Teacher Assistant- Early Learning (Limited Duration)

Working at KairosPDX

KairosPDX is currently seeking candidates for a full-time, limited- duration Teacher Assistant- Early Learning position, starting immediately. Persons of color and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

KairosPDX launched our flagship program, our Learning Academy, a public charter school sponsored by Portland Public Schools, located on N. Gantenbein Avenue in Portland, in 2014. Our educational model is inquiry-based. Our curriculum approach is a culturally-responsive, workshop model that infuses mindfulness, restorative practice, studio art, STEM, music, and fitness in our teaching.

KairosPDX launched our Training Academy in 2021. KairosPDX Training Academy is focused on training current leaders across multiple sectors on how to lead in an equity movement that is grounded in transformational change and rooted in a framework of belonging and the neuroscience of love. We provide training and professional development around rehumanization practices and protocols for administrators, educators, early childhood professionals, organizations, and businesses to learn the tools to do the work in equity that KairosPDX puts into practice daily.

The Early Learning Program, which opened in 2022 as a pilot site for Preschool for All, is designed to affirm and celebrate Black identity in young children and their families. It is grounded in the belief that culturally-specific, early learning experiences expand opportunities for children to actively engage in creating their own lives and to contribute fully to the quality of the world around them. We value the creativity, interests, ideas, and questions of the children and adults at our school. We practice listening, observing, inquiring, being attentive, and reflecting together with children and families. We value the role of the arts and sciences as languages for thinking, expressing ideas, communicating who we are, and telling the stories of those we belong to - past and present.

Kairos is Greek for a special moment in time, and we believe we are creating this time and space for children and families, making KairosPDX a very special place to work. We are committed to the core values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, Honesty, and Service. We value data, reflection, feedback, and continuous improvement as we work together on behalf of our children and families. Our expectation is that staff at KairosPDX are invested in our mission and participate in creating structures, developing school culture, and communicating our work to families and the larger community. Staff work together to support the whole child - academically, socially, emotionally, and culturally, using published curriculum, current research, and children's own interests to build their curricula. KairosPDX values data, reflection, feedback, and continuous improvement as we work together on behalf of our children and families.

The Early Learning Teacher Assistant will support the Teachers to implement the curriculum in a safe, healthy, and nurturing classroom environment that supports each child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development. The Assistant will perform activities that ensure the safety, involvement, and creativity of each individual in the group. The Assistant will work cooperatively with the teachers to discuss and aid in the implementation of daily plans in accordance with the current curriculum.

Overall Staff Responsibilities:

Share responsibility with a team of colleagues and families to honor the mission:

• to eliminate the prolific racial achievement and opportunity gaps by cultivating confident, creative, and compassionate leaders.

• Practice the values of KairosPDX in professional conduct and daily interactions:

  • respect, responsibility, honesty, excellence, and service to community

• Incorporate the beliefs of KairosPDX in all approaches and instruction

  • Every child is uniquely capable, innately curious, and inherently creative,

  • Character and agency are essential to achievement and are developed through relationships and service to others.

  • A multi-cultural context delivers a strong sense of self and is a requirement for participation in our global society.

  • Children must be supported in the context of their families,

• Support multicultural practice and inquiry-based approaches that are:

• Actively anti-racist - confronting bias in all of its forms,

• Education for social justice - acknowledging history and studying the present to make informed decisions regarding a more equitable future,

• Pervasive - Examining practices in all levels of school culture and organization,

• Personal -Beginning with the necessary consideration of self as a cultural being,

• Critical Pedagogy - Pursuing multiple perspectives, anticipating contradictions, and challenging assumptions,

• Empowering - Providing children with the ego strength to challenge racist societal views,

• Helping children think deeply about themselves and others.

Core Position Responsibilities:

• Support the teaching team and support a group of preschool children

  • Individual and/or small group instruction for children

• Support for the exchange of information between home and school ie: creation of flyers, conference reminders, etc.

• Support teachers to communicate with families regarding student behavior, needs and growth

• Perform activities that ensure the safety, engagement, and creativity of each individual in the group

• Work cooperatively with the teachers to discuss and aid in the implementation of daily plans in accordance with the current curriculum

• Nurture the social-emotional intelligence of children

• Follow daily lesson plans for appropriate age teaching and learning, making adjustments when needed

• Support set up, maintenance, and clean up of daily provocations

• Partner with teachers to cultivate a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for students, families, and colleagues

• Support classroom expectations and agreements

• Guide children through the process of exploration, collaboration, and reflection

• Comfortable getting outside and creating a positive light on outdoor education in all weather

• Support the teachers in keeping an organized and orderly classroom that promotes creativity and learning

• Support teachers to maintain weekly communication with parents through a weekly email

• Cultivate positive relationships with families, teachers, state licensing authorities, community contacts, and corporate partners.

• Participate in supervising students during recess and other non-classroom times, and

• Assist in planning and supervising walking and local field trips.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Attend several KairosPDX staff and family events

• Participate in professional development to facilitate the growth of each student, staff members and the organization overall

• Participate in continuous improvement practices, including observations, reflections, and collaborations

• Perform other related duties as needed and assigned

Salary and Benefits:

• Salary: Dependent on qualifications, ranging from $21 - $25 per hour

• Work Year: This assignment is for a limited duration through the end of the school year on June 24, 2026. Please be advised that this is an at-will position.

• Benefits include: Up to two weeks of building closure breaks, prorated paid sick/personal leave days, paid holidays, employer contribution for health insurance, and professional development opportunities.