Lead Teacher-Early Childhood Program- Licensed Facility

Job Title: Lead Teacher-Early Childhood Program- Licensed Facility

Job Classification: Either exempt or non-exempt, depending on qualifications 

Position Summary

The Lead Teacher in a licensed Early Childhood facility holds responsibility for classroom preparation, seasonal curriculum, yearly activities, and the cultivation of a healthy social and pedagogical environment grounded in Waldorf education. The Lead Teacher works closely with an Assistant Teacher and serves as a mentor through guidance, modeling, collaboration, and shared reflective practice.

Lead Teachers work collegially alongside the other Early Childhood Lead Teachers within a collaborative mentoring faculty structure. Faculty members participate in shared governance, mentoring meetings, classroom observations, and ongoing collegial support processes intended to strengthen the health of the classrooms, faculty, and broader school community.

Reports To Sierra Waldorf Faculty, Admin and Board 

Mentoring and Classroom Leadership Responsibilities

• Mentor and support Assistant Teachers within the classroom
• Consistent weekly mentoring with own assistant weekly  
• Support orientation to classroom rhythms, Waldorf pedagogy, and professional expectations
• Maintain collaborative communication regarding classroom needs and assistant scheduling
• Participate in reciprocal mentoring relationships within the Early Childhood faculty
• Attend weekly mentoring meetings

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide curriculum in accordance with the principles and methods of Waldorf education
• Foster and maintain a healthy social life within the classroom community
• Incorporate student families into the life of the school community
• Prepare yearly classroom rhythms, schedules, and daily lesson plans
• Guide student activities with warmth, consistency, and ongoing support
• Implement a curriculum that fosters the healthy physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of the young child
• Create an environment that nurtures foundational sense integration, imaginative play, movement, and healthy social development
• Cultivate capacities that support readiness for later academic learning
• Provide parent education regarding child development and Waldorf education
• Conduct a minimum of three parent meetings per school year
• Hold parent-teacher conferences and prepare student progress reports
• Support families in incorporating Waldorf principles into home life when appropriate
• Foster collaborative relationships between parents, teachers, and the broader school community
• Participate in school festivals, outreach events, committee work, and faculty responsibilities

Required Skills and Abilities

• Ability to assess and respond to the evolving needs of the children in the class
• Skill in working with the young child through all developmental capacities
• Ability to maintain a healthy, orderly, and nurturing classroom environment
• Ability to work collaboratively within a collegial faculty structure
• Commitment to mentoring relationships with Early Childhood faculty and Assistants
• Ability to contribute to faculty governance, enrollment support, and administrative tasks as needed
• Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and healthy communication
• Participation in annual self-reflection and evaluation processes
• Regular attendance at morning verse, faculty meetings, trainings, and required summer preparation weeks
• Commitment to carrying out the decisions of the Faculty and Board of Trustees

Desired Skills and Abilities

• Commitment to reflective practice and ongoing inner development
• Interest in Anthroposophy and Waldorf educational philosophy
• Ability to work collaboratively with mentors and colleagues
• Commitment to professional growth through reading, conferences, workshops, and continuing education

Required Education and Experience

• Experience working with children
• Ongoing Waldorf training through teacher training programs, summer intensives, workshops, or continuing education
• Live Scan fingerprint clearance, FBI clearance, and Child Abuse Central Index clearance as required
• Completion of at least 12 core units in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, including coursework in:
• Child, Family, and Community or Child/Family Relations
• Programs/Curriculum
• Child/Human Growth and Development

See Title 22 qualification requirements for additional pathways that may satisfy state criteria.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Certification
• Experience working with children ages 2.9 years through the early grades
• Experience with classroom leadership and mentoring
• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field
• California Teaching Credential or equivalent experience

Physical Requirements

The physical abilities outlined below are essential for successfully performing the primary functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Employees are regularly required to:

• Supervise and communicate with children and coworkers
• Stand, walk, sit, bend, kneel, crouch, and move throughout classroom and outdoor environments
• Use hands and arms for classroom activities and caregiving tasks
• Occasionally lift and move children or equipment up to 50 pounds

Work takes place both indoors and outdoors and may involve exposure to noise, weather conditions, illness, and routine childhood environmental factors.

Work Schedule and Calendar

This position follows the academic calendar beginning in early August and concluding in mid-June, with additional summer responsibilities for training, preparation, and program support.

Regular working hours are generally:

• Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Responsibilities may also include:

• Parent conferences and evening parent meetings
• Faculty meetings and committee work
• School festivals and outreach events
• Summer training and preparation weeks

Dedicated weekly time includes:

• Mentoring responsibilities: Weekly from 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
• Faculty responsibilities and administrative work: Fridays from 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

Compensation and benefits:

Compensation, determined by educational qualifications and years of experience, ranges from $43680 to $64737 per annum.

Full Remission.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Sierra Waldorf School is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Sierra Waldorf School will not tolerate discrimination against any employee based on race, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, religious convictions, or disability.

Sierra Waldorf School is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Please submit a resume and cover letter with 3 references to View email address on jobs.waldorftoday.com

Faculty Governance and Mentoring Structure

The Early Childhood faculty operates through a collegial Waldorf governance model grounded in shared responsibility, mentoring, and collaborative practice. Lead Teachers work together as a mentoring circle rather than within a traditional hierarchical management structure.

While individual teachers maintain responsibility for the health and functioning of their classrooms, faculty members are expected to participate in collaborative dialogue, collegial problem-solving, classroom observation, and mutual support processes.

Assistant and Associate Teachers receive direct mentorship from their classroom Lead Teacher while also being supported by the broader Early Childhood faculty community.

All faculty members share responsibility for cultivating a professional, respectful, and socially healthy working environment that supports the wellbeing of the children, families, faculty, and school.