Culture

• Foster a collaborative, relationship-centered team culture
• Coach staff through regular feedback
• Support professional development and career goals of teachers
• Build psychological safety
• Encourage curiosity, experimentation, and reflective practice

Licensing & Compliance

• Maintain compliance with Vermont licensing regulations
• Oversee inspections and documentation
• Ensure policies remain current
• Manage required certifications

Program Quality 

• Maintain compliance with Act 166 regulations
• Review and implement program goals related to STARS program
• Review and prepare for CLASS program assessments        

Curriculum & Documentation

• Connect curriculum to Vermont Early Learning Standards
• Collaborate on seasonal planning
• Document children’s growth and development
• Support long-term curriculum planning

Family Partnerships

• Build trusting relationships with families
• Communicate regularly with parents.  
• Help facilitate parent-teacher conferences
• Support family engagement opportunities
• Respond thoughtfully to concerns

Community Partnerships

• Develop partnerships with schools, organizations, and community groups
• Represent Crow’s Path professionally
• Support outreach and enrollment efforts

Safety & Risk Management

• Maintain safe learning environments
• Lead emergency preparedness
• Review risk management procedures
• Ensure children’s physical and emotional well-being

Administration & Operations

• Manage annual enrollments
• Manage budgets
• Support annual planning
• Maintain records
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on organizational priorities

Qualifications

Required

• Strong understanding of child development
• Commitment to DEI principles (fostering an inclusive workplace, respecting varying cultural backgrounds, and supporting underrepresented groups)
• Knowledge of Vermont licensing regulations
• Excellent communication skills
• Licensing requires Director’s to have completed (or complete within 1 year of being hired) specific coursework in early childhood education. 
  • 3 credit course in the following (1) child development (2) curriculum, (3) Program Management, (4) Financial Management 
• CPR/First Aid (or willingness to obtain)
• Ability to pass a background check

Preferred

• Experience leading an early childhood (or similar) program
• Nature-based education experience
• Forest preschool experience
• Program administration
• Staff supervision
• Budget management
• Family engagement
• Partnership development

Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates demonstrate:

• Authentic leadership
• Relationship-centered communication
• Coaching and mentoring
• Collaborative decision making
• Organization and follow through
• Adaptability
• Creativity
• Emotional intelligence
• Curiosity
• Joy in working outdoors

Why Join Crow’s Path?

Joining Crow’s Path means becoming part of an organization that values relationships before hierarchy, curiosity before certainty, and community before competition.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Help shape an innovative preschool
• Collaborate with passionate educators
• Continue your own professional growth
• Build lasting relationships with children and families
• Spend your days immersed in nature
• Help create the future of outdoor education in Vermont

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $50,000–$57,000, based on qualifications and experience. In addition to paid holidays, paid sick and personal time, professional development funds, sabbatical opportunities, and other benefits, this full-time position follows a school-year schedule that provides generous paid holiday and vacation breaks aligned closely with the Burlington School District calendar, supporting rest, renewal, and a healthy work-life balance.

To Apply

Submit responses and upload a resume in the application form 

Statement on Inclusivity:

We work to support people of all identities in our programs. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, even if your experience varies from what we have asked for. Above all, we seek applicants who will support our young participants as they navigate their own identities and those of their peers. 

Anti-discrimination policy

Crow’s Path is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where applicants of every background can thrive. All decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, benefits, wage and salary administration, scheduling, disciplinary action and termination will be made without unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.