The Guiding Forest - Nature School and Early Learning Centre Ltd.

The Guiding Forest is looking for a part time Early Childhood Educator to join our team!

Do you Love working outside and watching children’s curiosity and imagination flourish? Are you a self starting, energetic, Early Childhood Educator? If so we have a job for you!

We’re looking for someone to fill a part time role for a 12-18 month leave of absence (with a possibility of contract extension/permanent position if staff leave is extended or more hours become available). This position is for a minimum of 30 hours per week (additional hours available occasionally).
Eligible applicants must have strong interpersonal communication skills, a basic understanding of Reggio and Waldorf philosophies, be well versed in gentle guidance strategies, be able to task switch effectively, and have a love of child led emergent curriculum. Applicants must be open and willing to learn and work with neurodiverse and culturally diverse children and able to maintain a positive and caring view of each child through the lense of a behavioural detective. The ability to perform unbiased observations and any additional behavioural and developmental training is an asset. A love of nature and the outdoors is required (we are an all weather program and operate solely outside for 6 months a year). Applicants must be able to work between the hours of 8am to 5 pm Monday through Friday (shifts will vary within those hours).
Applicants must hold a minimum of an Early Childhood Educator Assistant certificate and be enrolled in a ministry approved institute and continuing studies towards a full ECE (ECE assistant applicants with no experience that are not enrolled in an ECE program will NOT be considered)
Priority will be given to fully certified Early Childhood Educators that are registered with the BC ECE registry.
Experience and additional training is an asset.
This job is not eligible for express entry and immigrating applicants as it is NOT a permanent full time position.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Start date of January 2nd 2026 but some potential for some extra shift coverage available in the interim.

For more information please see out indeed posting
https://ca.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=bb7ec476752b6eaa&from=shareddesktop_copy

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1F8Yn15XzE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We do children a disservice when we reduce early childhood to colors, numbers, shapes, and letters. These concepts will come, but when we fixate on them too early or too narrowly, we risk turning learning into pressure, rote drills, and forced lessons that dampen curiosity. Instead of opening children up to the joy of discovery, this approach can make learning feel like a performance or a checklist to get through.

What often gets overlooked are the skills that matter most for long-term cognition: problem-solving, persistence, self-regulation, creativity, language, and the ability to connect ideas across experiences. These are the foundations that make colors, numbers, shapes, and letters meaningful later on. When early childhood is reduced to surface-level academics, we rob children of the chance to build the deeper capacities that allow true learning to stick.

Early childhood is about so much more. It is about building the brain through play, strengthening the body through movement, wiring for empathy and regulation through relationships, and developing a love of learning that lasts far beyond preschool. When we allow concepts like numbers, letters, shapes, and colors to be discovered in meaningful, everyday contexts, children connect with them naturally and deeply.

The Guiding Forest is looking for a part time/casual Early Childhood Educator to join our team!

Do you Love working outside and watching children’s curiosity and imagination flourish? Are you a self starting, energetic, Early Childhood Educator? If so we have a job for you!

We’re looking for someone to fill a part time/casual role covering sick days (when possible), and staff holidays through the year(averaging a week a month, some months more). Hours will vary depending on the team member you are covering for.

This position has the potential to turn into a more permanent role as hours are available and our programming changes.

Eligible applicants must have strong interpersonal communication skills, a basic understanding of Reggio and Waldorf philosophies, strong gentle guidance skills and strategies, be able to task switch effectively, and have a love of child led emergent curriculum. Applicants must be open and willing to learn and work with neurodiverse and culturally diverse children and able to maintain a positive and caring view of each child through the lens of a behavioural detective. The ability to perform unbiased observations and any additional behavioural and developmental training is an asset. A love of nature and the outdoors is required (we are an all weather program and operate solely outside for 6 months a year). Applicants must hold at minimum an Early Childhood Educator Assistant certificate - to be considered assistants must also be enrolled in a ministry approved institute and continuing studies towards a full ECE (ECE assistant applicants with no experience that are not enrolled in an ECE program will NOT be considered) Experience and additional training is an asset.

This job is NOT eligible for express entry and immigrating applicants as it is NOT a permanent full time position.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

For more info or to apply please see the posting on Indeed-
https://ca.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=2bc25b2b8a41c0cb&from=shareddesktop

This! Children will learn to write when they have mastered the art of painting, drawing, playing play dough, beading, pinching, grabbing and many other fine motor activities but most importantly and when they themselves feel ready. Sometimes the want to take ownership over their own art can also spur this want to write ❤️

This 4 yr old child has asked for help to write his name, but aside from that, he has done zero writing of any other letters,

YET...

I see all the components necessary to form every single lower case and upper case letter in his self-chosen painting.

I see big lines, little lines, horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, big curves, little curves and circles.

This tells me all of this child's freedom to MOVE and USE his body as he so chooses has worked to connect body and brain. (far more so than removing time to MOVE and replacing it with forced table time and "writing time")

His hands are able to do what his brain says....his brain is able to direct those hands to make all sorts of necessary lines to accomplish HIS intrinsically motivated task.

PERHAPS, we should assess a child's ability to write in a different way?

PERHAPS, forming actual letters CAN WAIT until the child is intrinsically motivated.....

PERHAPS, forming actual letters isnt as important as assessing a child's body/brain connection in different ways?

PERHAPS, we should stop the disrespectful practice of teaching children how to write their names INCORRECTLY (all capitals) just so they can do it earlier. INSTEAD...wait, and follow the lead of the child. WAIT....and value that ALL MOVEMENTS a child chooses to engage in are, indeed, getting a child's body and brain "ready".

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/listentothechildren

****Commenting has been turned off on this post...there is just one of me and 50,000 plus of you. When I feel Im falling behind on my posts, I seek balance. Thank you for understanding****. You can ALWAYS message me.

It never ceases to amaze me that 3 shovels, two rakes, and all that nature provides keeps these children so busy and loving time outdoors that we’re out for hours a day! Who needs toys when you have the forest at your disposal ❤️🌲

A great article geared towards educators but with some solid information for parents on the effects of play based learning. There is also lots of great links within the article!

https://wunderled.com/blog/the-truth-about-play-and-academic-success/?fbclid=IwAR2T4D6n91U1uRvX2w70XKNXlKQj6TSaHa66DeqK3mVOFwiuH_WOifwH3-o_aem_AUsJdbswFUiLX8cGU77Us6wIEIHqdPEVuoaZqvy3_MZ_nUqzV8wWBJx61RY6S1T-eGo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The Truth About Play and Academic Success - Wunderled I want to share some writings from a 25-year-old coffee-stained journal, where I first wrote down the wisdom of years […]

Previously operating in a different location as Reggio Kids, we welcome you to our new location With the Guiding Forest