Career Opportunity

Child Care Specialist (2919)– San Francisco Human Services Agency (X00119)

Recruitment: REF59935P

Published: February 06, 2026

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

This announcement has been amended and extended to reflect changes with the application deadline. Applicants who have already applied under Recruitment CBT-2919-X00119 during filing period January 27, 2026 through February 6, 2026 need not reapply and will be included in the applicant pool

2/6/2026: Extended application deadline to February 24, 2026

This is a Citywide Exam Posting. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam.

If you pass the exam, you will be emailed your score and ranking on the eligible candidate list. When a department has an open position with this job classification they will use this eligible list to hire for that position. Departments will contact candidates from this list to gauge interest in their specific roles. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/

*** Please note: With your application, please upload copies of your valid Infant Child CPR certificate and First Aid Training certificate. ***

• Application Opening: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

• Application Deadline: The final day to apply is February 9, 2026; February 24, 2026

• Salary Range: $60,268.00 - $73,242.00 Yearly https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=2919&setId=COMMN

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY

As we work towards our vision of an inclusive San Francisco, we embrace our responsibility to root out systemic racism by creating services and a workforce which reflect the lived experiences and strengths of the people we serve. We are committed to fostering a work environment where our differences are celebrated and everyone has what they need to thrive--no matter their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin. Click here to learn more about what this commitment looks like in action.

Role description

Under general supervision, the 2919 Child Care Specialist is responsible for overseeing children in a child development center or play care program setting, providing care and supervision, and promoting age appropriate developmental  play activities.

Essential Duties:

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1.  Oversee and supervise children’s activities at any of the Human Services Agency’s (HSA) Drop-In Child Care facilities. Interact with children according to program policies and guidelines.

2.  Actively engage children with developmentally appropriate play activities while incorporating numeracy and literacy strategies.

3.  Interact with clients and children to help them check into the drop-in center and help direct clients to the appropriate locations for their program needs.

4.  Communicate with parents/guardians via in-person meetings, email, phone, or text regarding feedback and/or major concerns of the behavior of children.

5.  Maintain pertinent records via and generate necessary incident reports and correspondence; this may include entering case notes into computer applications.

6.  Develop and maintain partnerships with CalWORKs Service Staff and other HSA programs to refer Agency resources to parents/guardians to assist children’s needs.

7.  Participate in trainings to remain current in child development, family support strategies, customer services and health safety including CPR/ First Aid.

8.  Assist in the development and planning of an age-appropriate curriculum and activities for children.

9.  Provide support to families regarding needs of their child, providing community resource referrals for health concerns and/or family resource center referrals..

10. Maintain an orderly, comfortable, and safe learning environment which includes providing children with age appropriate and developmentally appropriate assistance with activities as well as providing snacks and providing restroom/diaper assistance.

How to qualify

1.  Education: Possession of an Associate's Degree from an accredited college or university in Early Childhood Education or Child Development; AND

Experience: two (2) years full-time work experience working with children in a licensed child care center or qualified license-exempt program;

OR

2.  Education: Possession of a high school diploma; AND

Experience: Four (4) years of full-time work experience working with children in a licensed child care center or in a qualified license-exempt program.

Substitution of Experience: Applicants may substitute up to four years of the required experience with college coursework in Child Development or a closely related field. Thirty (30) semester unit /forty five (45) quarter units of coursework from an accredited college or university will be considered equivalent to one year of qualifying experience.

Note: License-exempt programs include Court Child Care Drop-In, full service child care programs in licensed residential treatment program or family shelter, summer camp full-time programs, after-school and summer programs on a school site.

License and Certification:

Possession of Infant Child CPR certification and First Aid Training.

Desired Qualifications:

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree in early Childhood Education or Child Development
• Possession of a valid Early Care and Education Teacher’s Permit

*** Please note: With your application, please upload copies of your valid Infant Child CPR certificate and First Aid Training certificate. ***

Verification of Experience and Education:

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.  

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Procedures

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Written Examination- Multiple Choice (Weight –100%):

Candidates will be administered a written multiple-choice test designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas, which may include knowledge of childhood development theories and practices; knowledge of principles of care and supervision of children; ability to interact effectively and positively with diverse and muti-cultural individuals.

This computer-administered exam can be taken at home or at a time and location of one’s convenience, but only within the time period specified on the exam notification. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam. Candidates without access to a computer should contact the analyst as soon as possible for accommodation.

A passing score must be achieved on the Written Multiple Choice Examination in order to continue in the selection process.

The above test component is considered standardized and, therefore, test questions and answers are not available for public inspection or review.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 12 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.]

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

What else should I know?

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Where to apply

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Patrice Brown, by telephone at (415) 557-5559 or by email at patrice.brown@sfgov.org. 

All of your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.