Part Time Atelierista

Grounded in the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, the Atelierista collaborates closely with teachers to design environments, provocations, and long-term investigations that honor children’s theories, 100 languages, and ways of knowing. The Atelierista is a teacher with an artistic background, responsible for the design and development of learning environments for children, the upkeep of the atelier, the execution of projects and research, and the documentation to make children's learning processes visible.

Company Description

La Scuola International School is the only Reggio Emilia inspired, International Baccalaureate (Early, Primary and Middle Years) and Italian Language Immersion school in the world. Teachers are researchers and are supported with robust Professional Development opportunities throughout the year. 

Learning is a part of everything that we do, not just what happens in the classroom. While our school experience is rooted in highly regarded curricula, the magic of La Scuola is more than what we teach. It is how we teach and learn, which is truly a way of living, thinking, and interacting with the world. To learn more, please visit us at www.lascuolasf.org. 

Founded: 2002

Number of students: 465

Locations: San Francisco, Silicon Valley & Milano

La Scuola International School is an independent non-profit school accredited by NAIS, CAIS, WASC and CIS and is one of two Italian schools recognized by the Italian government in the United States.

Job Description

La Scuola International seeks an experienced and passionate Atelierista to begin immediately. 

The Atelierista is a teacher with an artistic background, responsible for the design and development of learning environments for children, the upkeep of the atelier, the execution of projects and research, and the documentation to make children's learning processes visible.

The Atelierista brings expertise in visual arts, materials, and creative processes to support children’s learning through inquiry, expression, and research. Grounded in the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, the Atelierista collaborates closely with teachers to design environments, provocations, and long-term investigations that honor children’s theories, 100 languages, and ways of knowing. They hold a high image of the child and are experts in documentation. 

The Atelierista is not a “specialist” teacher, but a co-researcher and collaborator who supports the integration of aesthetic, symbolic, and material exploration throughout the curriculum.

Schedule:  On site hours are approximately 15 hours per week.

Role & Responsibilities

Atelier & Learning Environment 

• Design, curate, and maintain the atelier and other creative learning spaces across campus.
• Select and organize open-ended, high-quality materials that invite intentional exploration, transformation, and sustained inquiry.
• Collaborate on classroom environment design to ensure spaces function as a “third teacher.”

Pedagogical Collaboration

• Partner with classroom teachers to co-plan, co-research, and reflect on long-term projects, learning outcomes, units of inquiry and emergent curriculum.
• Support educators in deepening their use of materials, visual languages, and documentation as tools for learning.
• Participate in pedagogical meetings, reflective practice, and professional learning communities.
   

IB Curriculum Development & Integration

• Collaborate with pedagogical leadership and teaching teams to integrate Reggio-inspired inquiry, documentation, and visual languages within the IB framework.
• Support the design and refinement of Units of Inquiry through material exploration, conceptual provocations, and project-based research.
• Align documentation and assessment practices with IB learning goals and Approaches to Learning.
• Contribute to curriculum mapping and reflection to ensure coherence between emergent curriculum and IB standards.

In the Classroom

• Work directly with children individually, in small groups, and in project work to support investigation, expression, and meaning-making.
• Observe children closely to identify emerging interests, hypotheses, and symbolic languages.
• Respect children as capable protagonists in their own learning, supporting—not directing—their creative processes.

Documentation & Research

• Collaborate with teachers on pedagogical documentation that makes learning visible.
• Use documentation as a reflective and interpretive tool to inform curriculum development.
• Contribute to school-wide exhibitions, displays, and publications that communicate learning to families and the broader community.
• Work with staff to interpret and document children’s work to encourage student reflection on their own learning and to understand the learning strategies children use.
• Guide integration of exploration through visual arts to learning and hypothesis testing.
• Participates in internal and external  professional development opportunities 
• Present and prepare materials at various events as needed throughout the year including Admissions open houses, 
• Spotlight series and other events as needed
• Develop and curate the end of year School Exhibit
• Produce display documentation, booklets and films on projects and learning experiences that happen in the classroom.
• Communicating and presenting to others and influencing others regarding all of the above, as required
• Managing the Digital Atelier with support from other members of staff using technology as an extension of the creative process

Qualifications

 Qualifications

• Master of Arts, Arts Management, Arts Psychology or other related degree required. 
• Minimum of 24 months of experience with Reggio Emilia Approach (or equivalent) and familiarity with the International Baccalaureate framework. 
• Bilingual and bi-literate in Italian and English with native or near-native Italian proficiency.
• The ability to reflect critically on ongoing learning and integrate individual projects with larger projects.

Preferred Traits

• Deep respect for children as competent, curious, and capable learners.
• Comfort with ambiguity, emergent curriculum, and long-term project work.
• Strong collaborative mindset and ability to work across roles and disciplines.
• Reflective, research-oriented approach to teaching and learning.

Additional Information

Start date:  Immediately

Salary:  $34 - $36 per hour commensurate with experience and credentials.

Additional Information

Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.  Prior to beginning work and as a condition of employment in order to comply with the law, all employees must provide documentation to prove eligibility to work in the United States.

Final candidates will need to pass both Criminal Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation Fingerprint Clearance and a physical exam, and provide a recent copy of a negative TB test and other immunization records.

How to Apply

Refer to the Employment Opportunities within and apply online. Please include a cover letter sharing your background and interest and your résumé (translated into English) as a first step. Applicants should be prepared to share three professional references and a teaching demonstration. 

As part of the interview process, you can expect to meet with our Human Resources team and Assistant Head of School as well as the Hiring Manager, in most cases the Division Director.