The Children’s Workshop Oakland is a small and inclusive, highly collaborative and intensely creative Reggio-inspired preschool program located within short walking and biking distance from the Lakeshore side of Lake Merritt and BART/AC Transit routes.
We are a teacher training and mentoring program committed to recruiting and developing aspiring early childhood educators of all backgrounds and ability levels. CWO trains both new and seasoned teachers to facilitate in a proactive, nurturing and culturally responsive style and to design play-based curriculum that is inquiry-driven, project-based and rooted in Reggio, anti-bias and anti-racist teaching practices which aim to foster a campus-wide culture of child-centered learning (and adult co-learning) and inquiry that is equitable, inclusive, celebrates differences, builds empathy and community and creates a sense of belonging for all.
At CWO teachers function as hands on co-learners, working side by side with students and using specific language that respects young children’s innate capabilities and invites them to play an active role in co-constructing knowledge and in shaping the learning process. CWO teachers are taught how to design, plan, prepare and implement original emergent and project-based curriculum on a weekly basis through careful observation, documentation and analysis of their students’ interests.
Learn more about our Reggio Emilia-inspired curriculum…
We believe that–like our students–employees learn best when they feel supported, safe and empowered to authentically engage with others in ways that meaningfully reflect their whole selves as well as their individual values, interests, ideas and lived experiences.
We encourage all persons interested in exploring a career working with children ages 2-5 years old to apply to one of our available positions or to simply reach out to our director to learn more about employment opportunities at CWO.
About the CWO team:
We are a hard working, team-oriented group of educators from diverse walks of life, united in our passion for:
- Caring for young children (ages 2-5 years old);
- Working in a Reggio, child-centered and culturally responsive pedagogical style that values and positions our students’ own identities, interests and questions at the center of all learning;
- Viewing young children as innately capable beings who deserve to be treated with kindness and respect;
- Creating a supportive and personally and professionally growth-oriented collegial environment that views teacher quality of life as critically important to achieving optimum student learning outcomes.
We value diversity of thought, experience, race, religion, creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, neurological make up, citizenship and socioeconomic status and we are actively seeking more BIPOC team members to ensure our staff demographics reflect the diversity of our current families and our local geographic area.
Benefits of working at CWO:
We offer full time employees competitive compensation, 8+ weeks of paid vacation, 401K with 3% contributions made by the school on behalf of each employee, comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits and the opportunity to work with children ages 2-5 years old in a dynamic, beautiful, historic and intellectually and creatively stimulating indoor/outdoor setting. Part time employees are eligible for comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits.
Currently available positions:
A complete list of our currently available full and part time positions–from entry level to seasoned leads–can be found below. All applicants must have a minimum of 12 ECE units already completed or be willing to enroll in and complete the first 3-6 (of 12 required) ECE units as part of the initial training and on boarding process.
All CWO employees must ultimately complete 12 core ECE units within the first year of employment to maintain a permanent teaching position at CWO. The school will fully reimburse in state tuition costs for all core ECE courses passed with a grade of “B” or better (as required by The California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing).
When applying for any position, please include:
- The title of the position you are applying for in the subject line of your message;
- Your resume; and
- A detailed cover letter introducing yourself, explaining your interest in the position and describing any previous child care or other relevant work experience that you may already have.
Candidates may submit applications for all positions via email to the following address: jobs@childrensworkshopoakland.com
Please note that any applications submitted without a detailed cover letter will not be considered. Teaching is a writing intensive career path and the cover letter–in addition to helping candidates introduce themselves–provides an important sample of each candidate’s existing written communication skills. It is okay if your writing skills are imperfect, rusty or non-native, however, candidates for all teaching related roles must be motivated and willing to invest in learning how to write professionally for an educational audience.
Taking the time to write a thoughtful cover letter when applying–whatever the linguistic quirks–is the single most important thing candidates of all experience levels can do to increase their chances of being called for an interview. No applicant will be disqualified on the basis of their current writing ability.
Currently available positions:
ENTRY LEVEL FLOATING SUPPORT w/ immediate start dates – no prior experience working with children necessary but candidates must be willing and able to immediately enroll in the first 3-6 (of 12 required) Early Childhood Education units as part of on boarding and training. The school will assist you in identifying and signing up for the appropriate online or in person courses and may also provide you with opportunities to work on course related assignments during scheduled shifts.
Previous babysitting, camp counselor, nannying, parenting or other familiarity with caring for children under the age of five is preferred.
- PART TIME MORNING FLOATER: Monday-Friday, 8:30am -1:00pm – $16-$18 x hour – position qualifies for employee medical, dental and vision
- PART TIME AFTERNOON FLOATER: Monday-Friday, 1:00pm – 6:00pm – $16-$18 x hour – position qualifies for employee medical and dental
- FULL TIME FLOATER: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm – $16-$18 x hour – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
JUNIOR TEACHERS w/ immediate start dates – minimum 1-2 years of previous childcare experience required. Candidates must be willing and able to immediately enroll in the first 3-6 (of 12 required) Early Childhood Education units as part of on boarding and training. The school will assist you in identifying and signing up for the appropriate online or in person courses and may also provide you with opportunities to work on course related assignments during scheduled shifts.
- FULL TIME 2s & 3s CO-TEACHING ASSISTANT: Monday-Friday, 8:30am -5pm – $18-$20 x hour – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
- FULL TIME 4s or 5s/TK CO-TEACHING ASSISTANT: Monday-Friday, 9:00am -5:30pm – $18-$20 x hour – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
SEASONED CO-TEACHERS w/ mid-to-late July start dates (or sooner if desired) – minimum 3-5+ years of previous preschool teaching/classroom teaching/group care experience and a minimum of 12 ECE units required:
- FULL TIME 2s & 3s CO-TEACHER: Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
- FULL TIME 2s & 3s CO-TEACHER: Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
- FULL TIME 4s or 5s/TK CO-TEACHER: Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – $22-$24 x hour – position qualifies for full benefits, Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
- FULL TIME FLOATING CO-TEACHER: (Must have all 12 ECE units and be qualified to be left alone with children): Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:30pm – $22-24 x hour – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
SEASONED LEAD TEACHERS w/ mid-to-late July start dates (or sooner if desired) – minimum 5-10+ years of previous preschool teaching/classroom teaching/group care experience, a minimum of 12 ECE units and experience designing and implementing original developmentally appropriate curriculum required. Reggio/project-based curriculum design and facilitation experience within a responsive language and collaborative learning environment preferred:
- FULL TIME LEAD 2s & 3s TEACHER: Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – $25+ x hour; salary commensurate with experience – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
- FULL TIME LEAD 4s TEACHER: Monday-Friday, 9:30am -6:00pm OR Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm – $25+ x hour; salary commensurate with experience – position qualifies for full benefits, including paid vacation time, 401K and employee medical, dental and vision
The Children’s Workshop Oakland is an equal opportunity employer.
License No: 013423058