Job Overview
Little Chicks University is seeking a compassionate, dependable, energetic, and enthusiastic Lead Infant Teacher to join our growing team! Our Lead Infant Teacher will be responsible for creating a safe, loving, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment where infants receive responsive, individualized care and are supported as they reach important developmental milestones.
At Little Chicks University, we strive to provide more than childcare—we want to create a true home-away-from-home where even our youngest children feel safe, secure, loved, and valued. We recognize that the first year of life is an incredibly important period of growth and development and that infants thrive when they have consistent, responsive relationships with trusted caregivers. Our ideal Lead Infant Teacher genuinely loves working with babies, understands the importance of responsive caregiving, and is committed to developing strong, trusting partnerships with children and their families.
Potential Job Duties
As the Lead Infant Teacher, responsibilities may include:
- Provide a safe, loving, nurturing, responsive, and engaging environment for infants.
- Maintain active supervision of infants at all times and ensure Vermont staff-to-child ratio requirements are maintained.
- Lead the daily operation and organization of the infant classroom.
- Build secure, trusting, and responsive relationships with each infant.
- Respond promptly and appropriately to infants' cries, cues, gestures, facial expressions, and other forms of communication.
- Provide individualized care based on each infant's developmental level, temperament, needs, routines, and family preferences.
- Follow each infant's individual feeding, sleeping, diapering, and care schedule as appropriate.
- Hold, comfort, talk to, sing to, read to, and positively interact with infants throughout the day.
- Provide developmentally appropriate, play-based learning experiences that support infants' social-emotional, cognitive, language, sensory, and physical development.
- Provide supervised opportunities for tummy time, reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling up, cruising, and other age-appropriate motor experiences.
- Encourage infants to safely explore their environment using their senses and emerging physical abilities.
- Provide age-appropriate books, music, songs, sensory experiences, mirrors, manipulatives, and other learning materials.
- Support early language development by talking, singing, reading, labeling objects, responding to babbling, and engaging infants in back-and-forth interactions.
- Observe infants regularly and document developmental progress, interests, emerging skills, and milestones.
- Use observations to plan individualized learning experiences and modify the classroom environment.
- Recognize that infants develop at different rates and avoid comparing children or placing inappropriate expectations on development.
- Communicate developmental concerns to the Program Director according to program procedures.
- Complete diaper changes according to required health, safety, sanitation, and handwashing procedures.
- Check infants' diapers frequently and change them promptly when necessary.
- Maintain children's dignity, comfort, and safety throughout diapering and personal-care routines.
- Monitor supplies such as diapers, wipes, diaper creams, extra clothing, bottles, formula, breast milk, and other individual care items.
- Notify families when additional supplies are needed.
- Follow all safe sleep practices and requirements applicable to infants.
- Place infants to sleep according to applicable Vermont licensing requirements and safe-sleep recommendations.
- Maintain appropriate supervision of sleeping infants.
- Follow each child's documented sleep information while ensuring that all practices remain consistent with applicable safe-sleep requirements.
- Keep infant sleep areas free from prohibited or unsafe items.
- Complete required sleep checks and documentation when applicable.
- Follow all program procedures regarding pacifiers and other approved sleep-related items.
- Immediately report unsafe sleep practices or concerns to the Program Director.
- Prepare, handle, store, warm, and serve bottles and infant foods according to program procedures and applicable health and safety requirements.
- Carefully follow each infant's individual feeding plan.
- Accurately identify bottles, breast milk, formula, food, and other individual feeding supplies.
- Never prop bottles or leave an infant unattended while feeding.
- Hold infants for bottle feeding when developmentally appropriate and required.
- Recognize and respond appropriately to infants' hunger and fullness cues.
- Introduce or serve solid foods only according to appropriate program procedures and family instructions.
- Follow all documented allergy, dietary, medical, and feeding requirements.
- Closely supervise infants during all feeding experiences.
- Watch for signs of choking, allergic reaction, feeding difficulty, or other distress.
- Follow all requirements regarding breast milk storage, handling, labeling, and preparation.
- Support and respect families who choose to provide breast milk or formula.
- Never substitute formula, breast milk, food, or other feeding products without appropriate authorization.
- Document bottles, meals, diaper changes, naps, activities, and other required daily information.
- Maintain accurate records through Brightwheel and other approved program documentation systems.
- Provide families with meaningful updates about their infant's day, including feeding, sleep, diapering, mood, activities, development, and significant events.
- Build respectful, collaborative, and trusting partnerships with parents and guardians.
- Recognize that leaving an infant in childcare can be an emotional transition for families and provide reassurance and professional communication.
- Greet infants and families warmly at arrival and departure.
- Communicate questions or concerns about feeding, sleep, health, development, or behavior appropriately with families and the Program Director.
- Follow individual care plans, allergy plans, medical plans, developmental plans, and accommodations as applicable.
- Complete incident and injury reports accurately and promptly.
- Monitor infants throughout the day for signs of illness, injury, discomfort, distress, or changes in behavior.
- Immediately notify the Program Director of significant health or safety concerns.
- Follow Little Chicks University's illness exclusion and health policies.
- Provide first aid within the scope of the employee's training.
- Maintain a clean, sanitary, organized, and developmentally appropriate infant classroom.
- Clean and sanitize toys, feeding surfaces, changing areas, equipment, and classroom materials according to program procedures.
- Promptly remove mouthed toys from circulation until they have been properly cleaned and sanitized.
- Follow proper handwashing procedures before and after feeding, diapering, food preparation, and other required activities.
- Follow universal precautions when handling blood, bodily fluids, soiled clothing, or other potentially infectious materials.
- Conduct or participate in daily classroom and equipment safety checks.
