Careers at CCS

CCS strives to create a just and sustainable workplace where all teachers and staff can feel joy and satisfaction in their work and participate in lifelong learning.

Current Openings

 

  • Finance & Operations Manager Full time with benefits; annual salary $50,000–$55,000 depending on experience. Click here to learn more and apply. Posted March 1, 2024
  • Assistant Director for Staff & Classrooms Full time with benefits; annual salary $50,000–$55,000 depending on experience. Click here to learn more and apply. Posted March 23, 2024
  • Pre-School Head Teacher Full time with benefits; annual salary $41,159–$51,132 depending on experience. Click here to learn more and apply. Posted March 19, 2024
  • Afternoon Teacher Part time with benefits; 22.5 hours/week, $16.54–$19.64/hour. Click here to learn more and apply. Posted March 19, 2024
  • Substitute Teachers Applications accepted on a rolling basis Part time; $15/hour, flexible scheduling. See our subs page to learn more.

To apply for any position, please read the entire job description, then email your résumé and cover letter to hiring@childrenscommunityschool.org with the position title you are seeking in the subject line. Your cover letter should include what you view as the role of the early childhood educator, and something specific from this ad or our website that makes you think you would be a good fit for our school.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Pre-School Head Teacher

Head Teachers are committed educators and lifelong learners who work as a team to support children, families, colleagues, and the school. Head Teachers hold primary responsibility for care of children in the mornings and early afternoons; creating and implementing high-quality curriculum; assessing and communicating about the needs of children; and communicating with families. They share responsibility for building relationships with and teaching children, as well as guiding their behavior.

This role will work in a pre-school/PreK classroom with children between the ages of 3 and 5.

Responsibilities

  • Ensure health and safety—ensure that children are physically cared for and safe, including supervision, feeding, bathrooming, and ensuring a safe environment
  • Relationships with children—build trusting, communicative, supportive relationships with children; actively engage children in learning and school activities
  • Guide behavior—support children in learning to behave in self-controlled, socially-appropriate ways, using methods in line with the school’s teaching philosophy
  • Create positive environments—create classroom routines and culture that support a learning community; create physical environments (materials, layouts) that support a learning community
  • Create and implement curriculum—plan and implement developmentally appropriate, play-based, emergent, project-based curriculum that continually supports children’s growth in all learning areas; create documentation of learning
  • Assess children—observe and document children’s strengths and needs; communicate with families about their children’s development, both in planned formal contexts (conferences, written narratives) and unplanned or informal contexts (phone calls and meetings as needed); integrate plans to meet children’s needs through curriculum
  • Build relationships with families—serve as the primary point of contact between the family and the school; communicate with families as a group (e.g. writing daily emails, school events) and as individuals (e.g. assessment and other communication as needed); work to build relationships between families and the school, and between families and each other
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues—cooperate with other teachers (both on the teaching team and throughout the program) and administrators in implementing all aspects of the job responsibilities; collaborate with non-staff adults (e.g. subs, student teachers, service providers, etc.) to meet the needs of children and colleagues
  • Supervise junior teaching staff—In classrooms with associate/assistant/student teachers, Head Teachers serve as mentors, supports, and direct supervisors
  • Demonstrate leadership—Work toward the best interests of the school; model professionalism; actively seek opportunities for individual and collective growth
  • Continually improve practice—In an ongoing manner, evaluate and improve existing teaching practices, and seek and implement new practices; learn collaboratively with colleagues and children
  • Care for the school—Ensure that the school and its spaces stay clean, organized, safe, and prepared for children’s use
  • Communicate—Participate in frequent, regular, prompt, and respectful communication with colleagues and families, including in-person, phone, and email communications
  • Demonstrate good work habits—including reliability, flexibility, and communication

Hiring Criteria

Note: Additional criteria may be required for Head Teachers in classrooms that use PHLpreK or PreK Counts funding; those criteria will be noted at the time of posting positions.

