Child Development Specialist, Alpha - $100,000/year USD

Crossover; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Alpha School in Austin, TX is hiring a full-time, on-site Pre-K teacher. You will design experiences, foster emotional safety, and drive measurable developmental growth for 3- to 5-year-olds.

Relocation assistance is available; a competitive salary of $100,000 per year and full health benefits are provided. You’ll work with families and use play as serious work to turn play into purposeful learning.

This role values autonomy, creativity, and a commitment to building a strong preschool foundation.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree or higher or U.S. state teaching license or certification.
• At least 2 years of experience with children ages 3-5 in a structured, play-based classroom.
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Design joyful, sensory-rich learning experiences that build early literacy and numeracy.
• Create a classroom where every child feels emotionally safe and excited to come to school.
• Observe development in real time and document progress with structured tools.
• Partner with families to share growth and support development beyond the classroom.
• Leverage AI tools for documentation and planning to maximize time with children.

Skills

Play-based pedagogy

Classroom observation

Parent communication

Education

Associate's degree or higher

US teaching license/certification

Tools

Teaching Strategies GOLD

ASQ

HighScope COR

Job description

"Alpha School students, on average, experience 2.4 to 2.6 times the academic growth of traditional school students" — Forbes. Alpha is hiring.

• Onsite in Austin, TX. Relocation support available
• $100,000/year salary. Full health benefits

You already know how to read a four-year-old — what they need, what they're capable of, what a good day of play actually builds toward. What you rarely get is a school that gets out of the way and lets you use that.

If you believe play is serious work, that relationships come before academics, and that a four-year-old's day should be designed rather than supervised, you'll recognize this job.

This is a full-time, on-site role leading a Pre-K classroom in Austin, where emotional safety, curiosity, and measurable developmental growth matter equally. You'll design the experiences yourself — art that explores gravity, stories that build empathy, play that develops executive function — instead of working through a curriculum someone else locked in a binder. We hire educators who know great preschool isn't childcare. It's the foundation everything else is built on.

Alpha is reimagining education by helping students master academics faster, which frees up time for the life skills that matter just as much. That work starts in Pre-K, with teachers who can turn play into purposeful learning and show what changed.

We expect to hire from across the Austin metro area. If you're an outstanding educator who wants to relocate, we'll provide relocation assistance.

What You Will Be Doing

• Design joyful, sensory-rich learning experiences that intentionally build early literacy, numeracy, self-regulation, and social development
• Create a classroom where every child feels emotionally safe, deeply known, and excited to come to school
• Observe development in real time, document meaningful progress with structured screening and assessment tools, and use those insights to personalize learning
• Adjust activities around each child's interests and developmental needs so every learner makes measurable progress
• Partner closely with families to share growth, celebrate milestones, and support development beyond the classroom
• Use AI tools for documentation, family communication, and classroom planning, so more of your day goes to the children

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Supervising children without a clear developmental purpose behind every activity
• Following scripted lessons, relying on worksheets, or teaching to compliance instead of curiosity
• Spending your day managing behavior rather than helping children build emotional regulation
• Sitting children in front of academic software while you monitor from the sidelines
• Waiting on a committee or a district timeline to change something that isn't working for your class

Child Development Specialist Key Responsibilities

Create a Pre-K classroom where every child builds a lasting love of learning while making exceptional progress across the developmental foundations that shape everything after.

Basic Requirements

• Able to work full-time, on-site in Austin, TX (relocation assistance is available)
• An associate's degree or higher, or any U.S. state teaching license or certification
• At least 2 years of experience working with children ages 3-5 in a structured, play-based classroom or group setting
• Authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Experience documenting child observations or developmental milestones with a structured framework or assessment tool, such as Teaching Strategies GOLD, ASQ, or HighScope COR
• Experience in a Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Bank Street, or other inquiry-based early childhood program
• Experience in an independent school or an academically ambitious preschool
• A CDA credential or a degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development
• Comfort using educational technology and AI tools to enhance learning and reduce administrative load

Join the team building school around student growth

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real-world skills.

Roles with real student impact:

Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members.

Education work that pays like it matters:

Alpha offers six-figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience.

A culture built for builders:

Alpha is fast-moving, ambitious, and student focused. It’s for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it.

Alpha is where you can do the most meaningful work of your career.

There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited.

Working with us

This is a full-time, W2 employee position with immediate access to benefits https://support.crossover.com/article/7581-w2-benefits-u-s-paychex-paid-only. All roles are year-long positions. The compensation level for this role is $100,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.