Building
Sustainable Careers
Building Sustainable Careers
enhancing teaching satisfaction and educational quality
A sustainable early childhood education career must support the whole teacher. Education, as the cornerstone of society, molds future generations. Yet programs face critical challenges that directly affect teachers’ welfare and efficacy that impact the quality of education and care they are able to provide.
The primary issues confronting teachers within the current early childhood education profession – and what Escuela Viva is doing to address them:
Low Pay
Educators often receive salaries that do not reflect the complexity and importance of their work. This leads to financial stress and a lack of motivation.
burnout
High workload, emotional stress, and lack of support lead to teacher burnout. This contributes to high turnover rates.
High Turnover Rate
The constant influx and exit of educators disrupt the continuity of learning and affect the stability of the educational environment.
Low Quality Recruitment
Schools struggle to attract and retain inspired and dedicated teachers, which in turn affects the children’ learning experience.
Our Sustainable Solution
To Issues Teachers Are Facing
Escuela Viva is dedicated to supporting the whole teacher and nurturing a sustainable career path for educators.
Here are reasons to join the Escuela Viva team, along with calls to action that invite you to be a part of our journey toward sustainability in the early childhood education profession:
Mentorship Programs
Cultivating Growth and Collaboration
We believe in the power of mentorship to transform the teaching experience. Our Mentorship Programs pair new educators with seasoned professionals, creating a dynamic learning environment where both can grow. This relationship fosters a culture of continuous improvement, mutual support, and shared knowledge.
- Accelerated professional development for new teachers.
- A supportive network that encourages sharing best practices and experiences.
- Enhanced teaching quality through collaborative problem-solving.
Join Our Mentorship Program
Whether you’re a new teacher seeking guidance or an experienced educator eager to share your wisdom, become a part of our thriving community.
A True Living Wage and Benefits
Valuing Our Educators
Educators deserve fair wages. It aims to match preschool teacher salaries with those of kindergarten teachers, funded by a tax on higher-earning individuals and households. This helps retain skilled educators, improve preschool quality, and ensure equal access to early childhood education for all children.
It ensures that early childhood education becomes a universally accessible right, rather than a privilege, thereby laying a solid foundation for the holistic development of all children. Such measures are pivotal in closing the educational achievement gap from the earliest stages, ensuring a brighter, more equitable future for the next generation.
- Financial stability for our educators, allowing them to focus on what they do best: teaching.
- Attraction and retention of top talent within our school.
Discover Your Worth
Explore opportunities at Escuela Viva and find out how we value your contribution to education.
Work-Life Balance
Ensuring Teacher Well-being
Promoting a balanced approach to work and life, Escuela Viva prioritizes the well-being of our teachers. We implement policies and practices that ensure educators have ample time for self-care, professional development, and personal pursuits.
- Reduced burnout and enhanced job satisfaction.
- Improved teacher effectiveness and creativity.
Expericence Balance
Join a school that cares for your well-being as much as your professional growth.
Community Engagement
Strengthening Our Collective
At Escuela Viva, we foster a strong sense of community among teachers, children, and parents. This collaborative spirit supports the educational process, enhancing the learning experience for everyone involved.
- A supportive and engaged community that values each member’s contribution.
- An enriched learning environment that benefits from diverse perspectives.
Be Part Of Our Community
Contribute to a vibrant educational ecosystem where everyone has a voice.
Innovative Teaching Methods
Inspiring Creativity And Critical Thinking
Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we empower teachers to guide children in their development.
- Experience the autonomy to create your own solutions within your classroom
- Approach bigger challenges as part of a team
- Enjoy the freedom and support to create a positive and enriching learning environment
- Feel respected for the skills you bring as a professional educator
Innovate With Us
Bring your creativity and passion for teaching to a school that embraces innovation and empowers you.
