Early childhood educator

Join us to bring joy to children through play in the Northern Sámi language group at Päiväkoti Aurinkokello in Keski-Pasila. The new day care opened in August 2025 and operates in the same building as Pasila Primary School, enabling excellent collaboration on the child’s learning journey and shared facilities. The group Suotnjarat is a sibling group for 1–6 year olds and works as a teacher-nurse pair. The group follows both the Helsinki early childhood education plan and the Sámi early childhood education plan, with the goal of nurturing the child to be independent, responsible, and social, while supporting language development in both languages. The child’s language skills will develop strongly in both languages as the child progresses through the basic education pathway in a language-immersion program. Regular collaboration takes place with the Finnish-language pre-primary group and the Sámi class at Pasila Comprehensive School, allowing interactions and joint activities for pre-school children. Aurinkokello operates in the same building as Pasila Primary School, enabling excellent cooperation on the child’s learning path and natural sharing of spaces. The day care is easily accessible by tram, bus, train, and bike routes. We expect you to have strong Northern Sámi language skills, demonstrate solid everyday pedagogy, and meet children with sensitivity. You understand play’s importance in development and learning, and you recognise that play is an adult task; you are a playful adult and use playfulness in everyday situations. The Aurinkokello spaces and materials are designed to invite play, and you as an adult will take responsibility for continuously shaping and developing the play environment. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team, have the motivation and attitude to develop practices in a new environment and evolving culture, and be open to trying ideas and suggesting changes that improve everyday life for children and adults. The day care director and a 3rd-level deputy director support staff as strong pedagogical backbones and help enable staff success in their work. As a nursery nurse in early childhood education, you plan and implement pedagogically oriented care, upbringing, and teaching in cooperation with other staff according to the unit’s operational plan, Helsinki’s early childhood plan, the pre-primary plan, and the child’s early childhood plan. You are responsible for the needs of children in daily activities and promote children’s health and well-being. Join us at Päiväkoti Aurinkokello—apply now, and we will contact everyone invited to interviews personally. We aim to do meaningful work for a good Helsinki life, offer diverse opportunities for growth, and provide employee benefits such as Epassi Flex for commuting and cultural, recreational, and wellness services. The acceptance criteria require a basic qualification in education or guidance (early childhood education act 540/2018, 28 §, decree 753/2018 3 § and 4 §) or an acknowledgement decision based on foreign qualifications; good Northern Sámi language skills and Finnish language ability are required. A police background check and TB clearance for under-6s are required; in 2026, a €3,000 sign-on bonus is offered for permanent Sámi-language early childhood educators joining Helsinki City, payable once to the same person.

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