MILWAUKEE — The United Community Center (UCC) has been serving Milwaukee’s Hispanic community through a wide range of services since the 1960s.

One way it helps the community is through education — operating early childhood and elementary school programs. As many of those programs grow ahead of the upcoming school year, UCC is looking to hire.

UCC is looking to hire for a wide variety of educational roles, from teachers and aides, to other support staff.

Regardless of the position, UCC director of academics and technology, Shaba Martinez said there are some universal qualities that are important for candidates to have. 

“When interviewing candidates for our school environment, I am looking for someone who loves kids and loves working with students and families and building relationships with students in the classroom,” said Martinez.

Mirian Herrera has been teaching the K-4 program at UCC for six years. Herrera said it is important to be fully staffed. She said working collaboratively is also important.

“I work with a fantastic group of teachers. We are a team. What keeps me coming every single day is the kiddos,” said Herrera. “They just love learning and you teach them to love learning so it is the kiddos that bring us back.”

One thing that sets UCC apart, according to its staff, is its ability to help employees grow their careers. While many positions require past experience and specific credentials, other roles provide opportunities to grow.

“What we might do is have candidates that apply to us as floaters, or aides, or teaching assistants, and we help them to go through school so we enroll them in programs to receive their infant and toddler credentials, preschool credentials, and we work with partnership agencies like MATC and the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association and we help them to enroll in those programs, through those programs," UCC preschool principal Alyssa Mantekas said.

To learn more about the positions available at UCC, visit its hiring website.