Professional Development Mentoring
Unlock Your Potential: Schedule Your Session Now
OUR OPENINGS
Join our Team of
Inspired Teachers
Job opportunities at Escuela Viva
Opening : TEACHER AIDE
Date Posted
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Openings : JOB TITLE HERE PLACEHOLDER
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Thrive Through Our Educator Development Programs
Embrace a career where your growth is our priority through our tailored training and mentoring programs.
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Hear From Those Who Work With Us
Julian Syga
Teacher since May 2022
“I have had the pleasure of teaching at Escuela Viva for the past 2 years. During my time here, I have been able to learn so much by working closely with my co-teachers, head teachers, site directors and most of all, the children. Despite being new to Portland, this community always felt very welcoming and gave me a sense of belonging. After a few mentoring meetings with the founder, Angie Garcia, I was given the opportunity to run my own in-home child care program. If you enjoy working with kids and are looking for support in growing your early childhood education career, then Escuela Viva would be a great fit!”
Monique Cornejo
Teacher, Southeast
“I started with Escuela Viva in August of 2022, in the hopes of making a positive change for myself. At first, it felt impossible to make my professional life more fulfilling. I was used to working at dead-end jobs where I worked everyday with no hopes of a promotion, at places where my efforts felt meaningless and unimportant. After only about 6 months working as an aide at EV, I was offered a position as a Teacher with a raise. About 6 months later I participated in a few mentoring meetings and now this summer, my partner and I will be running our own early childhood education program! At a lot of jobs, you are told that you get out what you put in but working at EV has been the first place I’ve felt that to be true. Give yourself the opportunity to get where you would like to go at Escuela Viva!”
Nani Nauta
Senior Staff at Escuela Viva
“In 2014, I was working at another childcare program and chose to work for Escuela Viva because of our shared interest in Spanish and the inspiration of the Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy. I was also drawn to their outdoor spaces and gardens as well as the farm to table and vegetarian influences. When I started working at Escuela Viva, I started at the bottom but was assured that I would have a job through retirement. Over time and with effort by the founder, the staff was able to be compensated for degrees, experience and dedication. We began getting paid a more livable wage.
After working at EV for 5 years, the parents and staff raised the money to allow me the privilege to go to Italy to learn more about the Reggio Amelia approach to teaching. Even through COVID the founder continued our benefits and paid us for as long as possible. To help with our mental health during that extremely stressful time, the founder also paid us to do yoga and meditation. We take yearly retreats to help build our staffs’ relationships as well as doing professional development training. Escuela Viva advocates for those new to teaching to those retiring from their teaching career. In the 11 years since I started, Escuela Viva has grown into four locations and continues to grow. Come grow with us!”
Julian Syga
Teacher since May 2022
“I have had the pleasure of teaching at Escuela Viva for the past 2 years. During my time here, I have been able to learn so much by working closely with my co-teachers, head teachers, site directors and most of all, the children. Despite being new to Portland, this community always felt very welcoming and gave me a sense of belonging. After a few mentoring meetings with the founder, Angie Garcia, I was given the opportunity to run my own in-home child care program. If you enjoy working with kids and are looking for support in growing your early childhood education career, then Escuela Viva would be a great fit!”
Monique Cornejo
Teacher, Southeast
“I started with Escuela Viva in August of 2022, in the hopes of making a positive change for myself. At first, it felt impossible to make my professional life more fulfilling. I was used to working at dead-end jobs where I worked everyday with no hopes of a promotion, at places where my efforts felt meaningless and unimportant. After only about 6 months working as an aide at EV, I was offered a position as a Teacher with a raise. About 6 months later I participated in a few mentoring meetings and now this summer, my partner and I will be running our own early childhood education program! At a lot of jobs, you are told that you get out what you put in but working at EV has been the first place I’ve felt that to be true. Give yourself the opportunity to get where you would like to go at Escuela Viva!”