  • REQUIRED CRITERIA—We will only consider candidates who meet all of the following criteria.
    • Demonstrated ability to form strong relationships with children and their families
    • Experience working to meet the emotional, social, and cognitive needs of young children, preferably in a school setting
    • Demonstrated ability to be reflective, adaptive, flexible, and resilient in work situations
    • Demonstrated view of children as active, powerful learners
      • Demonstrated ability to work closely and collaboratively with colleagues
    • View of teaching as a lifelong craft and ongoing learning experience
    • Clear written and verbal communication skills
    • Minimum of CDA or 12 college credits in early childhood education or a related field
    • Meet the physical and licensing requirements of a preschool teacher:
    • Ability to lift, move, and hold children and objects up to 40 pounds. Ability to engage in full range of motion to lift, reach, squat, climb, sit, and otherwise fully participate in classroom activities. Ability to supervise and interact with children in all learning spaces for extended periods, including outdoors in a variety of weather conditions.
    • Will pass and provide mandated background checks before beginning employment.
  • DESIRED CRITERIA—The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualities.
    • AA or higher in early childhood education or a related field; Certification preferred
    • Demonstrated commitment to social justice
    • An approach to teaching that centers on children as active, powerful, collaborative learners who can drive curriculum and learning (for instance, a constructivist or social-constructivist philosophy, experience with Waldorf or Reggio-inspired pedagogy, etc.)
    • A demonstrated belief in the importance of children’s social and emotional development
    • Demonstrated ability to guide children’s behaviors, as individuals and as a group, using positive approaches to communication, boundaries, and routines
    • Experience working with children with disabilities and other needs, especially young children, in inclusive environments
    • Knowledge of child development (for instance, developmentally appropriate expectations)
    • Skill in observing children and interpreting their behavior, and using observations to show children’s learning and thinking
    • Experience implementing emergent or project-based curriculum (i.e., curriculum based on developing children’s interests, Reggio-inspired curriculum, etc.)
    • Experience working with communities of color, multicultural communities, or diverse groups
    • Experience working with families or communities in West or South Philadelphia
    • Strong skills and experience in communicating through writing
    • Experience with reflective practices (for instance, mindfulness, yoga, teacher research, etc.)
    • Ability to speak more than one language

Schedule

  • This is a full-time year-round position at no more than 40 hours per week.
  • This position’s hours are 8am–3:45pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 8am–5pm on Wednesdays.
  • The annual calendar also includes two weeks of teacher preparation in late August, 8:30am–4:30pm; 6 professional development (PD) days throughout the year, 8:30am–4:30pm; and 1–2 events outside school hours like Back to School Night. 

Pay & Benefits

This role will be paid an annual salary of $41,159–$51,132 (hourly rate of $21.35–$27.04) depending on experience and credentials. Rates in the Teacher Pay Scale 2023-24 may be subject to increase in the 2024–2025 school year.

Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid time off, family and disability leave, reduced tuition, and more; see Employment Benefits document

To apply, please read the entire job description, then email your résumé and cover letter to hiring@childrenscommunityschool.org with the position title you are seeking in the subject line. Your cover letter should include what you view as the role of the early childhood educator, and something specific from this ad or our website that makes you think you would be a good fit for our school.

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Afternoon Teacher

Afternoon teachers are committed educators and lifelong learners who work as a team with morning teachers to support children, families, colleagues, and the school. Afternoon teachers hold primary responsibility for care of children in mixed-age groups in the later afternoons; they share responsibility for building relationships with children, teaching them, and guiding their behavior, as well as planning activities and communicating with families.

