Lead Montessori Primary Guide & Fidelity Coach

Job Description

Job DescriptionSalary: $68,000-$75,000 DOE

Job Posting

Lead Primary Guide/Teacher & Fidelity Coach

Spring 2026 OR Mid-August 2026 job posted until position is filled.

Are you a highly experienced Montessori Guide who loves bringing a Montessori primary classroom to life, works with a collaborative approach, is committed to equity, and genuinely enjoys people (young children and adults)? Do your eyes light up wheneveryyoung child enters their classroom? Are you comfortable or confident in including and supporting young children who may have delays or disabilities within a Montessori classroom? Do you view the classroom and the educational materials as the children's? Are you eager to connect and partner with your parents? Are you interested in bringing the best of Montessori practices and adapting your approach in a collaborative manner to meet the needs of our students, families, and mission?

In this role you will lead a model classroom and provide coaching and mentorship to other AEME Guides to create and lead their own model classrooms. Our classrooms include a full set of high-quality Montessori materials, along with a classroom budget to make your classroom unique. This lead Guide position has leadership responsibilities within AEME, to direct, coach and mentor all other Guides to ensure authentic implantation of AMI Montessori education and philosophy. This will include structured observation of other classrooms. This position works collaboratively with the School Manager to develop training and coaching plans and identify quality improvement or staff support plans. This position will also provide guidance related to classroom materials, furnishings, and supplies. Through your work, AEME will grow and thrive, and AEME students will flourish and learn within a high quality Montessori prepared environment.

We are seeking qualified applicants for a Lead PrimaryMontessori Guide & Fidelity Coach who will work either at our Alder Montessori or our new Hartley Montessori school. Our schools high-quality Montessori early childhood education is free of cost to low-Income children and families. Alder Montessori is co-located at Alder Elementary School, within the Reynolds School District. Hartley Montessori is co-located at Hartley Elementary School, also within the Reynolds School District. The schools serve children ages 3-5 within our multi-age classrooms. Most of our children enter as English language learners, with Spanish as the primary language. Our team works collaboratively with multiple partner organizations on behalf of our students and families. A successful candidate will be We focused, bring dependability, creativity, joy, positive enthusiasm, professionalism and a dedication to equity and high-quality Montessori early childhood education and qualify as ORO Step 9 or higher.

As the Guide you will lead a Montessori primary classroom of children ages 3-5 at a tuition free full day Montessori program. The classrooms are co-located within a public elementary school. As Guide you will be responsible for presenting primary curriculum to students, participating in parent engagement/education and conferences, record and data management, and student assessment. Provision of day to day support and oversight to the classroom assistant(s) and collaborate modeling grace, courtesy and compassion with all students, families, peers, supervisors, and partner stakeholders. This position will be responsible to act as the back-up on site administrator as needed and assigned due to lack of other leadership staff not being on campus. We will work with you to create a thoughtful plan of support for your classroom during the hours you are with coaching or observing Guides.

This is a full-time 10-month salaried exempt professional position based on a school year/school day schedule. Occasionally late afternoon, evening, or weekend work may be required for completion of annual or specialized training, coaching, or school events.

A successful candidate will have 10+ years experience as a Montessori lead primary Guide in a multi-age learning environment and will bring a deep knowledge of AMI Montessori primary classroom environments, operations, and lessons as well as dependability, creativity, joy, positive enthusiasm, professionalism and dedicated to equity and high-quality Montessori early childhood education. Bilingual in Spanish/English is preferred.

Qualifications:

High level experience and skills as a Lead Guide within a high-fidelity Montessori classroom. Demonstrated strong leadership and mentoring capabilities. Must be willing to fulfill responsibilities in accordance with AEME policies and values, as well as the Montessori philosophy. As a Guide the core duties are to ensure a prepared Montessori environment; observation of students and classroom dynamics; provision of student lessons; complete assessments, plan and document all lessons. Guides provide training, support and guidance to the assistants who handle classroom dynamics and challenging behaviors, in order to ensure the Guide can focus on observations and lessons.

Minimum Educational and Certification Requirements:

• Montessori AMI Primary Diploma.
• Meets current criteria for Lead Teacher position as outlined by Oregon Childcare Licensing, and government funding source (Typically Preschool Promise and/or Preschool for All).
• Must have all training and certifications uploaded into Oregons ORO system.
• Background checks and fingerprinting, and verification of being enrolled in the Oregon Childcare Registry as required by state licensing.

Experience

• Must have a minimum of 10-year full-time experience in the classroom as a Montessori Lead Guide.
• Strong classroom and behavioral management experience. Ability to set positive limit and maintain standards for behavior using grace and courtesy, and ability to teach this to others.

Gold Standards for Educational and Certification Levels:

• 15+years of full-time experience as a Primary Montessori Guide, post AMI Montessori Primary Diploma.
• Masters degree in early childhood education, preferably Montessori or Special Education.
• Experience and knowledge of dual-language immersion Montessori education.
• Experience working within a public Montessori or other public school setting.
• Has completed training or has experience as a Montessori coach or supervisor/trainer for Montessori Primary Guides.

Personal Attributes:

• Passionate about early childhood development and Montessori philosophy.

