Preschool Classroom Teacher (Contract)

Great Pacific Child Development Center was founded in 1982 by Malinda Chouinard and Jennifer Ridgeway to provide childcare to employees of Patagonia. What the company has learned over the decades about children, childcare, and supporting working families is chronicled in the book Family Business and in a series of videos: https://www.patagonia.com/family-business/. Currently, Patagonia provides on-site childcare for employees in three locations: Ventura, CA Main Campus, Ventura, CA Brooks Campus, and in Reno, NV at the Distribution Center. Patagonia’s mission and values are put into practice every day throughout our child development centers.

About the Role

A classroom teacher is responsible for all aspects of teaching the children in their care and works closely with the classroom primary teacher and classroom manager to ensure a high-quality childcare environment. Classrooms are typically structured with children from birth to two years, or two to three and a half years, or three and a half years to kindergarten.

Responsibilities

• Physical caregiving and implementation of age-appropriate, individualized curriculum.
• Facilitating supportive relationships with children, parents, and colleagues.
• Assisting in parent communications such as newsletters and Educa updates.

Classroom Management and Practices

• Co-create and organize a stimulating and developmentally appropriate learning environment both inside and outside.
• Ensure visual supervision and child safety at all times.
• Support emergent curriculum that meets the needs of the individual learning styles of the children in your care.
• Form relationships with parents, children, and co-teachers that are respectful of individual differences and culture, family styles, and cultural/socioeconomic diversity.
• Assist the teaching team to ensure a structured routine that allows for scheduled meal and rest breaks for the teaching team and maintains a flexible yet consistent daily schedule and routine for the children.
• The learning that takes place at our Child Development Centers extends beyond the four walls of the classroom. Our children are immersed in emergent curriculum and outdoor exploration that fosters curiosity, joy, and self-expression.

Communication Skills

• Foster a safe, inclusive environment for children, parents, and teachers.
• Create an environment that embraces open communication and trust between staff to ensure a high-quality environment for children and families.
• Communicate with children using developmentally appropriate language.
• Treat each child with dignity and respect.
• Guide children in becoming responsible integral members of the group and community.
• Establish regular communication with parents about special moments that happen throughout the day, or specific issues as they occur on a day-to-day basis.
• Partner with parents to create an easy transition into the classroom.
• Provide Early Childhood/community resources and share information through a variety of mediums: bulletin boards, newsletters, Educa, and emails.

Qualifications

• High school graduate.
• Passionate about child development and supporting our company mission to save our home planet.
• Excellent customer service skills in person, via email, and on the phone.
• Comfortable with team-based work structure; ability to demonstrate flexibility on the job.
• Demonstrates initiative, is conscientious, and provides complete follow-through on areas of responsibility.
• Expert in your classroom age-group and best practices in early childhood.
• Dedicated to life-long learning and the betterment of early childhood education.

Experience

• Two years’ experience working with young children (At least 150 hours working/volunteering with children within the last 6 months).
• Fifteen (15) units in Early Childhood Education (Growth and Development, Child-Family & Community, Administration in ECE, and two Program/Curriculum courses).
• If you are working in an infant classroom, you must have three (3) infant/toddler units.
• If you are working in a school-age classroom, you must have three (3) school-age units.
• Working knowledge of personal computers with experience in the use of such programs as Word, Excel, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.
• Successful completion of the fingerprinting process and/or successful transfer of fingerprints from another program.
• Successful criminal background check as well as clearance from either Live Scan in CA or obtaining a Sheriff’s Card in NV to meet State childcare licensing requirements.
• Successful completion of the hiring packet.

Preferred Experience

• AA or BA in ECE or related field.
• Understanding of Family Business, Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Learning Stories, Pyramid Model, Outdoor Classroom, Anti-Bias Education, Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), and Educa.

Physical Requirements

• Observe and respond to children’s needs, emergencies, and/or conflicts that might occur during the day.
• Kneel down to maintain eye contact at child’s level.
• Sit on the floor to engage with your students.
• Respond to a child’s first aid needs which may include cuts, bruises, and bodily fluids.
• Lift or move 1–35 pounds and occasionally 35+ pounds as needed.

Pay

Hiring range: $26.40 - $28.50 USD hourly. At Patagonia, pay ranges are assigned to a job based on the location-specific market median of similar jobs according to 3rd party salary benchmark surveys. Individual pay within that range can vary for several reasons including skills/capabilities, experience, and available budget.

Benefits

Patagonia offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, and leave of absence plans. Benefit plans may vary slightly depending on the nature of your employment.

Schedule

This is a 6-month contract position running approximately September 2026 – March 2027. This position is onsite, requiring employees to work at our Ventura office during standard business hours.