Great Pacific Child Development Center was founded in 1983 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 manager is responsible for all aspects of teaching and overall management and leadership of the classroom and teaching team. Classrooms are typically structured with children from birth to two years (infant classroom), or two to three and a half years, or three and a half years to kindergarten. Responsibilities include: physical caregiving, child development assessments, implementation of age-appropriate, individualized curriculum and environments, facilitating supportive relationships with children, parents, and colleagues, managing and mentoring 2-3 people on the classroom teaching team, implementing systems to deliver quality childcare, and ensuring constant communication flow between administration, the teaching team and parents.
Primary Caregiving
At our Child Development Centers, we understand the importance of a meaningful bond between child and caregiver. These relationships are foundational to our program, and they are an integral piece of high-quality group care. A primary caregiver is a role within the classroom that is specific to classroom managers and primary teachers. Typically, a primary caregiver will adhere to a target ratio of 1:3 for infants, 1:7 with preschoolers, and 1:9 with pre-kindergarten.
- Assign the children in your care to a primary caregiver. Track the development of your primary children, managing their classroom transitions, and coordinate their integration hours.
- If a new family is joining the Child Development Center, primary caregivers are responsible for connecting with the family to review our program and practices. Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten primary caregivers will host a meeting onsite, and infant primary caregivers may conduct a home visit.
- Complete routine assessments of your primary children’s development including learning stories, facilitate parent input using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and share information during regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences.
- If needed, facilitate the referral process and individualized interventions with the help of the program manager to make sure each child reaches their developmental potential.
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.
- Ensure a high-quality, developmentally appropriate classroom exists in accordance with Patagonia’s policies/philosophy and Department of Social Services childcare licensing rules and regulations as outlined by the state.
- Co-create and organize a stimulating and developmentally appropriate learning environment both inside and outside
- Ensure visual supervision and child safety at all times.
- Design emergent curriculum that meets the needs of the individual learning style of the children in your care.
- Form relationships with families, children, and co-teachers that are respectful of individual differences and culture, family styles and cultural/socioeconomic diversity.
- Offer guidance and direction to support the professional development of your teaching team.
- 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.
- Provide professional guidance for your team members, including goal setting and performance reviews.
- Implement systems and policies to deliver quality childcare.
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: documentation boards, newsletters, Educa, and emails.
- Serve as the liaison between the classroom, program manager and administrative team to make sure families experience impeccable customer service.
Administrative and Leadership Responsibilities
The team at the Child Development Centers work collaboratively and cross-functionally to provide the highest quality of group care. Leaders in the Family Services Department will look to the staff in the classrooms to support decision-making, team-building, and licensing requirements.
- Ensure the completion of classroom administrative responsibilities in a timely manner such as: managing child files, tracking attendance on Procare, communicating changes to enrollment projections, maintaining daily staff: child ratios, approving PTO and submission of time, and manage and document emergency practice drills.
- Engage in manager trainings and initiatives so that you are prepared to cascade information to your team, ensure adherence to protocols, and provide coaching/direction.
- Evaluate the supply and material needs of classroom and track expenses against the annual classroom budget.
- Lead the onboarding, training, performance management and annual goal setting for teachers who work in the classroom and report to you.
- Plan and lead team meetings and participate in TRCDC leadership team meetings to provide input on decision making.
- Act with urgency and respond thoughtfully to issues or concerns.
Physical Requirements
- 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 1-35 pounds from the floor to a waist-high table, or communicate effectively with your team to get the needs of the child met.
Who You Are
- 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.
Experience You Bring
- Five years’ experience working with young children (At least 150 hours working/volunteering with children within the last 6 months).
- Successful collaboration and partnering experience with a direct team.
- Proven history of building trusting, nurturing and responsive relationships with young children and families.
- Ability to implement and support classroom practice in accordance with our classroom philosophy.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to receive and act on feedback for improved classroom instruction and care.
- 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.
- 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 by obtaining a Memo of Eligibility 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.