STEAM Teacher – Early Childhood Education

Position Summary

The STEAM Teacher supports Next Door’s mission to help young children and families build the foundation for a successful future by delivering high-quality, play-based STEAM learning for children, their families, and the Next Door team of educators. This role serves as both a classroom teacher and an instructional model for staff and families, helping integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math throughout Next Door’s learning environments—including the STEAM Lab, classrooms, outdoor spaces, hallways, and playful learning landscapes.

The STEAM Teacher inspires curiosity, encourages exploration, and promotes hands-on learning experiences that reflect Next Door’s commitment to joyful learning, meeting the needs of diverse learners, and whole-child development. In partnership with classroom teams, the STEAM Teacher builds staff capacity through modeling, coaching, co-teaching, and planning to ensure STEAM learning is accessible, responsive, and developmentally appropriate for all children.

Key Responsibilities

1. High-Quality STEAM Instruction for Children

• Facilitate engaging, hands-on STEAM experiences in the STEAM Lab, classrooms, and play and learning spaces that reflect Next Door’s vision for joyful, inquiry-based, and play-based learning.
• Design activities that spark curiosity, build early problem-solving skills, and support creativity, collaboration, and communication.
• Integrate STEAM concepts into play-based learning, ensuring activities are developmentally appropriate for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
• Support children’s emerging inquiry skills by encouraging exploration, “big questions,” experimentation, and reflection.
• Document children’s learning through observation, photos, portfolios, and Next Door assessment tools to share growth with teachers and families.

2. Educator Modeling, Coaching & Support

• Model effective STEAM instructional strategies for teachers in the STEAM Lab(s), Next Door learning environments, and classroom settings. This role may also periodically deliver and model STEAM lessons in our early childhood partner sites in the community.
• Co-plan STEAM lessons and co-teach with classroom teams to demonstrate how to embed STEAM into daily routines, centers, projects, and play.
• Provide job-embedded coaching and actionable feedback that builds teachers’ confidence and competence in delivering STEAM learning.
• Collaborate with instructional coaches and education leadership to develop staff training, workshops, and ongoing professional learning communities.
• Provide STEAM based lessons for parent / family engagement with their children for Next Door engagement events and on-going opportunities.
• Promote a culture of reflective practice aligned with Next Door’s commitment to continuous improvement and instructional quality.

3. Curriculum, Environment & Materials Development

• Design and maintain innovative, child-centered STEAM learning environments that inspire exploration and align with Next Door’s play-based learning philosophy.
• Prepare materials and resource kits for classroom teams to support STEAM activities across age groups.
• Contribute to development and alignment of STEAM curriculum tools, activity guides, and project-based learning frameworks.
• Ensure all STEAM spaces meet safety and licensing standards and reflect responsive practices.

4. Family & Community Engagement

• Partner with families by sharing STEAM learning strategies, sending home ideas for exploration, and engaging families through workshops and family literacy/learning events.
• Serve as a STEAM ambassador within the Next Door community, highlighting how early STEAM experiences support long-term academic and life success.
• Collaborate with community organizations (e.g., museums, makerspaces, universities) to enhance children’s exposure to STEAM learning opportunities.
• As this program expands, possibilities exist to work with children from the community on Next Door’s wait list, in local foster care/adoptive/kinship circumstances, those experiencing homelessness, or other community needs that align with Next Door’s mission of ensuring all children have access to exceptional educational opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow.

5. Program Quality & Data-Informed Practice

• Use data and observations to refine STEAM instruction and support educators in implementing evidence-based practices.
• Contribute to program evaluation efforts, including monitoring STEAM goals and reporting on instructional support efforts.
• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration to support program-wide initiatives, including play-based learning, literacy integration, and family partnership goals.

Qualifications

Required

• Associates or Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, STEAM Education, or closely related field.

• The incumbent must have access to a personal vehicle to use on a daily basis, maintain a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance with liability limits of $300,000 (bodily injury) and $25,000 (property damage for each occurrence).
• Experience teaching children ages 0–5 in a high-quality early childhood setting.
• Understanding of developmentally appropriate practice, play-based learning, and scaffolded inquiry.
• Passion for STEAM learning and ability to make STEAM accessible and engaging for young children.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills; ability to build trusting, supportive relationships with educators and families.
• Commitment to Next Door’s values of inclusive learning opportunities for all students’ needs and abilities and whole-child development.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree or advanced training in STEAM fields (science, math, technology, engineering, arts).
• Experience in educator coaching, modeling, or professional development.
• Familiarity with Creative Curriculum, Teaching Strategies GOLD, and/or Head Start Performance Standards.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills.

Core Competencies Aligned with Next Door’s Mission

• Child-Centered Practice: Embraces Next Door’s commitment to nurturing confident, capable learners through joyful, play-based exploration.
• Collaborative Leadership: Builds teacher capacity through supportive relationships and reflective dialogue.
• Innovation & Creativity: Continuously enhances STEAM programming with fresh ideas and high-quality materials.
• Family Partnership: Strengthens home-school connections and empowers families as partners in learning.
• Continuous Learning: Engages in professional growth and contributes to a culture of excellence across Next Door.