Careers at VCS

Valley Charter Schools (VCS) seeks experienced, driven, creative team players who believe in a constructivist, project-based approach, backwards planning, purposeful collaboration with colleagues, and the power of on-going coaching, observation and feedback cycles to support professional growth. VCS teachers have a students-first attitude, a belief in nurturing the whole child, and an unwavering commitment to equity of access and opportunity for all students.

 

Please check out the video below to hear from VCS team members what makes VCS such a special place to teach and learn! 

 

 

 

VCS is a TK-8 charter organization serving the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Valley Charter School was  founded in 2010 by parents and educators who shared an inspired vision of  creating an exceptional public school focused on academic excellence, diversity,  and community. Teaching and learning at VCS is driven by a constructivist philosophy and a project-based curriculum. Today, VCS consists of two schools: Valley Charter Elementary (grades TK-5), with an enrollment of 300 and Valley Charter Middle, (grades 6-8), with an enrollment of under 300. The organization has a $6.6 million annual budget with over five dozen full and part time staff. Our work is framed by the following Design Elements: 

Design Element 1: We value process over product. Learning is experiential, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and relevant to students’ lives. 
Design Element 2: Social emotional development and self-advocacy are the foundational principles of student learning and personal growth. 
Design Element 3: We develop effective communicators who are able to connect with varied audiences. 
Design Element 4: Learning is a social process accomplished through authentically collaborative work. 
Design Element 5: We are committed to building intentionally diverse schools. Our core values and foundational principles are authentically  realized through this diverse community.  

Valley Charter Schools’ student population reflects the rich diversity of the San Fernando Valley, with families and community members providing invaluable and consistent support to the school. We are proud of the high degree of connection  between the rhetoric of our mission statement and the actual classroom practice in our schools. Through our intentionally diverse design, Valley Charter School is becoming a national model for urban public education. 

 

Are you interested in becoming a team member at Valley Charter Schools? Please complete this survey. Click the link below to see current job opportunities at VCS.

 

Serena Long, VCES kindergarten teacher, talks about her experience at Valley Charter Schools:

“Valley Charter School’s focus on maintaining a small school community has had such a positive impact on myself as an educator, my classroom, and my thoughts on coming into work each day. I love that I have grown so close with other teachers, faculty, and administrators. I love how comfortable and supportive we are with one another. I also love that although I began at VCES recently, I am able to build relationships with older students who I never taught in my classroom, but see at school on a daily basis. I believe the small school community ensures my students feel safe and valued in my classroom, out on the yard, and anywhere else at VCES. The smaller school community allows them to grow stronger relationships with one another as they continue through elementary school. It really is like a family here and I feel forever grateful for the opportunity to work somewhere as special as VCES.

The VCS focus on building a diverse by design school allows all of my students to learn to embrace their individuality. In kindergarten we are very focused on learning about our identity and what makes us who we are. I love how VCS gives me the opportunity to teach my students how special our differences are and that when we can recognize each other in that light, it makes our bond so much stronger.”