Careers at MCS

Title: Library Specialist

Start Date: August 8, 2025

Reports to: Head of School

Employee Classification: Salaried exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mondays - Fridays; IN PERSON ON CAMPUS

About the Organization

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Library Specialist will perform the following roles and responsibilities:

Library Environment

• Design and maintain a calm and joyful environment in the MCS library that is culturally responsive and nurtures a high-quality whole-child early childhood program that aligns to the American Montessori Society (AMS) accreditation standards as they pertain to specialist programs and classes.
• Manage the library collection through selecting, acquiring, organizing, and maintaining age appropriate library resources.
• Build warm and nurturing rapport with each of your students and establish strong routines for the classroom that help the students learn how to be independent and thrive within the boundaries of the environment.
• Lead and support great experiential learning opportunities and Montessori “going out” lessons for your students (e.g. guest authors, trips to the Santa Barbara Public Library, etc.), which includes carefully planning, communicating and lead-chaperoning field trips for MCS program levels.
• Support strong school culture among the children by supervising and supporting during common time across various parts of the school day as needed (e.g. arrival procedures, playground time, dismissal procedures, and or after care).
• Maintain a well-organized, tidy and clean physical environment in the library that reflects Montessori principles of order, simplicity and beauty. Manage the library and library parent volunteers.

Lesson-planning

• Design, deliver and store digitally for future use by the school lessons that are appropriate to each program level’s developmental plane and that expose the children to a breadth and depth of topics and skills within your content area.
• Implement strategies and supports to serve the unique needs of every child in your classroom. This includes partnering with the Director of Student Support to design and implement strategies to support neurodiverse children and those with disabilities.

After Care Program & Library Family Hours

• Guide and deliver an after-school program for Primary, Lower Elementary and/or Upper Elementary students as part of the school’s After Care program.
• Hold and promote “Family Hours” 1-2 days/week in the library for students and their families.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent communicator with parents; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilize school-wide protocols, share data and updates routinely with families regarding their children’s academic and social development.
• In consultation with the Director of Enrichment and Director of Community Engagement, create and post two program update posts for ParentSquare (one fall, one winter/spring) to help parents gain insight into the work you lead with children in your program.
• Be responsive, receptive, and welcoming of parent/caregiver inquiries and feedback.
• Participate in the life of the school community by supporting annual events, including occasional weekend commitments (e.g. the fall harvest festival, annual benefit auction).

Teamwork, Learning & Development

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Be a great communicator with your colleagues: Attend to the details when completing grow notes or accident reports, and recognize and act on the knowledge that it is often the seemingly small things that can make a huge difference in the daily lives of the children, their families and your colleagues when it comes to careful and timely communication.
• Pursue continuing education opportunities through being an active participant in the school’s learning and development opportunities (L&D days, workshops, etc.) and by seeking out opportunities for ongoing professional development through high quality training centers and resources.

Qualifications

An Employee hired into this role will evidence the following qualifications:

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• Experience managing a children’s library and prior experience working with all age groups you teach in the school (three+ years preferred)
• Demonstrated track record of utilizing various sources of information and data (observations, lesson records and formal assessment) to inform instructional choices and guide work with students to support strong whole-child outcomes.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university required
• A Master’s degree in Library Science or Library and Information Science (MLS, MLIS) from a graduate library program accredited by the American Library Association preferred
• Completion of at least 12 core Early Childhood Education (ECE) units

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team
• Passion for serving children of all abilities
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills
• Capacity to share, receive, and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor; low-ego
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through

Physical Requirements

The roles and responsibilities of this position with the school require the Employee to perform the following physical requirements of working in the school environment:

• Physical stamina to work with school-aged children.
• Frequent walking, kneeling, standing, stooping, sitting on the ground, and occasional lifting, up to approximately 50 pounds.
• Must be able to grasp and feel the attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature and texture.
• Able to move as needed to ensure the safety of the children, which includes walking on playground wood chips, grass and sand; running; and jogging. Other physical activities may be required.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer information, determining the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, noise and hazards.
• Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support is required.
• Regular in-person contact with parents and staffulty is required.

These physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an Employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. MCS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, MCS will take steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

All MCS Employees must be authorized to work in the United States and must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan).

Compensation

This is a salaried, exempt full-time position 40 hours per week, 12 months per year. Compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with starting annualized salary for experienced applicants ranging from $59,000 to $87,000 annually. Full-time employees of MCS are eligible for comprehensive health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan matching and paid time off (PTO).