Responsibilities

  • Ensure health and safety—ensure that children are physically cared for and safe, including supervision, feeding, bathrooming, and ensuring a safe environment
  • Relationships with children—build trusting, communicative, supportive relationships with children; actively engage children in learning and school activities
  • Guide behavior—support children in learning to behave in self-controlled, socially-appropriate ways, using methods in line with the school’s teaching philosophy
  • Create positive environments—create classroom routines and culture that support a learning community
  • Create and implement curriculum—in collaboration with the Afternoon Supervisor, plan and implement developmentally appropriate, play-based, emergent curriculum that continually supports children’s growth in all learning areas
  • Support assessment of  children—observe children’s strengths and needs; communicate with other teachers about children
  • Build relationships with families—engage in positive interactions with families at pick-up time; communicate with individual families as needed about events of the day and needs of the child
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues—cooperate with other teachers (both on the teaching team and throughout the program) and administrators in implementing all aspects of the job responsibilities; collaborate with non-staff adults (e.g. subs, student teachers, service providers, etc.) to meet the needs of children and colleagues
  • Continually improve practice—In an ongoing manner, evaluate and improve existing teaching practices, and seek and implement new practices; learn collaboratively with colleagues and children
  • Care for the school—ensure that the school and its spaces stay clean, organized, safe, and prepared for children’s use
  • Communicate—Participate in frequent, regular, prompt, and respectful communication with colleagues and families, including in-person, phone, and email communications
  • Participate in the life of the school—Look out for the best interests of the school; build relationships with children, families, and colleagues; attend and participate in school events
  • Demonstrate good work habits, including reliability, flexibility, and communication

Hiring Criteria

  • REQUIRED CRITERIA—We will only consider candidates who meet all of the following criteria.
    • Demonstrated ability to form strong relationships with children and their families
    • Experience working with young children, preferably in a school setting, preferably with multiple or mixed age groups
    • Demonstrated ability to be reflective, adaptive, flexible, and resilient in work situations
    • Demonstrated view of children as active, powerful learners
    • Demonstrated ability to work closely and collaboratively with colleagues
    • View of teaching as a lifelong craft and ongoing learning experience
    • Minimum of CDA or 12 college credits in early childhood education or a related field
    • Meet the physical and licensing requirements of a preschool teacher:
      • Ability to lift, move, and hold children and objects up to 40 pounds. Ability to engage in full range of motion to lift, reach, squat, climb, sit, and otherwise fully participate in classroom activities. Ability to supervise and interact with children in all learning spaces for extended periods, including outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. 
      • Will pass and provide mandated background checks before beginning employment.
  • DESIRED CRITERIA—The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualities.
    • AA in early childhood education or a related field
    • Demonstrated commitment to social justice
    • Demonstrated ability to guide children’s behaviors, as individuals and as a group, using positive approaches to communication, boundaries, and routines
    • An articulated view of learning as a collaborative process, driven by children’s interactions and relationships
    • A demonstrated belief in the importance of children’s social and emotional development
    • Knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate expectations for children
    • Experience creating curriculum, activities, or projects based on children’s interests
    • Experience working with communities of color, multicultural communities, or diverse groups
    • Experience working with families or communities in West or South Philadelphia

Schedule and Calendar

  • This is an hourly, part-time (~22.5hr/wk), year-round position.
  • This position’s hours are 2pm–6:15pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 12:45–6:15pm on Wednesdays.
  • The annual calendar also includes two weeks of teacher preparation in late August, 8:30am–4:30pm; 6 professional development (PD) days throughout the year, 8:30am–4:30pm; and 1–2 events outside school hours like Back to School Night. 
    • Note: We recognize that the schedule for Teacher Preparation and PD Days may not match all part-time teachers’ availability. Afternoon teachers will plan with their supervisor about presence and schedule on these days.

Pay & Benefits

This role will be paid at an hourly rate ranging from $16.54–$19.64/hour depending on experience and credentials. Hourly rates in the Teacher Pay Scale 2023-24 may be subject to increase in the 2024–2025 school year.

Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid time off, family and disability leave, reduced tuition, and more; see Employment Benefits document

To apply, please read the entire job description, then email your résumé and cover letter to hiring@childrenscommunityschool.org with the position title you are seeking in the subject line. Your cover letter should include what you view as the role of the early childhood educator, and something specific from this ad or our website that makes you think you would be a good fit for our school.

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Finance & Operations Manager

The Finance & Operations Manager oversees the administrative and financial duties associated with operating the school and all of its programs and activities and cooperates with the Director in the fulfillment of the school’s mission.

The Finance & Operations Manager reports to the Director as a member of the staff administration team.