- Immediately remove or report damaged, recalled, unsafe, or developmentally inappropriate toys and equipment.
- Ensure small objects and other potential choking hazards remain inaccessible to infants.
- Maintain a classroom arrangement that allows for effective supervision and safe exploration.
- Ensure infant equipment is used according to manufacturer instructions and program policies.
- Provide safe opportunities for infants to spend time outdoors when appropriate.
- Actively supervise infants during outdoor experiences.
- Assist with appropriate clothing and weather protection for outdoor activities.
- Maintain accurate attendance and child accountability throughout the day.
- Follow authorized child-release procedures and release infants only to approved individuals.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding all children, families, and staff.
- Never discuss one child's confidential information with another family.
- Follow program policies regarding photography, electronic communication, and social media.
- Work collaboratively with assistant teachers and other classroom staff.
- Provide appropriate direction and guidance to teachers assisting in the infant classroom.
- Ensure assisting staff understand each infant's individual routines, feeding instructions, allergies, sleep requirements, and care needs.
- Model responsive, respectful, and developmentally appropriate caregiving practices for other classroom staff.
- Delegate classroom responsibilities appropriately while remaining accountable for the overall operation of the classroom.
- Participate in staff meetings, professional development, and required training.
- Follow Vermont's mandated reporter requirements and report suspected child abuse or neglect as required by law.
- Know and follow Little Chicks University's Emergency Response and Recovery Plan.
- Participate in required emergency drills and understand procedures for safely evacuating non-mobile infants.
- Assist with emergency evacuation equipment and procedures as assigned.
- Maintain accurate accountability for all infants during emergency situations.
- Maintain all education, training, certification, and professional-development requirements applicable to the position.
- Arrive to work on time, prepared, and ready to assume responsibility for children.
- Maintain dependable attendance and follow established call-out procedures.
- Demonstrate professionalism, patience, kindness, reliability, flexibility, and a positive attitude.
- Follow all Little Chicks University policies and procedures and applicable Vermont Child Care Licensing Regulations.
- Perform additional reasonable duties necessary to support the children, classroom, families, and overall operation of Little Chicks University.
Required Vermont Qualifications
Applicants must meet the State of Vermont requirements to serve as a Teacher Associate or higher in a Center Based Child Care and Preschool Program.
Under applicable Vermont licensing requirements, a Teacher Associate must be at least 20 years old and meet at least one qualifying pathway, which may include:
- A Vermont Early Childhood Career Ladder Level Three (3) Certificate; OR
- An associate degree from an accredited college with a major or concentration in Early Childhood, Child or Human Development, Elementary Education, or Child and Family Services plus at least 12 months of qualifying experience working with groups of children through grade three; OR
- A Vermont Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program Certificate; OR
- A Community College of Vermont Child Care Certificate plus at least 12 months of qualifying experience; OR
- At least 12 months of qualifying experience plus 18 college credits with an early childhood or school-age focus; OR
- At least 12 months of qualifying experience plus 12 college credits with an early childhood or school-age focus and an additional 6 college credits in child or human development with an early childhood or school-age focus; OR
- 12 college credits with an early childhood or school-age focus, with at least 12 months of qualifying experience to be completed within the first 12 months of employment, as permitted under the applicable Vermont licensing pathway.
Applicants must also successfully complete all required background clearances and maintain all training, professional development, certifications, and other requirements applicable to their position.
Because this position works specifically with infants, the employee must also complete and maintain any infant-specific health and safety, safe-sleep, and other training required by Vermont Child Care Licensing within the applicable timeframe.
Applicants who are unsure whether their education and experience meet Vermont Teacher Associate requirements are still encouraged to apply. Qualification documentation can be reviewed as part of the hiring process.
Benefits
We value our educators and recognize that providing exceptional care begins with having educators who feel valued and supported. Benefits for this position include:
- 3 weeks of paid vacation
- Paid holidays
- Your birthday off — paid!
- Childcare discount for eligible employees
- Opportunities for ongoing professional development and training
- Supportive and collaborative work environment
- Opportunities for professional growth and advancement as Little Chicks University grows
What We're Looking For
Our ideal Lead Infant Teacher is someone who is:
- Kind, patient, compassionate, gentle, and nurturing
- Reliable and dependable
- Genuinely passionate about caring for infants
- Comfortable taking a leadership role within the classroom
- Knowledgeable about or willing to learn about infant development and responsive caregiving
- Committed to following safe-sleep and safe-feeding practices every time
- Attentive to children's individual cues and needs
- Comfortable providing hands-on care, including feeding, diapering, soothing, and assisting with sleep routines
- Able to communicate professionally and compassionately with families
- Able to create meaningful learning opportunities for even our youngest children
- Comfortable getting down on the floor to play, sing, read, explore, and interact with infants throughout the day
- Able to remain patient and calm when infants are crying or multiple children need attention at the same time
- A positive team member who is willing to communicate, collaborate, and grow
- Committed to creating an inclusive environment where every infant feels safe, secure, loved, respected, and valued
Join Little Chicks University!
If you are passionate about infant care and early childhood education and want to be part of creating a childcare program where children are genuinely loved, supported, nurtured, and encouraged from their very first days with us, we would love to hear from you.
At Little Chicks University, caring for infants is about much more than bottles, diapers, and naps. Our infant educators have the incredible opportunity to build some of a child's earliest relationships outside of their family, encourage their first explorations of the world, celebrate developmental milestones, and provide families with the reassurance that their baby is receiving loving and attentive care.
We are looking for someone who understands just how important that responsibility is.
Come grow with Little Chicks University and help us create a home-away-from-home for our littlest chicks and their families!
Pay: $23.00 - $25.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
Work Location: In person