To Express Interest

To express your interest in this role with MCS, please email: (1) a well-written, one-page cover letter and (2) a one- or two-page professional resume to Head of School, Vanessa Jackson: v.jackson@mcssb.org. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to make an offer to a highly qualified candidate for this role by June 1, 2025.

Talent Inclusivity & Non-discrimination

Montessori Center School is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, and local laws. 

We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for our students, families, faculty, and staff. Our Montessori philosophy emphasizes respect for all individuals, and we strive to uphold these values in every aspect of our school community.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact Birgit Crable: b.crable@mcssb.org.

Title: Spanish Specialist

Start Date: August 8, 2025 

Reports to: Head of School

Employee Classification: Salaried exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mondays - Fridays; IN PERSON ON CAMPUS

About the Organization

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Spanish Specialist will perform the following roles and responsibilities:

Classroom Environment

• Design and maintain a calm and joyful classroom environment that is culturally responsive and nurtures a high-quality whole-child early childhood program that aligns to the American Montessori Society (AMS) accreditation standards as they pertain to specialist programs and classes.
• Build warm and nurturing rapport with each of your students and establish strong routines for the classroom that help the students learn how to be independent and thrive within the boundaries of the environment.
• Lead and support great experiential learning opportunities and Montessori “going out” lessons for your students (e.g. guest speakers, cultural festivities, field trips), which includes carefully planning, communicating and lead-chaperoning field trips for MCS program levels.
• Support strong school culture among the children by supervising and supporting during common time across various parts of the school day as needed (e.g. arrival procedures, playground time, dismissal procedures, and or after care).

Lessons

• Design, deliver and store digitally for future use by the school lessons that are appropriate to each program level’s developmental plane and that expose the children to a breadth and depth of topics and skills within your content area helping students gain strong command of oral and written Spanish.
• Implement strategies and supports to serve the unique needs of every child in your classroom. This includes partnering with the Director of Student Support to design and implement strategies to support neurodiverse children and those with disabilities.

After Care Program

• Guide and deliver an after-school program for Primary, Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary students as part of the school’s After Care program.
• Help out in Primary and/or Elementary After Care as needed.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent communicator with parents; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilize school-wide protocols, share data and updates routinely with families regarding their children’s academic and social development.
• In consultation with the Director of Enrichment and Director of Community Engagement, create and post two program update posts for ParentSquare (one fall, one winter/spring) to help parents gain insight into the work you lead with children in your classroom.
• Be responsive, receptive, and welcoming of parent/caregiver inquiries and feedback.
• Participate in the life of the school community by supporting annual events, including occasional weekend commitments (e.g. the fall harvest festival, annual benefit auction).

Teamwork, Learning & Development

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Be a great communicator with your colleagues: Attend to the details when completing grow notes or accident reports, and recognize and act on the knowledge that it is often the seemingly small things that can make a huge difference in the daily lives of the children, their families and your colleagues when it comes to careful and timely communication.
• Pursue continuing education opportunities through being an active participant in the school’s learning and development opportunities (L&D days, workshops, etc.) and by seeking out opportunities for ongoing professional development through high quality training centers and resources.

Qualifications

An Employee hired into this role will evidence the following qualifications:

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience teaching in your specialist content areas and prior experience working with all age groups you teach in the school (3+ years preferred)
• Demonstrated track record of utilizing various sources of information and data (observations, lesson records and formal assessment) to inform instructional choices and guide work with students to support strong whole-child outcomes.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
• Native speaker level written and oral communication skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in the target language of Spanish
• Completion of at least 12 core Early Childhood Education units

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team
• Passion for serving children of all abilities
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills
• Capacity to share, receive, and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor; low-ego
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through
• Ability to recognize and embrace that perfect is the enemy of good

Physical Requirements

The roles and responsibilities of this position with the school require the Employee to perform the following physical requirements of working in the school environment:

• Physical stamina to work with school-aged children.
• Frequent walking, kneeling, standing, stooping, sitting on the ground, and occasional lifting, up to approximately 50 pounds.
• Must be able to grasp and feel the attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature and texture.
• Able to move as needed to ensure the safety of the children, which includes walking on playground wood chips, grass and sand; running; and jogging. Other physical activities may be required.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer information, determining the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, noise and hazards.
• Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support is required.
• Regular in-person contact with parents and staffulty is required.

These physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an Employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. MCS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, MCS will take steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

All MCS Employees must be authorized to work in the United States and must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan).

