20 Nov Casting Call for New Board Members

Are you passionate about social justice, education and the environment? Interested in serving on a nonprofit Board in Seattle?

Tiny Trees Preschool makes high-quality early learning affordable for working families via 12 outdoor classrooms in Seattle and King County Parks, enabling children to reap the many benefits of nature-rich and inclusive education. While in joyfully muddy classes, over 300 children explore the natural world and gain the social, emotional, and academic skills needed for kindergarten and a lifetime of success.

Currently 44% of Tiny Trees students receive partial or full tuition scholarships and 22% speak a language other than English at home.  Since Tiny Trees clad its first group of preschoolers in rain suits and boots in 2016, it has grown into the largest outdoor preschool in the nation, and the demand from families needing an affordable preschool option and desiring an innovative, experiential learning model continues to grow.

Want to help Tiny Trees grow?  We are seeking new Board Members for a 3-year term beginning January or June 2019.  If you are passionate about our mission, and will work hard to strengthen and grow our organization so that we can serve more children and families, let’s talk.

While we welcome all inquiries, we are especially interested in candidates skilled in HR, technology, law, marketing and communications, and those with deep experience in early learning or environmental education.

Collective Responsibilities of Tiny Trees Board of Directors:

• Ensure Tiny Trees Preschool is securely positioned, financially and otherwise, to fulfill its mission
• Provide operational oversight, ensuring program excellence and and the safety of children in Tiny Trees’ care
• Develop and approve annual operating budget
• Develop and approve strategic plan which sets a course for sustainable growth
• Hire Executive Director, and provide annual assessment of performance
• Participate in fundraising to ensure adequate resources to fulfill our mission and strategic goals
• Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability
• Be an advocate for Tiny Trees in the greater Seattle community

 Expectation of Tiny Trees Board Members:

• Participate in decision-making by attending at least 9 of 11 Board of Directors meetings (held last Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30pm) along with our annual board retreat
• Serve on at least 1 board committee (finance, fund development, communications, risk management or board governance)
• Do at last one site visit to a Tiny Trees Preschool outdoor classroom each year
• Attend at least one Tiny Trees Preschool community event each year
• Host a table at Tiny Trees Preschool’s annual fundraising event
• Make Tiny Trees Preschool one of your top three annual giving priorities

This is an exciting time for Tiny Trees!  We are in the process of hiring a new Executive Director, and will develop our new strategic plan in Spring 2019.  If you are passionate about early learning, social justice and environmental stewardship, please consider joining the Tiny Trees Board of Directors. It’s a meaningful way to ensure that all children in King County gain the social, emotional, and academic skills needed for kindergarten and a lifetime of success.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Marcus Dover, Chair of Tiny Trees Board Governance Committee, at mdover78@gmail.com.