Teacher-In-Residence Position
Are you ready to further your teaching career in one of the most beautiful places on Earth?
Little Star School wants YOU to spend an incredible year teaching alongside a skilled classroom team, and experiencing a welcoming rural community surrounded by stunning lakes, rivers and mountain ranges! We are seeking 1-2 inspired educators to join us starting in August 2024 to teach for a school year and through our 2025 summer season in our Infant, Toddler, or Early Childhood (preschool) classrooms. We offer competitive wages in the early learning sector, a flexible schedule, and will connect you with affordable housing options for your year here.
In the Methow Valley, outdoor activities like hiking, horseback riding, climbing, rafting, fishing, ice skating, and nordic and downhill skiing abound. There is a vibrant local art and music scene, and many delicious restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops to check out. We are fortunate to have an excellent K-12 public school district. The Valley has a small town feel and the sense of community is strong here.
If this sounds like an opportunity for you, we look forward to meeting you!
About Little Star School
At Little Star, we spark children's curiosity, compassion, and sense of community through joyful learning and discovery. We are a Montessori-inspired school that provides outstanding early childhood education for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. We strive to serve families across the socioeconomic spectrum with a robust financial aid program and by participating in the Working Connections Childcare Program through Washington state.
Little Star was founded in 1982 as a non-profit school by Rayma Hayes, a certified Montessori teacher with an amazing and joyful way of interacting with children. We’ve grown through the years in response to community need. In 2018, the community came together to fundraise for a new building on our Winthrop campus and a small satellite campus 8 miles down the road in Twisp to expand early education opportunities for infants and toddlers.
Little Star’s approach to Montessori education differs from many certified Montessori schools. We’ve taken the key ideas from Maria Montessori’s work and blended them with inspiration from play-based learning, outdoor-based learning, the Positive Discipline approach, and the most up-to-date early learning research to create an innovative school curriculum and culture that meets the unique needs of our diverse rural community. While we strive for our teachers to carry a Montessori certificate, we’ve consciously chosen not to pursue Montessori certification for our school in order to best fulfill our mission and vision.
Why work at Little Star?
Today, Little Star nurtures over 120 children and employs over 40 staff members across its two campuses in Winthrop and Twisp. Little Star has a diverse and dedicated teaching team including teachers who have been here over 30 years, new teachers building their skills, and alum students who are now staff, sending their own children to Little Star. Our special school is a home to many!
As an organization, supporting our staff and creating a positive work environment is a priority of both the Administrative Leadership Team and the Board of Directors. We remain connected through our shared professional commitment to our students, and also through social gatherings, team building activities, staff appreciation, and group celebrations. We know that for many of our long term staff members, the flexibility and support that our school provides is what has kept them with us for so many years.
About the Position
What is Little Star looking for:
The most important attribute Little Star looks for is an attitude that is joyful, nurturing, calm, kind, respectful and open towards all children and families. We love the work we do and look for people who can play and laugh, who genuinely enjoy being around young children and find meaning in contributing to the early years in a child's life. We look for individuals who communicate clearly and are open to giving and receiving feedback, are interested in professional development and growth as a teacher, and possess strong organizational skills.
For our Teacher in Residence position, we are looking for candidates that are inspired to pursue teaching as a career and are ready to be a co-leader alongside a current Lead Teacher or a strong Assistant Teacher. This could mean several years of experience teaching at an early childhood education school, an early learning degree or Montessori certificate, or a combination of the two.
The position is a minimum of 4 days/week, 8 hours/day, with opportunities for additional hours if desired. During the school year, we follow our local public school’s calendar, and also have 6 weeks of summer programming in July and August. You can check out our 2023—2024 calendar to get an idea of what your schedule will be like. The Teacher-in-Residence position is for one full school year and one summer (roughly August 19, 2024 — August 8, 2025).
Wages and Benefits for Teacher-In-Residence Position:
Competitive wages in the Early Childhood Education field ($19-$21+ per hour, depending on experience, skills, and qualifications)
3% retirement matching program
$750 annual health stipend for full time work (32+ hours/week)
Accrued paid time off at 0.025 hours per hour worked
50% discount on your child’s enrollment at Little Star
Connection with affordable rental housing options in the Valley
Paid training
State funded scholarships available for those pursuing degrees in early learning (BA/BS in Early Childhood Education, MACTE accredited Montessori certification)
Flexible scheduling with weekday/daytime hours
Positive and supportive work environment with a fun and dedicated team
Make a difference in the lives of children and families
How to apply:
Please email a cover letter and resume to employment@littlestarschool.org
Are you moving to the Valley and are interested in teaching longer than a year or already have housing lined up? We have other positions available and would love to meet you! Please also submit a cover letter and resume to employment@littlestarschool.org.
Questions? Please call 509-996-2801 and ask for Executive Director Brad Halm