Responsibilities

  1. Oversight and administration of the finances of the organization, including:
    1. Work toward the long-term financial sustainability, stability, and fiscal health of the school (10% of time)
      • In cooperation with the Director, the Board Treasurer/Finance Committee, and other staff as needed, plan and implement the annual budget of the school, including identifying enrollment goals
      • Communicate about the finances of the school, including monthly finance meetings with the Director and the Treasurer and reports to the Board/Finance Committee on a quarterly basis
      • Identify financial opportunities and efficiencies on an ongoing basis
    2. Manage bookkeeping and billing (25%)
      • Monitor all expenses, including approval of all orders, review of bank and credit card statements, and management of petty cash
      • Oversee bookkeeping vendors
      • Ensure timely payment of rent, utilities, bills, invoices, refunds, and security deposits, and ensure timely deposit of checks and cash
      • Oversee invoicing and timely processing of tuition, subsidies, fees, and payments, including donations and “special” fees (e.g. vacation care, rentals)
      • In cooperation with the Board Treasurer, analyze the monthly profit and loss report compiled by the bookkeeper
      • Support annual tax filings (990 and BCO-10), in coordination with contracted accountant
    3. Support financial aid for families (5%)
      • In cooperation with the Administrative Assistant, actively communicate and problem-solve with families about financial needs
      • Support Director in financial aid process, and implement related tuition reductions
    4. Manage staff payroll and benefits (20%)
      • Compile and submit payroll for processing twice per month, including employee time off
      • Manage employee benefits, including health and dental plans and 401(k)
      • Manage unemployment and workers compensation claims
    5. Maintain records and communication (10%)
      • Maintain necessary school records, including records related to finance, insurance, childcare subsidies, employment, etc. 
      • Manage administration of grants and loans as applicable, and assist other staff/board members with grant applications as needed
      • Administer school-wide communication as necessary, including updating listserv membership, uploading data, etc.
  2. Operations and Facilities (15%)
    1. Monitor condition and upkeep of the school facilities, including both indoor and outdoor spaces, furnishings, appliances, and technology
    2. Engage and oversee vendors and contractors related to facility repair and improvement, such as custodians/cleaners, exterminators, gardeners, handy workers, etc.
    3. Manage purchases, replacements, or repair of furnishings, appliances, and technology as needed
  3. Supervision, Relationships, and Communications (15%)
    1. Directly supervise the Administrative Assistant, teaching and modeling job functions as needed 
    2. Communicate clearly, respectfully, and promptly with all school staff and families, including prompt email communication
    3. Meet regularly with other administrators in support of job duties
    4. Work to maintain positive relationships with children throughout the school

Hiring Criteria

  • REQUIRED CRITERIA—We will only consider candidates who meet all of the following criteria.
    • Demonstrated ability to maintain a transparent, accurate financial infrastructure, including budgeting, expense management, and reporting
    • Minimum 3 years’ relevant experience; non-profit experience preferred
    • Experience creating and analyzing financial reports
    • Understanding of non-profit finance, 990 preparation, and local tax and labor regulations
    • Demonstrated ability to multitask and meet competing deadlines with reliable attention to detail
    • Demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills
    • Must meet background checks required of teachers
  • DESIRED CRITERIA—The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualities.
    • Experience with Quickbooks or another accounting system, especially in a non-profit setting
    • Experience with payroll and time clock management
    • Administrative or facilities management experience, including but not limited to inventorying or purchasing supplies and overseeing repairs or contract workers
    • Experience in childcare or work with young children

Physical Needs

  • The workspace for this employee is located on the third floor of a historic building, only accessible via stairs.
  • This role requires the following physical capabilities:
    • Climbing up and down stairs regularly
    • Using a desk and computer monitor regularly
    • Walking through the school’s outdoor playspace, which includes uneven ground, occasionally
    • Lifting up to 10 pounds regularly
    • Lifting up to 30 pounds occasionally

Schedule 

  • This is a salaried, full-time year-round position at 40 hours per week
  • As the majority of the school’s operations take place in person, this role is expected to work on-site at the school at least 4 days per week. The employee may set a regular day for remote work in consultation with the Director and the rest of the administrative team.
  • The employee will occasionally be required to participate in Board meetings that occur on weekends or evenings. In such cases, the employee will be able to take off other hours during the preceding or following weeks to make up for this time.
  • This is a year-round position. However, the school takes several seasonal breaks each year, during which work expectations may be more flexible (for instance, fewer meetings, fewer payroll needs, etc). 
  • Total estimated hours per year: 1928