Nani Nauta
Senior Staff at Escuela Viva
“In 2014, I was working at another childcare program and chose to work for Escuela Viva because of our shared interest in Spanish and the inspiration of the Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy. I was also drawn to their outdoor spaces and gardens as well as the farm to table and vegetarian influences. When I started working at Escuela Viva, I started at the bottom but was assured that I would have a job through retirement. Over time and with effort by the founder, the staff was able to be compensated for degrees, experience and dedication. We began getting paid a more livable wage.
After working at EV for 5 years, the parents and staff raised the money to allow me the privilege to go to Italy to learn more about the Reggio Amelia approach to teaching. Even through COVID the founder continued our benefits and paid us for as long as possible. To help with our mental health during that extremely stressful time, the founder also paid us to do yoga and meditation. We take yearly retreats to help build our staffs’ relationships as well as doing professional development training. Escuela Viva advocates for those new to teaching to those retiring from their teaching career. In the 11 years since I started, Escuela Viva has grown into four locations and continues to grow. Come grow with us!”
Laralei VanderPutten-Kane
Multi-Site Director, Employee since 2004
“It was a neighbor who, 20 years ago, introduced me to a brand new preschool school she discovered for her son and I thought I might like to have my son join as well; that is how my Escuela Viva journey began. Beginning as a parent and after just about a year, I asked to volunteer. Spending time in the classroom with the children created an opportunity that eventually led to a part-time job as an aide. As the school continued to grow, and with more experience I was able to work for Escuela Viva full-time. This opportunity allowed me to go down to just one job and created a spot for my daughter to begin attending as well. This helped to create the special privilege of watching my own children learn and thrive in their early learning at Escuela Viva. In the next several years as the school grew, I was able to spend time in every classroom and every age group. I was also able to learn and help with the food program.
Escuela Viva, over the years, has offered professional development support; which led to more administrative experience and mentoring. It was these experiences that allowed me to discover that I wanted to become a director. In 2019, with hard work and support, the founder offered me a job running our newest site in the Kenton neighborhood. I now find myself with yet another opportunity to grow as a multi-site director. As Escuela Viva has grown, so have I. Escuela Viva, has given me the opportunities to grow over the last 20 years. I am ever grateful to this community and its Founder.”
Frequently Asked Questions (for teachers)
We believe our Mission Statement clearly outlines what makes Escuela Viva a wonderful place to learn and grow.
Our aim is to support the field of early childhood education by offering educators opportunities to continue learning and growing within the profession.
As a social capitalist organization/business, our aim is to use the income we generate to strengthen the communities we live and work in. We do this by:
- Creating and supporting an organization that lifts up their staff members, financially, professionally and personally. We accomplish this by hiring, training and promoting women, people of color, and individuals who have traditionally been underserved and/or who have experienced systemic oppression.
- Because many of our early childhood programs offer dual language, Spanish and English, our first priority will be to serve providers/teachers who speak Spanish as a first or second language, though our hope is that our capacity will allow us to extend our reach as often as possible.
- Offering one of the most impactful services to lift families out of poverty, early childhood educational services.
We have starting pay (2024) at $22 an hour for aides, $24.50 for teachers and $28.11 for head teachers. We follow Preschool for All pay scales. Link inserted here:
Qualification Level | Provider/Lead Teacher Minimum Hourly Salary | Provider/Lead Teacher Target Hourly Salary |
Step 10/BA | $29.42 | $39.23 |
Step 9/AA | $25.01 | $33.35 |
Step 7 | $22.07 | $29.42 |
Our model trains and supports early childhood educators, including those new to this profession. Our specialty is training and supporting teachers and providers who want to teach in dual language, Spanish and English, early childhood programs. Our model aims to support early childhood professionals by creating successful early childhood programs in beautiful and affordable spaces. We then mentor teachers and providers as they move into leadership roles, such as:
lead teacher
in-home provider
center director
owner
multi-site directors and/or
coaches
mentors
occupational therapists
occupational aides
Currently we have locations in:
Inner SE Portland
N Portland
Gresham
NE Portland
Vacation time
Sick time/PTO
Flexible schedule/4 day work week
