Job Description

Forest Fairy | SubstitutePre-K Teacher 

Are you a little silly? Do you espouse a personal practice of living in the moment? Can you experience child-like wonder? Do you want to work outdoors almost ALL of the time? Can you be reliable in your commitment to this work?

We're looking for a substitute teacher extraordinaire who would be willing to be our knight in shining armor - especially during the time of the year where staff members are ill. This person should:
1.) Have a genuine love for playing with children.
2.) Have a flexible schedule. 
3.) Be excited about playing out in the woods in almost all weather conditions. 

Fairy Forest is a Sanctuary for Childhood. We seek to provide trusted, compassionate care for children ages 3-5 while scaffolding play experiences which encourage children to climb whichever mountains they want to climb.

Our teachers function as guides who fully integrate into the culture and intersubjective realities of the classroom. We see on-ramps for new learnings, burgeoning passions and talents and use our resources to the best of our ability to create play laboratories to allow children to dive further into their interests.

Folks who have experience working in nature-based settings are also preferred. 

Our facility is located in a rural forest in Saco, Maine. Our buildings are domed yurts which allow staff and children to feel fully immersed in nature even when we are indoors. These are specially designed yurts that are engineered to create a safe and comfortable sanctuary for learning while providing all of the necessary tools, learning materials, and comforts of a modern teaching facility.

Childhood and the magic of play have been systemically devalued for most of modern American history as rigid pedagogies took the place of traditional tribe and community-based childcare. We are unapologetically play based, this means no mandated writing practice, no standardized testing, no adult-created/adult-driven tasks or crafting projects that test children’s ability to follow rules and fall-in-line at the expense of deep child-directed learning.

A cover letter expressing what led you to apply for this position is required . Please explain to us what led you to apply, how your past experiences prepare you for this position, and why you decided to get into early ed. 

Please note that applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered . 

Please feel welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] with your cover letter. 

A successful applicant will:

• Be reliable. Children deserve predictability and stability
• Have the well-practiced ability to connect with their inner child
• Be a little silly
• Be unapologetically queer friendly
• Genuinely enjoy spending time with young children
• Have some sort of background working with children either in childcare, public or private school, online ed, summer camps, aftercare programs, etc. and be able to explain how that experience pertains to this opportunity
• Have confidence in their abilities
• Possess enormous patience and empathy
• Have a solid understanding of their self-care routine necessary to support this type of work
• Confidently, effectively, and compassionately communicate with parents about their children
• Have the ability to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for families of all stripes
• Love being out in the woods
• Understand that ongoing training of at least 18 hours per year is a state mandated requirement for part-time early childhood educators
• Have already completed or have the ability to complete Maine Roads to Quality Health and Safety Training and Mandatory Reporter training to employment
• Pass a state criminal background check prior to employment
• Have already completed or be willing to complete pediatric and adult CPR/First Aid course
• Willingness to attend monthly staff meetings
• Be passionate about creating an inclusive environment for families of all shapes, sizes, and configurations

Pay and Benefits:

• Fairy Forest pledges to always pay full-time employees within the top 15% of the national pay range for early childhood educators. 
• Fairy Forest is committed to salary transparency, being contractually obligated to keep your salary a secret benefits only the employer.
• We all do the same important work. This means that all employees - including the director - are paid a base rate of $20.20 per hour as of September 2025 - this is not inclusive of the stipend offered by the State of Maine. The amount received from the state stipend program is not controlled by Fairy Forest. The wage stipends offered through the State of Maine are tiered in accordance with your level within the Maine Roads to Quality Program and are as follows:

Level 1-4: $240 per month

Level 5-6: $360 per month

Level 7-8: $540 per month

To estimate what your level might be please see the following website:

***Fairy Forest is a proudly queer owned business. Those who believe that queer folk should not work with children will not find success at Fairy Forest. Recent legal developments across the country criminalizing gender non-conforming people, attacking queer teachers, and banning LGBTQ+ stories and books are a serious threat to queer people everywhere - our business stands firmly in opposition to these cowardly and mean spirited attacks on our human rights.

***We are extremely worried about the federal government's efforts to undermine trust in vaccinations and are closely monitoring state by state efforts that seek to reduce child vaccination rates. Not only does this trend mean more very sick children and more deaths, it directly impacts our ability to do our work as educators since early care workers get sick at a higher rate than almost any other profession. This candidate must be willing to abide my the State of Maine's vaccination requirements unless there is a legitimate medical rationale for not being able to get a vaccination. 

Job Tags

Hourly pay, Full time, Part time, Summer work, Flexible hours,

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