Join the vibrant community at the Chinese American International School’s new Forever Home campus on 19th Avenue as a Preschool Chinese Teaching Associate. Become part of a team striving to be the world’s most innovative, inspiring, and influential Chinese English dual-language immersion school.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate finds resonance with CAIS’s mission to Embrace Chinese, Become Our Best Selves, and Contribute to a Better World; our Core Values of Courage, Curiosity, Inclusion, Kindness, and Perseverance; and our Strategic Vision 2020-2025 to Reimagine CAIS, Reimagine Success. As CAIS aims to empower independent, effective, and inspired learners, we look for a candidate adept at student-centered pedagogy such as differentiation, use of assessment to inform teaching, and Workshop-based instruction. This candidate can foster a joyful learning community that strikes a developmentally appropriate balance between deepening students’ academic skills and nurturing the curiosity and creativity of our learners. Our new team members will collaborate with preschool colleagues and enjoy a wealth of professional development opportunities.
CAIS offers a dynamic dual culture setting in which faculty are immersed in a culture of language learners. We look for a candidate who will embrace CAIS’s work to create an equitable, inclusive environment where all faculty, students, and families are supported in their individual identities. We welcome all applicants who aim to actively support and participate in our diverse and inclusive community.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Position responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
Work with a team to provide daily open-ended activities that embrace child-centered pedagogy and play-based curriculum and assist a classroom environment that emphasizes and supports literacy across all content areas
Support preschool classroom teachers to prepare curriculum and assist in instruction and assessment to align with school mission, policies, goals and initiatives
Hold child development and pedagogical content knowledge
Support young children with group instructions and small group activities
Engage in using child observation, documentation, and assessment to inform instruction, and plan learning experiences
Lead whole group and support children to participate and transition during classroom time and outdoor time
Perform group instruction in collaboration with and guidance from the teacher
Follow licensing requirements to maintain visual and auditory supervision of children at all times and ensure their safety in the classroom, on the playground, and during field trips. Active supervision is expected at all times.
Be knowledgeable of and follow school policies and procedures, in particular those dealing with confidentiality, cross-cultural understanding, discipline, harassment and communication, health and safety or licensing regulations
Refer all inquiries and concerns about the students to the teacher, extended care supervisor, or Preschool Director
Assist in duties such as attendance, record keeping, filing of student work, care and set up of classroom environment, and snack preparation
Communicate with lead teacher for feedback on professional growth and development
Interact with children using positive, supportive, and respectful attitude, language, and tone
Contribute to the development of community among staff by having open, constructive, and solution-oriented communication
Encompass a positive discipline approach in guiding student behavior
Develop a positive intellectual, emotional, and social environment within the classroom and a class community in which all children feel valued and a sense of belonging
Work collaboratively and maintain standards of respect, courtesy, and mutual consideration with the school community, including students, staff, and parents
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
Minimum of 12 ECE units or Child Development Teacher Permit
Experience in early childhood Chinese immersion education preferred
Mandarin Chinese language proficiency
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to work with colleagues from different backgrounds
Commitment to school mission, policies, and initiatives
Technical/Computer skills as required for job performance
Initial and continued tuberculosis clearance
Initial and continued criminal background clearance by DOJ and FBI
VALUED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
We value, but do not require, the following attributes:
Three units of administration ECE or site supervisor preferred
Bachelor’s degree preferred
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions for the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; use fine motor skills; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop, talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
BENEFITS & COMPENSATION
The CAIS Board of Trustees and administration are expressly dedicated to ensuring that CAIS is a great place to work. The school is committed to attracting, developing, retaining, and rewarding top-tier employees with a strong benefits package. The salary range for this position is: $21.00 to $25.53 per hour, based on experience. Please see the final page for a description of benefits.
ABOUT CAIS
As the nation’s first Mandarin Immersion Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies our mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education. We value honest self-assessment, thoughtful self-reflection, intentional planning, and focused implementation.
We are known as an ambitious school, and we are making substantial progress on our multi-year vision to reimagine immersion, reimagine our culture of learning, reimagine character and community, and reimagine our learning spaces. Since 2021, we have been using our new campus on 19th Avenue in San Francisco for athletics, arts, and community events. In September 2024, our entire community will begin the school year at our newly renovated Forever Home, which more than doubles our program space from our Hayes Valley locations and allows all divisions to be together on one spectacular campus. For information about our Early Childhood Division, visit the website.
TO APPLY
CAIS’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is central to our mission. People of color and LGBTQIA candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Email cover letter, resume, and list of references to c_tseng@cais.org. In the subject line please indicate: “Preschool Chinese Teaching Associate.” Please no calls.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Position responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
Work with a team to provide daily open-ended activities that embrace child-centered pedagogy and play-based curriculum and assist a classroom environment that emphasizes and supports literacy across all content areas
Support preschool classroom teachers to prepare curriculum and assist in instruction and assessment to align with school mission, policies, goals and initiatives
Hold child development and pedagogical content knowledge
Support young children with group instructions and small group activities
Engage in using child observation, documentation, and assessment to inform instruction, and plan learning experiences
Lead whole group and support children to participate and transition during classroom time and outdoor time
Perform group instruction in collaboration with and guidance from the teacher
Follow licensing requirements to maintain visual and auditory supervision of children at all times and ensure their safety in the classroom, on the playground, and during field trips. Active supervision is expected at all times.
Be knowledgeable of and follow school policies and procedures, in particular those dealing with confidentiality, cross-cultural understanding, discipline, harassment and communication, health and safety or licensing regulations
Refer all inquiries and concerns about the students to the teacher, extended care supervisor, or Preschool Director
Assist in duties such as attendance, record keeping, filing of student work, care and set up of classroom environment, and snack preparation
Communicate with lead teacher for feedback on professional growth and development
Interact with children using positive, supportive, and respectful attitude, language, and tone
Contribute to the development of community among staff by having open, constructive, and solution-oriented communication
Encompass a positive discipline approach in guiding student behavior
Develop a positive intellectual, emotional, and social environment within the classroom and a class community in which all children feel valued and a sense of belonging
Work collaboratively and maintain standards of respect, courtesy, and mutual consideration with the school community, including students, staff, and parents
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
Minimum of 12 ECE units or Child Development Teacher Permit
Experience in early childhood Chinese immersion education preferred
Mandarin Chinese language proficiency
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to work with colleagues from different backgrounds
Commitment to school mission, policies, and initiatives
Technical/Computer skills as required for job performance
Initial and continued tuberculosis clearance
Initial and continued criminal background clearance by DOJ and FBI
As the nation’s first dual language Chinese and English Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies this mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education. Our three campuses are currently located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. We are thrilled to announce that we have purchased a campus on 19th Avenue in San Francisco which would more than double our program space and allow all divisions to be together on one spectacular campus. We anticipate moving all divisions to the new campus in the 2023-2024 school year. For more information, visit the Middle School Website and https://www.cais.org/about-us/employment.