Pay and Benefits

  • This role will receive an annual salary of $50,000-$55,000, depending on experience.
  • Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid time off, family and disability leave, reduced tuition, and more; see Employment Benefits document

Supervised by

  • Director

Supervises

  • Administrative Assistant (full-time); contracted custodian, bookkeeper, and accountant (contract)

To apply, please read the entire job description, then email your résumé and cover letter to hiring@childrenscommunityschool.org with subject line “Finance & Operations Manager”. Only those whose applications are being considered will be contacted. No phone calls or visits, please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; finalist candidates will be invited to interview with the Director and select members of the CCS staff and Board.

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Assistant Director for Staff & Classrooms

The Assistant Director supports the school’s mission by working to meet the needs of teachers. In that role they have direct oversight of early childhood practice throughout the school and supervise and support teachers, including direct supervision of all Head Teachers. The Assistant Director works in close collaboration with both teachers and the administrative team. The Assistant Director shares responsibility for addressing “moment-to-moment issues” in the running of the school, particularly issues related to challenging behaviors in classrooms.

Responsibilities

  1. Direct oversight of early childhood practice throughout the school, including
    1. Supporting and supervising all teachers in creating and implementing curriculum that meets the standards, practices, and mission of the school
    2. Supporting and supervising all teachers in assessment of children
    3. Plan and provide professional development to individuals and groups, including weekly staff meetings, professional development days, and annual teacher preparation weeks
    4. Ensuring that all early childhood practice is developmentally appropriate and aligns with the school’s mission and core values
    5. Participate in curriculum delivery in each classroom and team (for instance, leading lessons and activities from time to time; helping teachers to create documentation, etc.)
  2. Teacher supervision
    1. Serve as the direct supervisor for all head teachers; support head teachers in their supervision of associate and assistant teachers, as well as substitute teachers and service providers
    2. Support teachers in developing and achieving individual professional development goals
    3. Regularly observe teacher practice and provide supportive, constructive feedback, both verbally and in writing
    4. Hold regular one-on-one meetings with each teacher in support of their goals
    5. Ensure that each teacher’s practice meets the standards and practices of the school
    6. Perform semi-annual staff assessments of head teachers, and supervise assessments of associate and assistant teachers
    7. Supervise substitute teachers, including managing their onboarding process and any ongoing support needs
  3. Personnel management
    1. Ensure that all teachers have all required paperwork (e.g. background checks, medical clearances, etc.) up to date, especially during the hiring and onboarding process
    2. Ensure that all teachers maintain required professional development hours
    3. Ensure that classrooms are staffed to maintain required teacher:child ratios, and are not regularly overstaffed
    4. Schedule substitute teachers on an as-needed basis, sometimes on short notice
    5. Ensure that teachers maintain child sign-ins/outs at all times and comply with required ratios
    6. Ensure that teachers clock in and out, and are on task during work hours
  4. Moment-to-moment issues and school operations
    1. As needed, and in cooperation with the admin team, address any issues that arise during the school day necessary to the smooth running of the school, including primary responsibility for moment-to-moment issues that involve supporting teachers with challenging behaviors and issues of classroom practice
    2. Substitute in classrooms when substitute teachers are not available
    3. Supervise family and child arrivals and departures, in cooperating with the admin team.
  5. Communication and relationships
    1. Communicate clearly, respectfully, and promptly with all school staff and families, including prompt email communication
    2. Meet regularly with teachers and administrators in support of job duties
    3. Work to maintain positive relationships with children throughout the school
  6. Other duties as assigned.

