Preschool Classroom Teacher (Contract)

Role: Preschool Classroom Teacher (Contract) 

Team: Child Development  

Scope: Individual Contributor, P1 

Reports To: Classroom Manager 

Years of Experience: 2+ 

Location: Ventura, CA (Onsite) 

Contract Duration: 6 months - Approximately September 2026 – March 2027 

Age Group: Preschool (2-3.5) 

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.  

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. 

What You’ll Do 

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. 

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 the early childhood education.  

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+ pounds as needed. 

Experience You Bring 

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. 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. It is a job requirement to have a successful criminal background check as well as clearance from either Live Scan in CA or 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. 

Preferred Experience 

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. 

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.   

Workplace Location Overview  

This position is Onsite, requiring employees to work at our Ventura office during standard business hours.   

Employee Conduct 

We are a strong community of educators, staff, parents, and children. It is the responsibility of every employee to create safe, professional work environment. 

• It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive, inclusive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.