Fewer Than 1 in 10: How We Hire the Person Who Will Be in the Room With Your Kid
The most important question about any after-school program is one most parents never ask: who, exactly, is going to be in the room with my child, and how did they get there? The bricks, the robots, the curriculum and the price all matter. None of them matter as much as the adult standing at the table. At Journey to STEAM, fewer than 10% of the people who apply to teach are hired, and I want to explain how that number happens, because I think every parent and every principal should hold every program to something like it.
Why I care about this more than the average founder
I spent eight years as a school principal, and before that I was a teacher. Hiring teachers was the most consequential thing I did in that job, more than budgets, more than schedules, more than any initiative with a nice name. A great teacher in a room changes 25 kids a year for the rest of their lives. A weak one does damage that takes years to undo. When I started Journey to STEAM in 2023, I knew the instructor question would decide whether we were a real education company or just another thing on the after-school flyer.
Here is the uncomfortable part. During the school day, the adult in front of your child holds a license, passes rigorous background checks and gets ongoing training and evaluation. The moment the dismissal bell rings, an outside program can put an adult in that same building with little more than a volunteer background check, and in many places nothing requires more. Parents have shared stories with me about the disorganization and thin supervision they saw in past programs, and I understand why so many are skeptical of enrichment. I decided early that the lack of regulation would be our reason to overdeliver, not our excuse to cut corners.
Who we hire
Our instructors are licensed teachers, retired educators and educators in training. Many hold higher degrees in education and teaching licenses. We pay above the industry standard to attract them, because you do not get people who teach kids for a living by paying what a summer job pays. We are not looking for the person who builds the coolest LEGO model. We are looking for the person who can watch a 6-year-old's tower fall over and know exactly how long to wait before saying anything.
That is a teaching skill. It cannot be faked in an interview, and it is why the process below has as many steps as it does.
How the hiring process works, step by step
There are five stages between "I applied" and "I am leading a class." Here they are in order.
- Application and reply. Applications are open all year and take about three minutes. We reply to every one. Most people do not make it past this stage, because we are reading for evidence of real experience with children, not enthusiasm for STEM.
- Screening. A full background check, including criminal history screening, reference checks and credential verification. Anyone who will teach preschoolers is enrolled in Oregon's Central Background Registry before their first class; in Washington that is a DCYF check. This happens before employment, not after.
- Training. Orientation on our policies, safety and culture, then mandatory training in child protection, emergency response and mandatory reporting, plus first aid and the protocols for their specific site. Every instructor is a mandatory reporter. Refreshers happen every year.
- Supporting before leading. Developing instructors support setup, supervision and classroom management alongside a lead instructor before they run a room on their own. This is the stage that filters out people who are wonderful in an interview and lost with twelve second graders.
- Observation and coaching. Lead instructors are observed and coached, the same way a principal walks classrooms. I check in personally during an instructor's first week, and the team names an Instructor of the Month, because people who are seen do their best work.
Fewer than 10% of applicants come out the other end of that. I would rather run fewer classes than lower that bar.
What the training actually covers
Parents sometimes ask what "trained" means, and they should. Our instructors are trained in four areas before they meet your child: child protection and mandatory reporting; emergency response, including exits, evacuation routes and safe areas at every site; first aid, with designated instructors trained in first aid and CPR at every location; and our roster system, which carries every child's medical and emergency contact information so the instructor has allergies and accommodations in hand before day one. In 2026 we began building an online training and certification program to take this further and to make emergency preparedness a standard, not a hope, across our whole team.
What this looks like in the room
Every session, at every site, the instructor is in the building 15 minutes early with the room set, the roster open and the materials out before the first child arrives. Roll call at the start. Headcounts at every transition. Children are never left unattended, groups are small and grouped by age, and a second instructor is added when a group grows. At pickup, kids go only to the adults you authorized, checked against the roster, every time.
None of that is glamorous. It is the same discipline a well-run school has, and it is the reason 95% of our school partners invite us back.
What I would ask any program
If you take one thing from this post, take this list to the next program you consider for your child. There are four questions.
- Who are your instructors, and what percentage of applicants do you hire?
- What background check do they pass, and does it happen before they start?
- What training do they complete before their first class, and how often is it refreshed?
- Who observes them once they are teaching?
A good program will answer all four in under a minute. Ours are on our safety page, and I am glad to answer them in person for any parent or principal who wants to call.
Frequently asked questions
How are Journey to STEAM instructors screened?
Every instructor passes a full background check before employment, with criminal history screening, reference checks and credential verification. Preschool instructors are enrolled in Oregon's Central Background Registry (Washington: DCYF) before their first class.
What training do instructors receive?
Child protection and mandatory reporting, emergency response, first aid and site-specific protocols before their first class, with annual refreshers. Designated instructors at every site are trained in first aid and CPR.
Who are the instructors?
Licensed teachers, retired educators and educators in training. Fewer than 10% of applicants are hired.
Are instructors observed once they are teaching?
Yes. Lead instructors are observed and coached, developing instructors support a lead before running their own room, and the founder checks in during every instructor's first week.
Are you insured?
Yes. General liability insurance that includes abuse and molestation coverage. Partners receive a certificate of insurance naming them on request.
I am an educator. How do I apply?
Applications are open all year and take about three minutes. See Apply to Teach.
When it comes to who is in the room with our children, I do not think "good enough" is a standard. I think it is a warning sign.
With Grace and Gratitude,
Dr. Arielle Hammond, Ed.D.
Ready for the next step?
Dr. Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is a former school principal and the founder of Journey to STEAM, the Portland metro's principal-founded STEAM enrichment program: LEGO engineering, robotics and coding for ages 3 to 12 at 75+ schools and community sites across four counties. Teach For America alum, principal at 24, Ed.D. from Lewis & Clark. More about Arielle and the team.