Hiring Criteria

  1. REQUIRED CRITERIA—We will only consider candidates who meet all of the following criteria.
    • Experience with and deep understanding of
      • creating and implementing high quality curriculum (especially emergent, project-based, play-based curriculum);
      • supporting emotional and social learning (especially mindfulness and community-building); and 
      • positive discipline and classroom management
      • in settings with young children
    • Deep knowledge of early childhood development
    • View of children and teachers as active, powerful learners
    • Experience building close cooperative working relationships with people in a variety of roles (e.g., teachers, parents, supervisors, etc.)
    • Ability to manage long-term projects and goals and to stay organized in the face of day-to-day changes
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills
    • Meet the physical and licensing requirements of a preschool teacher:
      • Ability to lift, move, and hold children and objects up to 40 pounds.
      • Ability to engage in full range of motion to lift, reach, squat, climb, sit, and otherwise fully participate in classroom activities.
      • Ability to supervise and interact with children outdoors for extended periods of varied weather conditions. 
      • Ability to climb up and down stairs regularly to access classrooms and office spaces
      • Ability to use a desk and computer monitor regularly
      • Will pass and provide mandated background checks before beginning employment.
  2. DESIRED CRITERIA—The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualities.
    • Commitment to and experience in social justice work, especially in educational settings
    • Supervisory experience; ideally experience supervising teachers  
    • Experience creating and delivering professional development, especially in educational settings
    • Skill in observing children and interpreting their behavior, and in using observations to show children’s learning and thinking
    • Experience creating creative and effective documentation of early childhood learning
    • Knowledge of qualitative whole-child assessment methods and experience linking assessment to instruction
    • Experience working with children with special needs, especially young children, in inclusive environments
    • Experience with public early childhood education subsidy programs like PHLPreK
    • Strong listening skills, and especially skill in synthesizing disparate points of view into coherent and shared understandings
    • Experience working with diverse groups and/or communities of color, especially in Philadelphia
    • A college or advanced degree in early childhood education or a related field, or related college-level coursework
    • Comfort using Google Docs or other online collaboration tools
    • Ability to speak more than one language

Schedule and Calendar

  • This is a salaried, full-time, year-round position, averaging 40 hours per week. Specific schedule to be determined in cooperation with the administrative team.
  • Weekly schedule:
    • To respond to needs for substitute teacher scheduling, the employee’s daily schedule will require time on school days to respond to substitute needs before 8:30 am. These responsibilities can be conducted remotely on a daily basis before the employee addresses the rest of their work for the day.
    • The rest of the employee’s weekly schedule will be coordinated with that of the rest of the administrative team to ensure optimum “coverage” during open hours, with the goal of a stable, predictable schedule for all members of the team. 
    • As the majority of the school’s operations take place in person, this role is expected to work on-site at the school at least 4 days per week. The employee may set a regular day for remote work in consultation with the Director and the rest of the administrative team.
  • This is a year-round position. However, the school takes several seasonal breaks each year, during which work expectations may be more flexible (for instance, fewer meetings, no day-of scheduling, etc). 
  • Total estimated hours per year: 1928

Pay and Benefits

  • This role will receive an annual salary of $50,000–$55,000, depending on experience.
  • Benefits include health and dental insurance, paid time off, family and disability leave, reduced tuition, and more; see Employment Benefits document

Supervised by

  • Director

Supervises

  • Head Teachers, substitute teachers

To apply, please read the entire job description, then email your résumé and cover letter to hiring@childrenscommunityschool.org with subject line “Assistant Director”. Only those whose applications are being considered will be contacted. No phone calls or visits, please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; finalist candidates will be invited to interview with the Director and select members of the CCS staff and Board.

 
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The Children’s Community School is an equal opportunity employer. Our policies, procedures, and practices are designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, sex, gender, or sexuality.

CCS does not discriminate against any individual based on any non-merit factor and is committed to an equitable workplace where everyone is treated as a respected and valued member of our collaborative community. CCS actively seeks to build and maintain a diverse staff with regard to race, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, physical ability, age, gender, and sexual orientation. As an organization that holds justice as a core value, CCS seeks to elevate the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and people of color; immigrants and refugees; low-income people; LGBQ+, transgender, and non-binary people; single parents; people who were formerly incarcerated; and people living in the many intersections of these experiences. We encourage people with these identities and from these communities to apply.