Compensation

This is a salaried, exempt full-time position 40 hours per week, 12 months per year. Compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with starting annualized salary for experienced applicants ranging from $59,000 to $87,000 annually. Full-time employees of MCS are eligible for comprehensive health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan matching and paid time off (PTO).

To Express Interest

To express your interest in this role with MCS, please email: (1) a well-written, one-page cover letter and (2) a one- or two-page professional resume to Head of School, Vanessa Jackson: v.jackson@mcssb.org. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to make an offer to a highly qualified candidate for this role by June 1, 2025

Talent Inclusivity & Non-discrimination

Montessori Center School is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, and local laws. 

We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for our students, families, faculty, and staff. Our Montessori philosophy emphasizes respect for all individuals, and we strive to uphold these values in every aspect of our school community.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact Birgit Crable: b.crable@mcssb.org.

Title: (Senior) Director of School Operations

Start Date: July 1, 2025

Reports to: Head of School

Employee Classification: Salaried exempt, full-time; 12-month employee

Schedule: 9 am - 5:30 pm Mondays - Fridays; IN PERSON ON CAMPUS

About the Organization

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

About the Opportunity

MCS seeks an experienced and dynamic operational leader to transform the school’s operational systems and procedures. This is an opportunity to work with our wildly talented and committed staffulty and wonderful students and families to ensure that day to day operations support a safe, high quality and positive learning experience for children, smooth and engaging communication with families, and an outstanding employee experience. Overseeing three direct reports on the school operations team and working in a highly collaborative manner with the whole staffulty and school community, a successful leader in this role will be an excellent communicator who brings strong systems thinking, depth in human resources management, a high bar for the aesthetics of facilities and physical space, and prior experience working in high performing schools.

Roles & Responsibilities

An Employee serving in the role of (Senior) Director of Operations at the School is expected to perform the following roles, responsibilities, essential duties and services, and will meet the following professional qualifications and requirements.

Operational Change Management

• Oversee the adoption and successful implementation of fit-for-purpose operational systems, processes and procedures as the school scales and modernizes, including: implementation of a new PEO and HRIS, staffulty intranet, ordering and procurement system, facilities maintenance and repair request system, student information system (SIS), donor CRM, etc.
• Gather and analyze data to help inform decisions across the organization to manage process and quality improvements.
• Design and lead engaging and effective communication and training for staffulty members in order to ensure that each team member responsible for performing our operational systems and procedures has a strong understanding of each protocol’s purpose, the role they play in its success, and how to successfully perform their role.
• Establish a strong reputation for operational back-office support among staffulty; be known for being highly communicative, responsive, helpful, accessible and great at coming up with appropriate solutions.
• Manage the school’s operations performance dashboard and system of periodic QA checklists, using these to keep tabs and report out to the Head of School and board on the school’s operational progress and performance.

Daily Administrative & Operational Leadership

• Oversee daily non-academic operations to ensure smooth school functioning.
• Develop and implement operational policies and procedures.
• Oversee compliance with local, state, and federal regulations including the school’s compliance with DSS licensing requirements.

Human Resources & Staffing

• Champion of the school’s efforts to deliver an outstanding employee experience.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and training of non-teaching staff.
• Manage payroll, benefits, and HR compliance in coordination with the school’s PEO and ensure that the school is fully utilizing the capabilities of the PEO to the extent relevant for the organization.
• Oversee staffulty scheduling and manage the school’s callout system. Track staffulty member attendance and manage communication and follow-up regarding staffulty absences.

Data, Information, Technology & Infrastructure

• Supervise IT services, ensuring robust technology infrastructure.
• Implement data management and security protocols.
• Partner with the Head of School to launch the school’s intranet platform for staffulty and board.
• Oversee integration of technology in school operations including the School’s student information system (SIS), tuition billing, and parent communication systems.

Facilities & Safety Management

• Manage school facilities, ensuring a safe and well-maintained environment that aligns with Montessori aesthetic values of order, simplicity, nature and beauty and that reflects MCS’ unique school mission, brand identity and market positioning.
• Ensure building security, emergency preparedness, and safety compliance in alignment with 21st century standards.
• Coordinate maintenance, repairs, and campus improvements and oversee the school’s groundskeeper.
• Develop and oversee student and staffulty health and safety protocols, including attendance tracking protocols and emergency management.
• In partnership with program leaders on the school’s administrative team, design training modules and sessions for staffulty and parent volunteers, automating these to the extent feasible, in order to ensure that team members and stakeholders are appropriately trained and prepared to implement student safety measures.

