Preschool Teacher

Children's Day School•San Francisco, CA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Preschool Teacher Children’s Day School is committed to the work required to create more equitable and inclusive systems and environments so that all members of our community can thrive and belong. We are looking for someone who is passionate about the mission of the school and will enthusiastically contribute to our educational community. (CDS is a co-educational preschool through eighth-grade school serving over 470 students in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco. Spanning two campuses, and home to a diverse community of students, faculty, and families, CDS is a vibrant learning community. Our teachers practice constructivist teaching; born of “learning by doing,” it is how we achieve excellent academics. We believe by encouraging children to fully engage in complex topics, and in myriad ways, we are giving them tools to become lifelong learners and passionate citizens of the world. To learn more about CDS, visit our website at www.cds-sf.org . CDS is located on a beautiful, secluded half-acre in the Mission near Dolores Park. Our after-care program employs the use of indoor classrooms, environmental education kitchen, and multi-purpose space. We also have access to our lower school campus with a wood chips area and climbing structure, farm and garden (featuring four chickens and two sheep!), and a play yard, among the largest of independent schools in the city.

Requirements

Demonstrate the ability to take initiative, work passionately and joyfully, and collaborate effectively with colleagues, students, and parents.
Have excellent writing skills for progress report writing and blogging.
Apply an understanding of the developmental stages of children when observing and working with individual children.
Work effectively with children, families, and staff of diverse backgrounds and family structures.
Model behavior and language that support our mission and our program.
Display excellent rapport with children and families.
Express the desire and ability to take on increasing responsibility in the classroom and the CDS community, and to participate generously.
Display a passion for progressive education, learning, and a commitment to personal-professional growth.
Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills and contribute meaningfully to the twice-yearly progress report-writing process and parent-teacher conferences.
Work effectively with children, families, and staff of diverse backgrounds and family structures.
Display a passion for learning and a commitment to personal-professional growth.
Be proficient in technology: email, word processing, photos, etc.
Comfort with blogging required.
Have at least 24 ECE units (required).
Meet licensing experience requirements (i.e. have worked at least three hours/day for 50 days in an early childhood setting within the last two years).
Be able to lift 40 lbs (the weight of the average preschool child)

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in early childhood education or a related field (preferred).

Responsibilities

Collaborate, problem-solve and communicate with classroom teaching team members and coordinate continuity for students throughout the school day.
Collaborate in planning and implementing an exciting, challenging, child-centered and developmentally appropriate preschool curriculum.
Encourage children to take initiative to solve problems and pursue their own educational interests.
Help children think, investigate and ask questions as part of the educational process.
Strive to meet each child’s individual needs.
Observe and record students’ development in collaboration with the teaching team and collaborate with the teaching team to complete a progress report for each child in the class.
Support a physically and emotionally safe environment that nurtures and facilitates the development of both children and families.
Collaborate with families toward their child’s success.
Meet with families for regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences and on an as-needed basis.
Communicate in a positive, supportive way with families on the phone, in person and via email and blogs.
Keep classroom, storage areas, bathrooms, and outside areas neat and orderly.