Early Childhood (3-6) Lead Guide — Catskill Montessori School (Hudson Valley, NY)
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Description
Catskill Montessori School (CMS) is hiring an experienced, MACTE-credentialed 3-6 Lead Guide (co-lead) for the 2026-2027 school year.
CMS is a private, non-profit Montessori school on 63 acres in New York's Hudson Valley, inspired by the permaculture ethics of people care, earth care, and fair share. Our campus features a working greenhouse, fruit orchards, an outdoor/forest classroom, and farm animals — including Nigerian dwarf goats and chickens — alongside 16 acres of forests, trails, and rivers. We're equidistant from NYC and Boston (about two hours), with Amtrak service from nearby Hudson.
The Lead Guide will work alongside the rest of the teaching team to provide an authentic Montessori classroom experience in a warm, nurturing, and safe environment where self-direction is enhanced, independence is encouraged, and individuality is respected — alongside a strong outdoor education program that helps children become stewards of the land they inhabit.
Qualifications
3-6 MACTE-approved Montessori training credential
Prior experience as a Lead Guide in a 3-6 Montessori classroom
Enthusiasm for our founding ethos of People Care, Fair Share, and Earth Care
Able to work 8:00 am – 4:15 pm daily on our balanced-year calendar (optional paid Session break camps)
Interest or experience in farming, permaculture, or outdoor education is a big plus
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visa applicants at this time.
Responsibilities
Prepare, maintain, and continuously refine an authentic Montessori 3-6 prepared environment that fosters independence, concentration, and joy in learning.
Deliver Montessori lessons across the full Early Childhood curriculum — Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, and Cultural — individually and in small groups, paced to each child's development.
Observe each child closely and maintain accurate, ongoing records of progress, including detailed observation notes and individual work plans.
Plan and lead parent-teacher conferences twice yearly, prepare written progress reports, and maintain regular, warm communication with each family.
Supervise, mentor, and collaborate with the classroom assistant (or co-lead Guide), modeling Montessori philosophy and grace and courtesy in all interactions.
Cultivate a respectful, peaceful classroom community grounded in the school's ethos of People Care, Earth Care, and Fair Share.
Integrate outdoor education and farm-based learning into the daily rhythm — using the greenhouse, gardens, orchards, animals, and surrounding forest as extensions of the classroom.
Maintain the health, safety, and well-being of every child in the classroom, including supervision during transitions, meals, rest, and outdoor time.
Participate in weekly staff meetings, school-wide events, family gatherings, and ongoing professional development.
Uphold all school policies and contribute positively to the broader CMS community.
Skills
Montessori 3-6 curriculum delivery, Montessori lesson presentation (Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, Cultural), prepared environment design, child observation and record-keeping, individualized work plans, classroom leadership and management, grace and courtesy, conflict resolution, parent communication, progress reporting and conference facilitation, team collaboration and assistant supervision, outdoor and nature-based education, gardening / permaculture / farm integration a plus, child-led learning, cultural responsiveness, patience and warmth.
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