Student & Family Services

• Oversee food services and other student support systems.
• Oversee the school’s Office Manager & Registrar, who manages enrollment operations and student record-keeping.
• Support communication between school administration and families.

Events & Procurement Logistics Management

• Coordinate logistics for school events, meetings, and activities.
• Oversee scheduling of school facilities and space utilization.
• Manage supply chain and inventory and asset management for school needs ensuring that teachers always have access to the resources and materials they need to teach.

Adult Learning & Development

• Exhibit the habits and behaviors of an eager and active lifelong learner: Seek out and share out opportunities for peer feedback; embrace and pursue opportunities for ongoing learning, training and professional development to keep abreast of best practices in whole-child progressive elementary education and to strengthen and stretch your educator viewpoint and repertoire of skills as an educator, leader of people and manager of programs.
• Serve as a formal coach, mentor and direct manager to the school’s Office Manager & Registrar, Groundskeeper and Bookkeeper.

Teamwork

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Manage change effectively: Approach your work knowing that we must go as fast as we can and as slow as we must in order to help MCS realize its full potential on behalf of students and staffulty – in sustainable ways that foster strong communication and organizational stability!
• Be an active participant on the school’s SLT (School Leadership Team) bringing challenges and opportunities/proposed solutions to the group in service of helping the staffulty collaborate and communicate better and better month over month.
• Participate in the life of the MCS community by supporting annual events including occasional weekend commitments (e.g Back-to-School Night, the fall harvest picnic, elementary info night, the annual gala and benefit auction, etc.).

Qualifications

Successful candidates for this role will evidence the following qualifications:

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• Five+ years of experience overseeing HR for a small- to medium-sized organization (SHRM-CP strongly preferred)
• Five+ years of experience overseeing at least two direct reports
• Prior experience working in a leadership or administrative role in a school or similar nonprofit organization (3+ years, strongly preferred)
• Prior experience leading a successful technology implementation for a team of 25+ and seeing projects through to fruition and impact
• A strong understanding of K-12 school and/or nonprofit budgeting practices and financial reporting tools and fluency with financial statements
• A track record of planning, communicating with teams and executing with great follow-through and attention to detail and in a manner that fosters trust, confidence, stability and a culture of impact and results.
• Excellent English language skills (written and verbal) required
• Excellent Spanish language skills (written and verbal) a plus

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team
• Strong client service orientation – ability to recognize the role a school operations team must play in blocking and tackling for teachers so that teachers can, in turn, focus or teach the children in their classrooms
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills
• Capacity to share and receive and implement feedback with openness, grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through

Compensation

This is a salaried, exempt full-time position 40 hours per week, 12 months per year. Compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with starting annualized salary for experienced applicants ranging from $113,000 to $126,000 annually. Full-time employees of MCS are eligible for comprehensive health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan matching and paid time off.

To Express Interest

To express your interest in this role with MCS, please email: (1) a well-written, one-page cover letter and (2) a one- or two-page professional resume to Head of School, Vanessa Jackson: v.jackson@mcssb.org. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to make an offer to a highly qualified candidate for this role by June 1, 2025.

Talent Inclusivity & Non-discrimination

Montessori Center School is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for our students, families, faculty, and staff. Our Montessori philosophy emphasizes respect for all individuals, and we strive to uphold these values in every aspect of our school community.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please let us know.

Title: Primary After Care Teacher

Start Date: August 7, 2025

Reports to: Head of School

Employee Classification: Hourly, non-exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 10 am - 6 pm Mondays - Fridays; IN PERSON ON CAMPUS

About the Organization

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

About the Role of Primary After Care Teacher

Montessori Center School’s Primary After Care program for preschoolers offers a nurturing and engaging environment that extends the Montessori philosophy beyond the school day. The program provides children with opportunities for creative play, outdoor exploration, and meaningful social connection in a calm and joyful atmosphere. Reporting to the schools’ Director of Enrichment, the Primary After Care Teacher plays a vital role in shaping the weekly rhythm, guiding a team of caregivers, and designing enriching activities that support the developmental needs of each child. Through thoughtful leadership and a commitment to safety and warmth, the Primary After Care Teacher ensures every afternoon is a positive and fulfilling experience for the children in our Rainbow Door after care classroom, all while delivering strong communication with parents and colleagues.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Primary After Care Teacher will perform the following roles and responsibilities:

Classroom Environment & Curriculum

• Design and maintain a calm and joyful classroom environment in Rainbow Door that is culturally responsive and nurtures a high-quality whole-child early childhood program that aligns with Montessori educational principles and best practices in early childhood development.
• Build warm and nurturing rapport with each of your students and establish strong routines for the classroom that help the students learn how to be independent and thrive within the boundaries of the environment.
• Develop and implement a structured curriculum so that children in the Rainbow Door environment have strong routines and access to a breadth of enriching works and activities during after care each day and week.

