Lead Teacher – Nature-Based Early Childhood Program
Evergreen Nature School · [Lexington / Louisville], KY Part-time · Mon–Thur, 9:00am–2:00pm + 2 paid prep hours/week (~22 hrs) · Starts August 2026 Pay: $[18–22]/hr, based on experience
Do you believe childhood is meant to be full of wonder, mud pies, and meaningful play? Are you passionate about nature, creativity, and child-led learning — in Spanish and English?
Evergreen Nature School is hiring a Lead Teacher to guide a mixed-age group of 12–18 children (ages 3–10), working alongside a dedicated assistant teacher, in our fully outdoor, bilingual program. We follow the rhythms of nature and the child — rain, shine, or snow — drawing inspiration from Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori approaches.
What you'll do
- Guide and care for a group of children with warmth, clarity, and consistency
- Lead daily interactive circle time — songs, stories, and movement — in Spanish and English
- Use our seasonal curriculum to plan quarterly, monthly, and daily nature-themed activities
- Facilitate nature walks, outdoor exploration, and child-led discovery
- Set up developmentally appropriate provocations and "invitations to play"
- Encourage healthy risk-taking, independence, emotional growth, and curiosity
- Collaborate closely with your assistant teacher and director
- Prioritize play, imagination, and joy every single day
Who we're looking for (required)
- Conversational Spanish — comfortable leading songs, stories, and conversations with children in Spanish
- Previous experience working with children (outdoor, Waldorf, Reggio, or Montessori settings a plus)
- Genuine love of being outside, in every season. This is a fully outdoor program with no indoor classroom: Kentucky winters, summer heat, rain, and mud included. Our teachers dress for the weather and model enthusiasm for it
- Comfortable with the physical side of the work: walking and hiking throughout the day, standing on uneven ground, lifting and carrying program gear (up to ~40 lbs), and the realities of park facilities
- Reliable transportation — we are a nomadic program that operates across several park locations
- Reliable, punctual, creative, and enthusiastic, with strong communication skills
- Able to pass a background check and hold CPR/First Aid certification before your start date (we can help you obtain it)
Nice to have
- Early Childhood Education or related degree/certification
- Environmental education and outdoor skills — fire building, plant ID, shelter making, navigation
About Evergreen Nature School
Evergreen is a bilingual, nature-immersive education program serving children ages 3–10 in central Kentucky. We have no walls — our classrooms are city parks and natural areas, and our curriculum follows the seasons. We value connection, wonder, self-confidence, empathy, and environmental stewardship. Our teachers are facilitators, mentors, and co-adventurers.
How to apply
Send a short note about yourself and why this role fits you along with your resume to [email protected]. Strong candidates will be invited to a paid working-interview day at our summer camp this June/July — you'll spend a morning outdoors with our team and the kids, which tells both of us far more than any interview room could.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $18.00 - $22.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
