Preschool Assistant Teacher for a PreK Classroom

Preschool Assistant Teacher for a PreK Classroom

Full-Time, Mon – Fri, 10am – 6pm

Salary Range: $23.00 – $28.00 per hour

Starting August 2023

We inspire joyful learning, honor each child, and build connections to empower all students to make a difference.

We honor and enjoy children’s natural curiosity, competence, and exuberance. Using teams of teachers and educational methods tailored to how children learn best, we connect with our students, build trusting relationships, and make learning relevant, memorable, and fun. Asking not “how smart is the child” but “how is the child smart,” we guide our students to see their full potential, and we equip them to pursue it with passion and purpose. We inspire children to make a difference. We value academic excellence, personal integrity, and community action and encourage our students to become informed, engaged, and ethical global citizens.

At Marin Primary & Middle School, we believe that it’s deep connections-between students, with teachers, and with ideas-that help kids know themselves and push through boundaries in school and in life. Every day we strengthen these connections so our students are able to tackle new ideas and challenges, pursue their goals with optimism and courage, and apply all they learn to the world they’ll inherit.

Serving 320 students in preschool through grade 8, Marin Primary & Middle School’s vibrant learning community is located in the town of Larkspur, just 4.5 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Taking advantage of both the beautiful outdoor environment of Marin County and the cultural offerings of metropolitan San Francisco, MP&MS asks its students to Be Connected, Be Curious, and Be Courageous.

At Marin Primary & Middle School we make education meaningful, while encouraging pride in self, respect for others, and enthusiasm for learning.

The Preschool Assistant Teacher is a hybrid role, providing support to a PreK classroom from 10am – 3:30pm and to the preschool aftercare program from 3:30pm – 6:00pm. The Assistant Teacher begins the day in a PreK classroom (ages 4 and 5) supporting two lead teachers in the implementation of a dynamic, creative, play-based PreK program. The Assistant Teacher assists the classroom teachers with classroom activities, including set up and clean up and helps provide coverage as needed, as directed by the lead teachers.

At 3:30pm, the Assistant Teacher joins the preschool after school teaching staff in a mixed-age (ages 2 through 5) aftercare program. Aftercare offers both outdoor and indoor learning and play opportunities for a large group of children between 3:30pm – 6:00pm under the direction of the aftercare manager. The aftercare program extends the rich and diverse program of the school day in a manner that is flexible and appropriately meets the needs of children at the end of the day.

This position is highly collaborative and requires the development of a strong, supportive relationship with the preschool director and teachers in the PreK classrooms and aftercare, as well as an understanding of the overall program at each of the different age levels. The Assistant Teacher will participate in staff training and work with teachers to celebrate creativity, exploration, emergent curriculum, and the positive development of the whole child through social, emotional, and academic skills. At MP&MS, teachers work together to understand every student from multiple perspectives, build meaningful relationships with students and their families, maintain high standards, promote a love of learning, and model the MP&MS mission.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide for the safety and well-being of students at all times by maintaining a safe, secure, and nurturing environment in which students can grow in autonomy as they learn, work, and play together.
• Support classroom teachers in the implementation of their plans and daily activities to actively engage students in making connections, solving problems, and thinking independently.
• Support classroom teachers in maintaining an inviting, organized, and developmentally appropriate learning environment that reflects the program’s learning objectives and our school mission.
• Interact with students in a positive manner that respects individual learning styles, temperaments, and developmental stages and demonstrates an understanding of best practices in early childhood education.
• Build relationships with the students in which each child feels understood, nurtured, and challenged, and within which each child’s emerging identity is respected.
• Create a positive relationship with parents to facilitate the effective and timely exchange of information, while understanding that the lead teachers in the classroom are responsible for overall communication.
• Defend the dignity and worth of each member of the community and create an environment that fosters respect, understanding, and acceptance of differences; always model appropriate and ethical behavior.
• Collaborate enthusiastically with a team of faculty, staff, administrators, and parents to nurture children both inside and outside the classroom, including recess, lunch, arrival, and dismissal times.
• Participate fully in the life of the preschool, including field trips, student performances, and other events.
• Pursue professional growth opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Position requirements include but not limited to:

• A minimum of 6 ECE units to meet State of California requirements for preschool assistant teachers
• Previous experience teaching in an early childhood setting
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including collaboration, positivity, flexibility, patience, discretion and good judgment

Physical Requirements

In the course of a workday in the Marin Primary & Middle School preschool, a teacher should expect to:

• Sit, walk, stand
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Bend from the neck and waist
• Squat, climb, kneel, crawl
• Twist from the neck and waist
• Withstand exposure to noise, which may be excessive on occasion
• Use both hands for a variety of tasks, including: Pushing, Pulling, Grasping, Fine manipulation, Reaching -both above and below shoulder level, Using a keyboard

In addition:

• Most tasks require visual perception and discrimination.
• Some tasks require oral communications ability.
• Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.

The frequency with which any teacher may need to use any of the skills and physical requirements listed above vary on a daily basis. However, any of them may be necessary at any time on an emergency basis, and there are some situations in which one or more of them may be necessary for an extended period of time.

A Preschool teacher must be willing to drive cars and vans and install car seats.

MP&MS is an equal opportunity employer. All individuals have an equal opportunity for employment based on qualifications and merit, regardless of religion, race, sex, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military service status, or any other factor prohibited by state or federal law. This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, and other conditions of employment. MP&MS also makes reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities and for employees who request accommodation for pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

MP&MS welcomes and encourages applications from members of traditionally underrepresented groups.