We are hiring our founding team.

The Lead Teacher runs the daily program. Sets the rhythm of the day. Holds the long arc of each child's year. Reports to the founder and works alongside the Assistant Teacher and, as we grow, a second assistant.

Salary. Forty-eight thousand dollars per year, with paid time off and a holiday schedule that matches the trimester calendar.

Schedule. Monday through Friday, school hours plus prep time. Some flexibility on start and end times in coordination with the founder.

What we are looking for

• Early Childhood Education credentials that meet the New York State Office of Children and Family Services director-equivalent requirement for a licensed childcare center. If you have a BA in ECE or a related field plus experience, we should talk. If you have a different credentialing path, send the details and we can work it out.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification, or a willingness to certify before the start date. We will cover the cost.
• A clean background check and the willingness to complete the OCFS health and safety training in the first six months.
• Genuine alignment with the school's philosophy. Not willingness to learn it. Actual recognition. The kind of teacher who already believes that a child who cannot read at six is not behind, who already takes children outside in the rain, who already understands that the adult's job is to observe before they intervene.
• Warmth with children and warmth with parents. They are different skills. Both matter.
• Comfort with founding ambiguity. The first year is a thousand small decisions, and we want a Lead Teacher who can think alongside the founder, not someone who needs the answer to be already in a binder.

How to apply

Send a letter and a CV to info@lykkehaven.com. The letter matters more than the CV. Tell us why this work. Tell us what you would not do in a room of four-year-olds, and why. Tell us what the last child you sat with for a long time was working on.

The posting closes when the role is filled.

The Assistant Teacher works alongside the Lead Teacher in the room, in the kitchen, on the patio, and outside. Same hours, same calendar, same posture toward the children. A founding role in every sense that matters; the only difference is credentialing and salary.

What we are looking for

• A Child Development Associate credential, or an Early Childhood Education degree in progress. New graduates welcome.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification, or willingness to certify before the start date.
• A clean background check and willingness to complete OCFS health and safety training within the first six months of hire.
• The same philosophy alignment we look for in the Lead Teacher. Credentialing is the floor. Recognition of the work is what we are actually hiring for.
• Comfort outside in all weather. Real comfort. Not "I am fine to try it."

How to apply

Send a letter and a CV to info@lykkehaven.com. Same instructions as the Lead Teacher role. The letter matters more than the CV.

The posting closes when the role is filled.