Registration is now open for the 41st Annual Tulare & Kings Counties Teacher Recruitment Fair. The fair is hosted by the California Center on Teaching Careers and will be held on March 6 from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. The recruitment fair will be held at the International Agri-Center Building C, located at 4500 S. Laspina St. in Tulare.

Candidates are encouraged to preregister online at  https://thecentervirtualevents-tk2026.vfairs.com/en/registration-form. Applicants who have preregistered and received an email confirming their registration will be admitted at 4:00 p.m. Interested candidates who do not preregister will not be admitted until they have registered, which can be done onsite. 

School districts in Tulare and Kings counties (K-12) are seeking the following candidates for the 2026-2027 school year:

• Credentialed Multiple Subject, Single Subject, Education Specialist, and Career Technical Education teachers
• Candidates in all subject areas, including Speech Language Pathologists, who will be eligible for a teaching credential for the 2026-2027 school year
• Classified positions, such as teaching assistants, record clerks, cooks, and custodians
  

The Teacher Recruitment Fair includes a technology component that enhances candidates’ experience and communication with school districts. By using The Center Virtual Events app, candidates will have easy access to their uploaded documents and be able to scan QR codes at district booths to quickly record contact information. Candidates wanting the best experience at the fair are highly encouraged to bring a mobile device and download The Center Virtual Events app when they attend.

A district booth layout map and information on the agency’s recruitment needs will be provided to registered candidates.

A list of participating districts is available at https://thecentervirtualevents-tk2026.vfairs.com. For more information, contact Jose Covarrubias at jose.covarrubias@tcoe.org. 

After 42 years of working in early childhood education programs in a variety of roles, Melinda Anderson wanted to get her teaching credential. In order to qualify for a credential program, Anderson was required to complete the Framework for Teaching program – a pre-service requirement by the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

For credential candidates without a foundation in education, Framework for Teaching provides coursework in general pedagogy, including classroom management and planning, reading/language arts, subject-specific pedagogy, human development, and specific content regarding teaching English learners. Candidates must pass all Framework for Teaching courses or equivalent coursework from a CTC-accredited program to be considered intern credential eligible.

“Going back to school at 59 has its challenges,” Anderson laughed. “I was scared and a little unsure if I had made the right decision. After Frameworks, I have no doubts that I made the right decision.” Last spring, Anderson completed Framework for Teaching, which is offered by TCOE’s New Teacher & Leadership Development (NTLD) program. This fall, she entered NTLD’s IMPACT Intern Program to earn her education specialist credential.

Today, Anderson works as an itinerant special education teacher for Visalia Unified School District. She provides in-class services to students in general education settings. One morning last month, Anderson visited Crowley Elementary School to work with a preschool student, reading together “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” With patience and enthusiasm, she encouraged him to identify and say the objects on each page.

“Frameworks absolutely prepared me for my current position as a special education preschool teacher,” Anderson said. “Administrators and teachers made themselves available, supported, and encouraged me every step of the way, and they believed in me. I truly felt prepared to be a teacher. If they said they would make time for me, they absolutely did. When I was scared, they eased my fears. I never ever felt alone.”

To learn more about Framework for Teaching, visit https://tcoe.org/NTLD/IMPACT/FFT. Readers who are planning to pursue a teaching credential and have questions about Framework for Teaching requirements are encouraged to contact Vang Thao at vang.thao@tcoe.org.

The next virtual information meeting for the IMPACT Intern Program is Wednesday, January 21 at 4:30 p.m. To register, visit https://tcoe.org/NTLD/IMPACT. 

Photo above:

Melinda Anderson is an itinerant special education preschool teacher with Visalia Unified School District. She is currently working on her education specialist credential through TCOE's IMPACT Intern Program. In order to begin the IMPACT program, she first had to complete the Framework for Teaching program through TCOE. 

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Jose Covarrubias, George Rodriguez, Vang Thao

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