Preschool Teacher

The Backcountry Wilderness Area’s mission is to improve wildlife habitat, inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, and ignite a lifelong love of the outdoors for all. Located at 5,920 feet in the heart of the Front Range, our 8,200-acre campus—featuring outdoor learning spaces, an outdoor amphitheater, a natural play space, garden, chicken coop with over 20 chickens, 6 goats, 2 donkeys, a state-of-the-art archery range, and horse corrals—serves as the ultimate learning environment.

The Backcountry Wild Roots Preschool serves the community as a year-round, half-day, fully-outdoors preschool program. Wild Roots provides student-directed learning, where children’s ideas, discoveries, and inquiries are nurtured. Daily hands-on experiences allow children to acquire a deep understanding of the natural world. At the Backcountry Wild Roots Preschool, nature is both the classroom and the teacher, and learning happens exclusively outdoors.

This position is responsible for guiding children on explorations, as well as planning and teaching age-appropriate lessons and activities. Teachers will provide a daily routine with predictable rituals for students, but they will also allow for plenty of time for unstructured play and exploration with the active presence of teachers. Teachers are responsible for tracking children’s progress and report to parents. Teachers are responsible for maintaining high standards of health and safety, set up and clean-up of all daily activities, and following all Backcountry Wilderness Area policies and procedures.

This position averages approximately 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday.

HRCA Backcountry Wilderness Area is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements:

• Candidates must be 21 years of age or older
• Must have an interest in, respect for, and ability to work with preschool aged children
• Previous childcare experience is required
• Must meet the requirements of Lead Teacher according to the Department of Human Services and must be able to provide proof of education and experience at the time of interview
• Must have a passion for nature and the natural world and a knowledge of basic ecological principles
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and teach age-appropriate lessons and activities
• Ability to adapt lesson plans and instructions to meet a wide variety of learners
• Must be able to collaborate with other teachers and aides
• Ability to supervise and be responsible for the health and safety of up to 12 children each day
• Ability to act as a mediator between children
• Strong work ethic and motivation to contribute positively to the Backcountry Wilderness Area at large
• Strong communication skills with ability to effectively interact with people of all backgrounds
• Ability to work in a busy environment with many distractions
• Must be cool-tempered and friendly
• Current adult and pediatric First Aid and CPR certifications required, or ability to obtain before the first day of employment
• Valid driver’s license and a clean driving record
• Must be available to work a minimum of 8 of the 10 weeks of the summer
• Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen.

Application Instructions:

Please submit the online employment application found at www.hrcaonline.org/jobs. All applications require a resume and cover letter. The first review of applications will begin in January of 2023, and positions will be filled on a rolling basis.