Napping

• Oversee napping logistics ensuring that we are offering naps to all in the Primary program who can benefit from rest during the 12:45 pm to 2:15 pm window of the school day.
• Ensure that the Rainbow Door space is suitably configured for napping each day and help the nap team develop systems and routines for supporting good napping hygiene.
• Communicate with Primary lead teachers and with the children’s parents about nap patterns and advise when a child is exhibiting readiness to drop their nap.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent communicator with parents; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilize school-wide protocols, share data and updates routinely with families regarding their children’s academic and social development.
• In consultation with the Director of Enrichment and Director of Community Engagement, create and post two program update posts for ParentSquare (one fall, one winter/spring) to help parents gain insight into the work you lead with children in your classroom.
• Be responsive, receptive, and welcoming of parent/caregiver inquiries and feedback.
• Participate in the life of the school community by supporting annual events, including occasional weekend commitments (e.g. the fall harvest festival, annual benefit auction).

Oversight & Support of the Team in Rainbow Door

• Oversee Rainbow Door’s classroom systems ensuring students’ safety (physical, cognitive and emotional) at all times by providing great ongoing training, communication and support of the 2-3 co-teachers working alongside you in Rainbow Door.
• Provide strong direction, coaching and support of each teammate in order to ensure that the team in Rainbow Door shares a clear and common picture for how to work together each afternoon to deliver a safe, joyful and enriching after care experience for each child.

Teamwork, Learning & Development

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Be a great communicator with your colleagues: Attend to the details when completing grow notes or accident reports, and recognize and act on the knowledge that it is often the seemingly small things that can make a huge difference in the daily lives of the children, their families and your colleagues when it comes to careful and timely communication.
• Pursue continuing education opportunities through being an active participant in the school’s learning and development opportunities (L&D days, workshops, etc.) and by seeking out opportunities for ongoing professional development through high quality training centers and resources.

Qualifications

An Employee hired into this role will evidence the following qualifications:

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• Three+ years of prior experience in an early childhood education classroom setting as a lead teacher responsible for curriculum, student learning and parent communication (required)
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing (required)
• Prior experience successfully teaching or leading a program with a co-teaching model and a track record of successfully working in close collaboration with other educators in the classroom (required)
• Completion of at least 12 core Early Childhood Education units (required)
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university (preferred not required)

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team
• Passion for serving children of all abilities
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills
• Capacity to share, receive, and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor; low-ego
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through
• Ability to recognize and embrace that perfect is the enemy of good

Physical Requirements

The roles and responsibilities of this position with the school require the Employee to perform the following physical requirements of working in the school environment:

• Physical stamina to work with school-aged children.
• Frequent walking, kneeling, standing, stooping, sitting on the ground, and occasional lifting, up to approximately 50 pounds.
• Must be able to grasp and feel the attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature and texture.
• Able to move as needed to ensure the safety of the children, which includes walking on playground wood chips, grass and sand; running; and jogging. Other physical activities may be required.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer information, determining the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, noise and hazards.
• Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support is required.
• Regular in-person contact with parents and staffulty is required.

These physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an Employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. MCS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, MCS will take steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

All MCS Employees must be authorized to work in the United States and must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan).

Compensation

This is a salaried, exempt full-time position 40 hours per week, 10 months per year. Compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with a starting hourly rate for experienced applicants ranging from $29.00 to $36.50. Full-time employees of MCS are eligible for comprehensive health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan matching and paid time off (PTO).

To Express Interest

To express your interest in this role with MCS, please email: (1) a well-written, one-page cover letter and (2) a one- or two-page professional resume to Head of School, Vanessa Jackson: v.jackson@mcssb.org. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to make an offer to a highly qualified candidate for this role by June 1, 2025.

Talent Inclusivity & Non-discrimination

Montessori Center School is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for our students, families, faculty, and staff. Our Montessori philosophy emphasizes respect for all individuals, and we strive to uphold these values in every aspect of our school community.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact Birgit Crable: b.crable@mcssb.org.