Job Description

The Treehouse: a Forest Garden School 

Milwaukie, OR

Waldorf Inspired, Outdoor Early Childhood Education 

Who We Are:  
The Treehouse: a Forest Garden School is a Waldorf-inspired program that holds a unique balance of being a certified Center through the Early Learning Division with beautiful indoor classrooms, while operating more as a Forest School, with our Saplings and Oaks being in our outdoor classroom for the majority of our school day. We are a place where children learn to love themselves, others, and the earth as we engage the head, heart, and hands of each child.

 

We offer a fruitful nature-based curriculum and an immersive outdoor experience in our budding Forest Garden on our 1/3 acre. Students enjoy natural & handmade toys, daily activities of yoga, painting, finger plays, music and gardening.

 

We serve 6 weeks - 6 year olds: Infants, Toddlers, Preschool and Kindergarten. ​

Compensation:

• 40 hrs Paid Time Off
• All Co-teachers and Lead Teachers are salaried, receiving 23 paid days off a school year.
• Please see our current Pay Brackets , for a breakdown of various positions. 
• Lead Teachers will receive a $150 monthly bonus to be used at their discretion. 
• The teacher cupboard will be stocked monthly according to teacher requests and budget approval 
  • Examples: Free herbs, supplements, tea, vitamins, Kombucha, Elderberry Syrup 
• One week of paid Staff Development: teacher training, stress management and self awareness training. 
• 50% off of tuition for employees' dependents of age 6 weeks - 6 years, if space allows in our programs. The contract still applies, as do our Financial Aid protocols. Preference is given for a child to enroll in a classroom different from their parents. 

Commitment: We ask for a minimum of a 1-year commitment for Co-Teachers and a 2-year commitment for Lead Teachers.

Support Teacher (all classes)

• Monthly salary of $2,422.13/month
  • Salary based on $18-$19/hr depending on experience and education. Here is our '23-'24 Teaching Pay Bracket
• 30.5 hrs a week M, T, Th, F 
• Supports all 3 classes and teachers during the day, and cleans our community space
• Requiring the teacher to be flexible, detailed oriented and wonderful at time management 
• Here is a sample Salary Agreement . Right now, it is written for Aid 2. 
  • We will not be hiring an Aid 1 for this position. 
  • This position is for an Aid 2 or Teacher. See page 71 and 75 in the ELD Rule Book to confirm you are an Aid 2 or Teacher qualified before scheduling an interview. 

Required certificates include (may be obtained upon employment) :

• Pediatric CPR and 1st Aid Certificate
• Oregon Food Handlers Card
• Enrollment in the Background Registry
• Introduction to Child Care Health and Safety (ICCHS)
• Safe Sleep Training
• Foundations for Learning 
• Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect
• Additional RIE infant training is needed in the infant classroom and may be obtained after hiring. 

Knowledge of and/or experience in a Waldorf early childhood and Forest School is highly sought after!

All Lead Teachers must be “Teacher Qualified” through the Early Learning Division 

Application Instructions

Application Materials Include:

1) Resume

2) Names and phone numbers of three work and/or teaching-related references

3) Cover letter with answers to the following (Please upload a Cover Letter to your application, or send one directly to desirae.thetreehouse@gmail.com) 

• How has your experience prepared you for the responsibilities of this position?
• We follow the Waldorf philosophy and teach through an emergent curriculum. How would your approach combine with ours?
• Our Forest Garden is a dynamic part of our curriculum. Elaborate on your experience and awareness of the Forest School movement and/or Outdoor Education. 
• We encourage our whole staff to use their interests to enrich the overall experience we provide to both children and families. How could your interests and skill set enrich our program?
• If applying for Infant care: What is your knowledge and experience of RIE?

After an interview, qualified applicants will show the ability to foster and lead a healthy working environment through a working interview.

**Please review our website before applying.**

About The Treehouse: A Forest Garden School:

The Treehouse: a Forest Garden School is a nonprofit Waldorf-inspired program for children 6 weeks - 6 years , established in 2010. After a recent move and expansion from an in-home school, we are now stewarding a 1/3 acre just outside of Portland, Oregon where we are developing a food forest, permaculture learning garden, and offer a holistic education for children to truly thrive! Our core intention at The Treehouse is to develop curiosity by surrounding children with an environment of security, beauty, creativity, and wonder. We are a place where children learn to love themselves, others, and the earth as we engage the head, heart, and hands of each child. At The Treehouse, we support the child, their family, and their community. With our recent expansion to our new center, we have plans to start adult education through community workshops! We offer a unique opportunity for families as a state-certified center providing an indoor classroom dedicated to beauty and a fully equipped outdoor classroom in our forest garden where children will be outside in all weather for up to 6 ½ hours a day. Offering high-quality outdoor education has us pushing the envelope on what state-licensed schools typically offer. Treehouse’s program follows the local school year calendar for children 6 weeks - 6-year-olds and offers a Forest School Summer Program for children through the age of 12. We are eternally grateful for the resources that we have the opportunity to steward and have us striving to give back from our abundance. 

The Treehouse: a Forest Garden School is a non profit Waldorf inspired program for children 6 weeks - 6 years, established in 2010. After a recent move and expansion from an in-home school we are now stewarding a 1/4 acre just outside of Portland, Oregon where we are developing a food forest, permaculture learning garden and offer a holistic education for children to truly thrive! We offer a unique opportunity for families as a state certified center providing an indoor classroom dedicated to beauty and a fully equipped outdoor classroom in our forest garden where children will be outside in all weather up to 6 ½ hours a day. Offering high quality outdoor education definitely has us pushing the envelope on what state licensed schools typically offer. Treehouse’s program follows the local school year calendar for children 6 weeks - 6 year olds and offers a Forest School Summer Program for children through the age of 12. We are eternally grateful for the resources that we have the opportunity to steward and have us striving to give back from our abundance.

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