School Age Teacher

About the role

Catalyst teaching staff support the planning and implementation of Catalyst’s programming for children ranging in age from infant to school-age, depending on the location. Teachers must facilitate age-appropriate activities, support children’s social-emotional development, and ensure continuous supervision in a healthy and safe environment.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum aligned with learning foundations that connect to children’s interests and promote positive development.
• Design, implement, and maintain intentional, enriched, and supportive learning environments and quality experiences that are age-appropriate for all children.
• Deliver excellent customer service by building authentic, reciprocal, and culturally responsive relationships with children, youth, families, schools, communities, and center/classroom teams.
• Keep children healthy and safe by ensuring proper supervision, positive interactions, healthy habits, and full compliance with safety standards.
• Collaborate with colleagues to align workplace values, education, and experience in order to deliver the highest-quality programs and creative workplaces.

Work Environment

• Demonstrate positive interactions with children and youth.
• Maintain kind, respectful, and safe emotional and physical environments for children.
• Arrive on time and maintain regular attendance.
• Participate actively in both indoor and outdoor programs.
• Be physically and mentally capable of engaging with children up to 13 years of age, meeting their needs and ensuring their safety.
• Implement safety guidelines; report any health and safety issues or incidents to management; remain calm and provide first aid as needed during emergencies.

Physical & Environmental Conditions

• Visually inspect environments for hazards to children; identify hazards and implement preventative actions (e.g., set up cones to limit play areas) to maintain a safe setting.
• Work comfortably in environments with occasional loud noise indoors and outdoors during activities.
• Perform frequent bending, lifting, twisting, reaching, pushing, and pulling.
• Push, lift, carry, and hold various objects up to 15 lbs—individually or as part of a team—such as equipment carts, emergency backpacks, food coolers, classroom furnishings, and similar program materials.
• Work inside classrooms or outdoors in all weather conditions deemed safe for children.
• Traverse varied terrains (grass, blacktop, dirt) and heights (ladders, playgrounds) depending on the school’s outdoor environment.
• Adapt physically to children’s levels (e.g., sitting on the floor, kneeling, squatting) for activities and problem-solving interactions.
• Supervise field trips to destinations such as aquatic parks, beaches, and trampoline parks.

Qualifications

• Education and permit requirements vary by center needs and age group; some programs may require Infant, Toddler, School-Age, Title 5, or Title 22 units.
• Teacher Education/Permit Requirements:
  • 24 postsecondary semester or equivalent quarter units in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field with grades of C- or better, plus 16 general education units; or
  • An AA degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field from a nationally accredited college; or
  • A Teacher Permit or higher issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
• Preferred:
  • 2 years of experience in a group care environment providing care/teaching for a consistent age group.
  • 1 year of experience supervising adults or equivalent adult supervision units.
• Skills and abilities:
  • Effective problem solving, conflict resolution, classroom management, and communication with children and families.
  • Strong organization, time management, curriculum development, and assessment documentation (lesson plans, portfolios, anecdotal notes).
  • Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and uphold a professional team environment.
  • Current adult and infant/child CPR & First Aid certification preferred.
  • Bilingual/multilingual language skills may be preferred based on individual center needs.

Benefits

• Vision benefits.
• 401(k) retirement plan and Employee Assistance Program.
• Personal Health Advocate.
• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.
• Discounted childcare for staff working 25 hours or more per week.
• Access to the Calm app.
• Tickets at Work employee discounts.
• Ongoing learning, growth, and professional development support.

Schedule

Monday – Friday, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm, part-time.