Careers at MCS

Start Date: August 7, 2025

Reports to: Head of School

Employee Classification: Salaried exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm Mondays - Fridays; IN PERSON ON CAMPUS

About the Organization

Founded in 1965, Montessori Center School of Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The school boasts sixty years rich in a history of nurturing a lifelong love for learning among children ages 18 months through 6th grade – grounded in the Montessori method. An American Montessori Society Member School, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

About the Opportunity

MCS seeks an experienced and certificated Montessori Primary Lead Teacher. This is an opportunity to work with our wildly talented and committed staffulty and wonderful students and families as you lead a classroom of approximately 24 students through the Primary years of their early childhood Montessori learning journeys.

Overseeing a Co-teacher, and working in a highly collaborative manner with the whole Primary team, you will carefully curate a welcoming, orderly, beautiful and resource-rich environment and will deliver a high-fidelity Montessori learning experience for our students each day, nurturing their independence, curiosity and love for learning.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Primary Lead Teacher will perform the following duties:

Classroom Environment

• Design and maintain a calm and joyful Montessori Primary environment that nurtures a high quality, developmentally early childhood program – both social learning and academic skills.
• Build warm and nurturing rapport with each of your students and establish strong routines for the classroom that help the students learn how to be independent and thrive within the boundaries of the environment.

Observation & Record-keeping

• Oversee students’ progression through the curriculum, ensuring that each child is pursuing a well-designed program that best reflects their unique learning style.
• Conduct child observations regularly, documenting these through the school’s shared online learning management system (TransparentClassroom).
• Utilize child observations and your data and records to lesson-plan and inform daily choices regarding each child’s support and program.

Family Engagement

• Be an excellent communicator with parents; work to engage parents and caregivers as great partners in each student’s educational process.
• Utilizing school-wide protocols, share data and updates routinely with families regarding their children’s academic and social development.
• Be responsive, receptive and welcoming of parent/caregiver inquiries and feedback.
• Share weekly classroom updates with families, host family gatherings (potlucks, etc.) and classroom visitations, and be each of your students’ families’ go-to person in the school.
• Participate in the life of the school community by supporting annual events including occasional weekend commitments (e.g the fall harvest festival, annual benefit auction).

Teamwork & Learning

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Be an engaged and committed coach, mentor and manager to the Co-teacher working alongside you in your classroom. Support their learning, development and success.

Qualifications

Successful candidates for this role will evidence the following qualifications:

Experience & Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• A Primary level teaching certification from a MACTE-accredited teaching program
• Experience working in a Montessori Primary classroom (3+ years preferred)
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team
• Passion for serving children of all learning styles and abilities
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills
• Capacity to share and receive and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through
• Ability to recognize and embrace that perfect is the enemy of good

Physical Requirements

Duties performed typically in school settings to include:

• Physical stamina to work with school-aged children.
• Frequent walking, kneeling, standing, stooping, sitting on the ground, and occasional lifting, up to approximately 50 pounds.
• Must be able to grasp and feel the attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature and texture.
• Able to move as needed to ensure the safety of the children. Other physical activities may be required.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer information, determining the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, noise and hazards.
• Daily personal and close contact with children to provide classroom management and learning environment support is required.
• Regular in-person contact with parents, faculty and staff members is required.

These physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. MCS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, MCS will take steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

All MCS employees must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan), must provide a negative TB test, must know the school emergency procedures, and must perform other duties not specifically stated as directed by the Head of School.

Compensation

This is a salaried, exempt full-time position 40 hours per week, 10 months per year. Compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with starting annualized salary for experienced applicants ranging from $58,000 to $80,000 annually. Full-time employees of MCS are eligible for comprehensive health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan matching and paid time off (PTO).

To Express Interest

To express your interest in this role with MCS, please email a one-page cover letter and one- or two-page professional resume to Head of School, Vanessa Jackson: v.jackson@mcssb.org. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to make a hire for this role by February 1, 2025.

Start Date: August 1, 2024

Reports to: Associate Head of School, Program

Employee Classification: Hourly, non-exempt, part-time; 10-month employee

Schedule: 12:45 pm – 5:30 pm Mondays – Fridays

Hourly Compensation: $22.50-$28.93 DOE

About the Organization:

Founded in 1965, the Montessori Center School at Santa Barbara (MCS) is an independent school and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a rich history of preparing students ages 18 months through 6th grade for academic excellence using the world-renowned Montessori Method. An American Montessori Society member school, MCS fosters independent, self-motivated, confident, life-long learners, who will become positive forces to care for and transform our world. The school is located on a beautiful garden campus in Goleta, California.

Montessori Center School is a non-profit independent school dedicated to providing a high-quality Montessori education to students ages 18 months to 12 years. We have an opening for a part-time, afterschool care assistant teacher position at the primary level (2.5 to 6 years old) for the 2024-2025 school year, starting August 1, 2024.

Responsibilities include supervising children, ages 2.5-6 years old, during nap time and indoor and outdoor games, activities, and free time with warmth, patience, and kindness.

Specific responsibilities of the assistant teacher may include: supervising on the playground, during naps, and in the classroom, modeling Montessori manners (grace and courtesy), preparing snacks, maintaining supply shelves, observing children in their daily routines, and assisting with other projects. The afterschool care teacher will greet and communicate with parents at pick-up.

It is important to adhere to school protocol and school policies in all dealings with parents. The afterschool care teacher should establish positive relationships and communicate effectively with children, staff, administration, parents, and members of the community.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will be an energetic and dedicated team player who is caring with a positive attitude, a nurturing personality, and loves working with children. This individual must be able to effectively supervise children in safe learning/play activities and facilitate the development of social skills. 12 core early childhood education (ECE) units are preferred but must have at least 6 ECE units to work. Livescan, measles, and pertussis vaccinations and TB tests are required. Salary depends on experience and educational level.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and official or unofficial transcript to apply to Melanie Newhouse, m.newhouse@mcssb.org

Start Date: August 1, 2024

Reports to: Associate Head of School, Program

Employee Classification: Hourly, non-exempt, full-time; 10-month employee

Schedule:  10:00 am to 6:00 pm Mondays - Fridays

Hourly compensation:  $22.50 - $28.93 DOE

Montessori Center School is hiring a full-time (10:00 pm to 6:00 pm M-F) afterschool care teacher in the toddler classroom (18 months to 3 years) for the 2024-2025 school year. 

The afterschool care teacher cares for up to 6 toddlers during after school hours, following the Montessori philosophy and practices set by the head teacher. She/he is responsible for the safety and happiness of the children, diapering and potty training, cleaning and maintaining the classroom materials, and adhering to school protocol and school policies. A confident, professional demeanor is important when dealing with parents. 

Providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children is essential to this position.

The candidate must have completed 12 core Early Childhood Education units (ECE), including 3 infant/toddler ECE units and have experience working with children between the ages of 18 months and 3 years, and must pass a criminal background check. Negative TB test required. 

Compensation is competitive and depends on experience and education. 

Please email a cover letter, resume and official or unofficial transcript to Melanie Newhouse at m.newhouse@mcssb.org

Benefits:

• Dental Insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Montessori Center School is an Equal Opportunity Employer licensed by the DSS (Lic# 426205239)