• Patience, respect, and love for children.
• Creative, flexible, patient, and collaborative.
• Ability to work and lead in a multi-cultural, bilingual environment.
• Personal dedication to continual self-improvement and skills growth.
• Skills to motivate students and staff, communicate with individuals from varied educational and cultural backgrounds, coach and support assistants and oversee the classrooms overall daily appearance, readiness, and quality of education.
• Demonstrated ability to provide thoughtful feedback in a professional, kind, and direct manner to peers and assistants which if experienced as supportive and builds on strengths.

General Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written skills, and outstanding interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work well with families and staff members of various backgrounds.
• Ability to perform a variety of specialized and responsible tasks, maintain records, meet schedules and deadlines.
• Significant physical abilities include mobility in the classroom & outdoor areas. Ability to stand, walk, sit on the floor, kneel, bend, and lift young children or materials (usually up to 50 lbs.). Lifting/carrying, reaching/handling, talking/hearing conversations, near/far visual acuity/depth perception/accommodation/field of vision.
• Knowledge of developmental stages of children.
• High level skills in classroom management.

Leadership Skills:

• Maintains positive interpersonal relationships with all adults and children centered on Montessori principles related to modeling of grace and courtesy; connection before correction; and consistent demonstration of respect, curiosity, and self-reflection.
• Strong knowledge of Montessori primary classroom materials, lessons, and pedagogy.
• Skills to motivate students and staff, communicate with individuals from varied educational and cultural backgrounds, coach and support others and oversee the classrooms overall daily appearance, readiness, and quality of education.
• Abilities to perform a variety of specialized and responsible tasks, maintain records, establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with students, parents/guardians, other school personnel, meet schedules and deadlines.
• Personal dedication to continual self-improvement and skills growth.
• Knowledge of developmental stages of children

Mentorship & Coaching:

• Fosters a culture of coaching by providing ongoing support to assist Guides and peers, focusing on observation skills, curriculum implementation, and the prepared environment.
• Models authentic Montessori practices, including the spiritual preparation of the teacher, and provides feedback to develop staff.
• Helps other Guides maintain high-fidelity classrooms through regular, supportive, and reflective dialogue.
• Classroom Leadership (High Fidelity):
• Prepares and maintains a safe, organized, welcoming and authentically pleasing environment with authentic, well-maintained Montessori materials. Provides coaching to other Guides to attain these standards.
• Utilizes daily, systematic observation to Guide childrens progress, tailoring lessons to individual developmental needs.
• Trains and supports other Guides, as well as primary assistant(s) to maintain classroom order and fosters independence, freedom of choice, and community respect.

Other:

• Skills to motivate students, communicate with individuals from varied educational and cultural backgrounds, direct support personnel, evaluate performance.
• Knowledge of age-appropriate teaching methods, Montessori method, and individualized student assessments and education planning. Must have depth of understanding on the use of the Montessori primary materials and lessons.
• Ability to be self-aware of their facial expressions, words, tone, and body language and bring a consistent kid & parent positive perspective and presence into the sacred joyous space of a classroom.
• Strong personal and classroom organizational skills, attention to detail and a sense of collaboration.
• Strong verbal communication skills and self-awareness with the ability to work within a diverse team of people, especially young children and their parents with tact, diplomacy, and compassion.
• Reliable, consistent, and dependable.
• Ability to be tolerant of children's frequent noises of various pitches and tones as well as odors of extreme variants.
• Demonstrates ongoing interest in personal and professional growth.
• Abilities to perform a variety of specialized and responsible tasks, maintain records, establish, and maintain cooperative working relationships with students, parents/guardians, other school personnel, meet schedules and deadlines.
• Significant physical abilities include mobility in the classroom, lifting/carrying, reaching/handling, talking/hearing conversations, near/far visual acuity/depth perception/accommodation/field of vision.

This position requires Oregon Fingerprint and Criminal Check clearance, First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certificate and additional training that the successful candidate will need to complete upon hire and prior to teaching in our classroom. A detailed job description is available upon request.

Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time 10-month salaried exempt professional position. The hiring range for this position is $68,000 - $75.000, D.O.E.

Join us in bringing tuition-free high-quality Montessori education to children and families at a public-school setting in collaboration with agency partners! We care for you and our families. Our benefit package includes but is not limited to:

• 100% paid dental and medical (includes alternative care & vision) insurance for employees. Option for dental and medical insurance with 20% employer contribution.
• Paid time off during school winter and spring break
• Paid sick leave (10 days)
• PTO 4 days
• Paid holidays (Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Day, New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day & Memorial Day.
• 403(b) Pretax and ROTH retirement plan
• Short & Long-term disability insurance
• $50,000 Term Life Insurance
• Professional development opportunities
• Relocation financial assistance

AEME is a young non-profit which is expanding to provide additional tuition free Montessori early childhood education programs to neighborhoods within the Portland Metro community. The positions schedule is based around our partner school districts calendar (Reynolds School District). In Fall of 2026 we will open Hartley Montessori.

AEME Is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We value a diverse workforce to attain our mission and support our families.

To be considered for this position, please apply at the following job portal link:

For more information on this job opportunity (hiring process/timeline, salary determination structure, school model) please send an email to: info@montessori-equity.org.