Bilingual Classroom Teacher Pre-Kindergarten

Summary

At Patagonia, compensation is set using the best available market data for the job at the required location.Bilingual fluency will be considered when determining compensation if an employee is hired into a specialized role bilingual role where multiple languages are an essential part of daily responsibilities.

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. 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.

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 include: physical caregiving, implementation of age-appropriate, individualized curriculum, facilitating supportive relationships with children, parents, and colleagues, and assisting in parent communications such as newsletters and Educa updates.

In addition to our immersive literacy curriculum, the Child Development Centers also support a robust Spanish program referred to as the Bilingual Program. Our centers are in multilingual societies in Reno, NV and Southern California where children either speak or encounter the Spanish language in their daily lives. Patagonia believes that children who are exposed to a second language grow up to be better communicators because they have an easier time understanding the perspective of others. Additionally, ongoing exposure to a second language builds neural connections in the brain which create pathways to innovation, creativity, collaboration and problem solving throughout a lifetime. Therefore, each classroom has at least one teacher who is a fluent Spanish speaker and infuses the classroom with rich Spanish language, as well as their individual culture and traditions.

The Bilingual Teacher can bring their expertise of the Spanish language to the role of Primary Teacher, Classroom Teacher or Center Teacher. A Bilingual Teacher is also eligible to apply for the Classroom Manager position although they are not expected to perform as the Bilingual Teacher because of the additional responsibilities of the Classroom Manager. Over the years, there have been many employees who began their career as a Spanish speaking teacher in the above-mentioned roles and have been elevated to Classroom Manager (CM). As a CM, an additional Spanish speaking teacher will be added to the teaching team to allow to CM to focus on the job responsibilities of manager.

A bilingual teacher is a member of the bilingual committee and meets regularly with the other bilingual teachers on campus. As a team, the teachers assess the bilingual curriculum, share ideas, and discuss best practices for dual-language learners. Within this team, there is a bilingual coordinator who aligns program practices across classrooms, fosters community among the team, and provides coaching and leadership for the bilingual program. In order to be eligible for the coordinator position, a teacher must have at least one year experience working at our center.

Duties

The responsibilities of this position will include, but are not limited to the following:

Classroom Management and Practices
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.

• 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.

Communication Skills
The staff at the Child Development Centers are responsible for building meaningful relationships with children, families, and their coworkers.We believe transparency, professionalism, and empathy are critical in sustaining these bonds.

• 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.

Spanish Language Expectations

• Speak Spanish naturally as much as possible throughout the day with a core competency of at least 75-85% of the time including during child-initiated play, transitions, mealtimes, caregiving routines, and circle time.
• It is important to use Spanish throughout the day including during child-initiated play, transitions, and mealtimes, caregiving routines, and circle time. These activities are an opportune time to engage with children in small groups and ask reciprocal questions in Spanish but there are many other opportunities throughout the day.
• Bilingual teachers need to use their best judgement to discern when speaking English is appropriate.For instance, English may be used when bilingual teachers are building a relationship with a new child whose native language isn’t Spanish – especially if they are new to the center, addressing health and safety, teaching complex social emotional skills, communicating with families or colleagues who speak only English or when training a new teacher.

Classroom Provocations and Curriculum - Bilingual Teachers are responsible for:

• Incorporating the Spanish language in the classroom through songs, games, and activities that complement the curriculum being explored in the classroom and whatever culture aligns with the bilingual teacher’s heritage such as Latin/a/o/x.
• Bringing their knowledge and passion into their classroom through whatever medium they find inspiring to bring the Spanish language and culture to life.
• Engaging parents in age-appropriate bilingual activities including but not limited to: bilingual book picnics, group sing-a-longs, take home backpacks and hands-on projects. Parent engagement is a critical component to this role.
• Infusing the Spanish language into the indoor and outdoor environments, including the classroom library and outdoor classroom.

Engagement and Collaboration

• Bring the Latin/a/o/x culture, or whichever culture aligns with your heritage, to life through classroom and community-wide practices, activities, class books, and celebrations. Celebrations may include Fiestas de la Primavera and Dia De Los Muertos.
• Actively participate in and design Parent Talk Times to create a learning community in partnership with the classroom and Center; topics include Bilingual Program, and Anti Bias Education.
• Serve as a member of the Bilingual Team and participate in monthly Bilingual Meetings with other bilingual teachers to discuss curriculum and planning for your classroom and center-wide practices and events.
• Once meeting the core and advanced competencies, mentor new members of the bilingual team through coaching and teamwork.

Requirements

Physical Requirements
The educators at the Child Development Centers are responsible for the health and safety of their students as well as hands-on caregiving. Please review the physical requirements to ensure you are qualified to perform all job duties.

• 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+ as needed.

Who You Are
Our staff at the Child Development Centers are a diverse group of educators who bring authenticity, experience, and passion to their job every day.

• 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.

We are seeking educators who are dedicated, life-long learners and practitioners of early childhood best practices.

• 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.
• 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. It is a job requirement to have a successful criminal background check as well as clearance by obtaining a Sheriffs Card in NV to meet State childcare licensing requirements.If you have, or later obtain an exemption from Licensing, please know that you may still not qualify for employment as Patagonia has its own rigorous internal standards and review process given the nature of the work with children.
• Successful completion of the hiring packet.
• Fluent in Spanish
• Ability to read and write in Spanish

Nice To Haves

Our philosophy is rooted deeply in the R.I.E. approach to caregiving, as well as the Outdoor Classroom and Anti-Bias Education. We are deeply committed to Patagonia’s mission to save our home planet, and our practices and program are informed by these cornerstones.

• 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.