Head Start Instructor (Continuous)

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal-opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.


We are looking for someone who:

• Is a passionate educator who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of Oakland children and families.
• Likes to plan developmentally age-appropriate activities for children.
• Is a strong relationship builder with good communication skills. You will have the opportunity to interact in a culturally diverse workplace with infants, toddlers, parents, and community members.
• Has a genuine interest in learning and developing their career. Within the Head Start, there are opportunities to grow professionally.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Instructing children in basic infant/toddler education concepts.
• Organizing and setting up developmentally appropriate education and play materials for the classroom and/or the home.
• Conducting fire, disaster, and safety drills in the classroom; inspecting facility for safety standards and maintenance needs.
• Assisting in planning, organizing, and scheduling daily activities at the center classroom or in the home.
• Conducting developmental screenings, ongoing child observations, developmental assessments and devising Individual Development Plans (IDP) on all children enrolled in program; assisting in developing Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) for special needs children.
• Maintaining a clean and organized indoor and outdoor environment, including the food service area.
• Making initial and final home visits; making additional/on-going home visits as needed.

A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will be a part of a dynamic Head Start team.
• Your work will have a direct impact on providing important services to a community with a rich and dynamic history.
• You will have great colleagues. Head Start employees are fiercely passionate about public service and community, and proud to uplift Oakland as a dynamic, innovative, vibrant city.
• You will have excellent learning opportunities to grow and develop your expertise in early childhood development.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Teachers need to find balance in their teaching style to ensure all children are learning as their skill levels may vary within the classroom.
• As a Head Start Instructor, you will face a considerable amount of change and you must remain flexible and adaptable.
• You will need to maintain composure, keeping emotions in control, in very difficult situations.

Competencies Required:

• Professional and Technical Expertise
• Listening
• Oral Communication
• Reading Comprehension
• General Physical Ability
• Safety Focus

* Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland!
Working for the City of Oakland

Examples of Duties

See class spec on our website at : Class specifications (Job Descriptions) | Job Opportunities (governmentjobs.com)

Minimum Requirements for Application

Education: Bachelor's or advanced degree in Early Childhood Education or related field including twelve (12) post-secondary semester units or equivalent quarter units in early childhood education or child development, plus three (3) units supervised field experience in ECE/CD setting completed at an accredited or approved college or university;

AND hold, or qualify for, a Master Teacher Child Development Permit (or higher level permit) issued by the State of California.

Experience: Six months of full-time work experience or one year of part-time experience in a licensed childcare center or comparable group childcare program.

Individuals who are appointed to this position will be required to maintain a valid California Driver's License throughout the tenure of employment OR demonstrate the ability to travel to various locations in a timely manner as required in the performance of duties.

Must obtain a State of California Child Development Permit at the Master Teacher Child Development level within six months and maintain throughout tenure of employment. Must demonstrate proof of application for Master Teacher (or higher level) permit from the State of California upon hire. Failure to obtain relevant teaching permit within six months will be grounds for removal during probation.
Must obtain Pediatric First Aid and CPR certifications within one year of employment and maintain throughout tenure of employment.

**Required at the time of application: Copy of College Transcripts. Applications without the required documents will be considered incomplete. Please be sure to scan and attached the required documents to your online application. Also scan a copy of your State of California Child Development Permit at the Master Teacher Child Development level, (or copy of proof of application).

Other Requirements:
Depending on nature of assignment, candidates who receive offers of employment will be required to submit fingerprints, undergo a criminal record clearance, and have a physical examination including a TB screening.

Proficiency in a foreign language may be required.

Desirable Qualifications:

• State of California Child Development Permit at the Master Teacher Child Development level
• Pediatric First Aid and CPR certifications

Supplemental Information

The Recruitment Process:

The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.

Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications. In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.

For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will have their responses to the supplemental questionnaires evaluated and rated by subject matter experts. You will be notified if your application will be moving forward with the supplemental questionnaire evaluation. The tentative date of the supplemental questionnaire evaluation is the week of January 9, 2023. Applications and supplemental questionnaires will be reviewed approximately once every month.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.
What’s in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5 hour work weeks, and a flexible/hybrid remote schedule
• 15 paid holidays
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

How to Apply

Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user on the system. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY. You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at:

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm .

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday. You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) 238-3112 for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system. For recruitment-specific questions, please contact Daryl Look at dlook@oaklandca.gov.

The City of Oakland is committed to the wellbeing of its employees and offers comprehensive health and wellness services along with an array of other benefits for most positions. Benefits may include*:

• CalPERS Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Medical Waiver Plan - Cash-In-Lieu
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Benefits
• Group & Supplemental Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH)
• Pension Benefits
• Deferred Compensation

* Specific benefits may vary depending on the assignedspecific bargaining unit. Information regarding most benefits can be reviewed here: Employee Benefits Information Current MOUs may be reviewed here: City of Oakland Labor Agreements

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

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• City of Oakland

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