About Us:

Ekya Vana Early Years is a thoughtfully designed early years learning space for children aged 18 months to 6 years, where childhood unfolds through wonder, exploration, relationships, and connection with the natural world. At Vana Early Years, we believe children learn best when they feel deeply connected — to themselves, to others, and to the environment around them. Rooted in inquiry, play, and nature-immersive experiences, our approach creates calm, meaningful, and joyful spaces where children are encouraged to observe, question, imagine, create, and care. Our learning experiences are guided by Vana's pathways — People & Planet and Earth Care — helping children build empathy, environmental awareness, responsibility, and a lifelong sense of curiosity. Every experience at Vana Early Years is intentionally designed to nurture Earth Sense — an instinctive care for the living world and the community's children. As part of the Ekya and CMR legacy, we bring together globally informed early childhood practices with a deeply human-centered and nature-connected philosophy of learning.

Role Overview:

The Head of Curriculum will play a foundational leadership role in shaping learning experiences, curriculum pathways, and academic vision across Ekya Vana Early Years centre — a growing chain of purpose-led early years schools. This role requires a deeply committed educator who understands early childhood development, inquiry-led learning, and nature-connected education.

The individual will lead the design and implementation of Vana Early Year's pathways-based curriculum for children aged 18 months to 6 years, ensuring every experience nurtures curiosity, creativity, compassion, confidence, and Earth Sense. The role focuses on building strong curriculum systems, strengthening instructional quality, mentoring educators, and integrating technology and AI-enabled practices into curriculum planning, assessment, and educator enablement.

Key Responsibilities:

Curriculum:

Design and evolve purpose-led, inquiry-based, nature-immersive curriculum framework
Develop age-appropriate pathways - (People & Planet, Earth Care) for 18 months to 6 years
Build curriculum experiences nurturing Earth Sense, ecological awareness, creativity, scientific curiosity, and community connection
Design interdisciplinary learning journeys integrating outdoor exploration, storytelling, eco-stewardship, and inquiry
Create curriculum maps, seasonal learning journeys, provocations, and documentation systems
Build systems, planning frameworks, implementation guides, and quality benchmarks for consistency across centres
Leverage technology and AI tools for curriculum planning, differentiated learning, and learning analytics
Benchmark curriculum quality against global ECE practices while maintaining Vana's unique identity
Collaborate cross-functionally to align curriculum experience with Vana brand philosophy

Instruction:

Establish high-quality teaching and learning standards across centres
Conduct classroom observations, instructional reviews, learning walks, and reflective feedback sessions
Support educators in creating responsive, inclusive, emotionally safe learning environments
Ensure effective implementation of inquiry-based, experiential, child-centric teaching practices
Guide teachers in facilitating provocations, questioning strategies, and child-led inquiry
Build systems for lesson planning, classroom documentation, and instructional consistency
Drive integration of technology-enabled learning and AI-supported tools where developmentally appropriate
Monitor classroom culture, engagement levels, and educator effectiveness through structured reviews
Strengthen academic execution and classroom quality with Centre Heads and leadership teams

Assessment:

Design developmentally appropriate assessment frameworks for Early Years learners
Build observation-based systems tracking holistic child development and social-emotional growth
Develop portfolio systems, narrative reports, learning stories, and parent communication frameworks
Create academic monitoring dashboards tracking curriculum implementation and learning outcomes
Utilize AI-enabled tools for documentation, data tracking, learning analytics, and reporting
Ensure assessments remain authentic, child-centric, and aligned to Early Years philosophies
Analyse classroom data to drive curriculum improvements and instructional interventions
Establish quality assurance processes and periodic curriculum audits across centres

Teacher Training & Professional Development:

Design comprehensive professional development programs for educators and academic teams
Conduct workshops on inquiry-led learning, Reggio-inspired practices, outdoor learning, and sustainability education
Build structured onboarding and induction programs aligned to Vana philosophy
Train educators on educational technology, AI tools, documentation systems, and curriculum platforms
Develop competency frameworks, training calendars, and continuous learning programs
Curate professional learning resources, reflective practices, and collaborative opportunities
Build strong culture of reflective practice, innovation, and continuous professional growth

Mentoring & Support:

Mentor educators and Centre Heads to strengthen instructional quality and leadership capability
Establish structured coaching cycles, goal-setting frameworks, and performance review systems
Identify capability gaps and create targeted development plans with leadership teams
Support teams in parent communication, classroom challenges, inclusion needs, and child wellbeing
Foster collaborative, growth-oriented culture built on empathy, accountability, and shared ownership
Lead cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless execution of Vana vision
Drive innovation projects, research initiatives, and thought leadership in Early Years education

Stewardship of Vana's Unique Learning Spaces:

Oversee effective utilization and continuous enhancement of signature learning spaces:

Outdoor Spaces — Mud Kitchen, Gardening Patch, Outdoor Classrooms, Butterfly Garden
Indoor Spaces — Eco Lab, Nature Workshop, Indoor Atelier, Movement Room, Library, Mindfulness Space
Living Ecosystems — Bio Pond, Bug Hotel, Bird Watching Nook, Material Museum, Composting System
Community Engagement Spaces — Sensory Pathway, Green Wall, Loose Play Areas
Ensure every space supports pedagogical goals and provides rich, developmentally appropriate learning opportunities

Desired Candidate Profile:

Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Education Leadership, or related field
10–15 years of relevant Early Years education experience with expertise in curriculum design and instructional leadership
Strong teaching experience in progressive Early Years environments (18 months to 6 years)
Demonstrated experience building and implementing curriculum systems across multiple centres
Experience integrating technology and AI tools into curriculum, assessment, and academic monitoring systems
Deep understanding of inquiry-led, play-based, Reggio-inspired, or nature-based pedagogies
Proven experience in teacher mentoring, people management, and cross-functional collaboration
International exposure through curriculum collaborations, certifications, or global educational practices
Strong capabilities in systems building, process design, implementation monitoring, and quality assurance
Excellent facilitation, coaching, stakeholder management, and communication skills
Passion for sustainability education, child agency, innovation, and meaningful learning experiences

Key Competencies:

Curriculum Design & Academic Leadership
Instructional Coaching & Teacher Development
Early Childhood Pedagogy
Systems Thinking & Process Building
Technology & AI Utilization
Project & People Management
Stakeholder & Parent Management
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Innovation & Change Management
Communication & Facilitation Skills
Sustainability & Nature-Based Education

Position Reports To: Founder