Infant Lead TeacherAges 6 Weeks–18 Months
We are seeking a warm, patient, dependable, attentive, and motivated Infant Lead Teacher who genuinely enjoys caring for infants and understands the importance of responsive caregiving, secure attachment, consistency, individualized care, movement, exploration, and early development.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for:
- A teacher who genuinely enjoys caring for infants and views early childhood education and caregiving as more than just a job.
- Someone who understands that infants learn through secure relationships, movement, sensory exploration, language exposure, repetition, and responsive interaction.
- A patient, compassionate, and emotionally steady caregiver who can remain calm during crying, feeding difficulties, sleep transitions, separation anxiety, teething, and busy classroom routines.
- A nurturing teacher who responds promptly and appropriately to infants' physical and emotional needs.
- A positive role model who interacts with infants using gentle voices, respectful language, patience, affection, and consistency.
- An organized professional who can maintain a peaceful, sanitary, safe, attractive, and developmentally appropriate infant environment.
- A teacher who understands the importance of individualized feeding and sleep schedules rather than expecting every infant to follow the same routine.
- A team-oriented teacher who communicates effectively with families, coworkers, and center leadership.
- Someone who is dependable, observant, flexible, and willing to assist where needed, including closing shifts and occasional support in other classrooms.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the infant classroom with warmth, patience, compassion, attentiveness, consistency, and developmentally appropriate expectations.
- Provide responsive, individualized care to infants between 6 weeks and 18 months of age.
- Build secure, trusting relationships with infants through consistent, responsive, and nurturing interactions.
- Respond promptly and appropriately to crying, hunger cues, tiredness, discomfort, overstimulation, and other infant signals.
- Learn and recognize each infant's individual cues, temperament, preferences, feeding patterns, sleep patterns, and developmental needs.
- Maintain active supervision of infants at all times.
- Maintain required staff-to-child ratios and classroom supervision standards.
- Follow all Colorado child care licensing requirements, center policies, sanitation standards, health procedures, and infant-care requirements.
- Follow all required Infant Safe Sleep Practices and center safe-sleep procedures.
- Place infants to sleep according to Colorado licensing requirements and approved safe-sleep practices.
- Frequently monitor sleeping infants and maintain required sleep documentation and supervision.
- Keep cribs and infant sleep areas free from prohibited objects, loose bedding, toys, pillows, blankets, and other potential hazards.
- Follow all required procedures related to bottles, breast milk, formula, infant foods, food allergies, and feeding instructions.
- Prepare, handle, label, store, warm, serve, and dispose of bottles and food according to center policies and applicable health and sanitation requirements.
- Feed infants according to their individual schedules and developmental readiness.
- Hold and interact with younger infants appropriately during bottle feeding and provide responsive interaction during feeding.
- Never prop bottles or leave infants unattended while feeding.
- Observe and respond appropriately to hunger and fullness cues.
- Introduce and serve solid foods only according to family instructions, center policies, developmental readiness, and applicable health requirements.
- Perform diaper changes safely, respectfully, promptly, and according to required sanitation procedures.
- Maintain accurate diapering, feeding, sleep, and daily-care records.
- Check infants regularly for wet or soiled diapers and change infants as needed.
- Properly clean and sanitize diaper-changing surfaces following each diaper change.
- Follow required handwashing and sanitation practices before and after feeding, diapering, food preparation, and other care activities.
- Provide supervised tummy time and floor time for developmentally appropriate infants.
- Provide infants with frequent opportunities for unrestricted movement in safe, clean, developmentally appropriate areas.
- Support development of rolling, reaching, grasping, sitting, crawling, pulling up, cruising, walking, and other emerging motor skills based on each infant's developmental stage.
- Avoid unnecessary or prolonged confinement in cribs, highchairs, swings, seats, or other restrictive equipment.
- Provide developmentally appropriate sensory experiences, movement opportunities, books, music, songs, language, and hands-on exploration.
- Talk, read, sing, and interact with infants frequently throughout the day to encourage early communication and language development.
- Provide age-appropriate materials such as rattles, grasping materials, sensory materials, balls, mirrors, books, stacking materials, simple cause-and-effect toys, and other developmentally appropriate equipment.
- Rotate and introduce materials based on infants' developmental readiness, interests, safety, and emerging abilities.
- Keep infant materials, toys, equipment, feeding areas, floor areas, and classroom surfaces clean and sanitized.
- Ensure that classroom materials and equipment are complete, clean, safe, developmentally appropriate, and properly maintained.
- Observe infants regularly and document developmental progress, emerging skills, interests, behaviors, and individual needs.
- Use observations to plan appropriate experiences and environmental changes that support each infant's development.
- Support development in areas including gross motor, fine motor, sensory exploration, early language, social-emotional development, cognitive development, coordination, and independence.
- Provide opportunities for infants to safely explore their environment and attempt developmentally appropriate tasks independently while remaining available for assistance and reassurance.
- Encourage emerging independence as infants become capable of feeding themselves, holding cups, moving independently, participating in dressing routines, and completing other age-appropriate tasks.
- Maintain a calm and orderly classroom environment with predictable routines while respecting each infant's individual schedule.
- Help infants transition between feeding, sleeping, floor play, outdoor experiences, diapering, and other daily activities.
- Provide appropriate outdoor experiences and fresh-air opportunities when weather and conditions permit.
- Build positive relationships with families through respectful, timely, and professional communication.
- Communicate with families regarding feeding, bottles, meals, naps, diapering, mood, developmental progress, classroom experiences, and significant changes observed during the day.
- Immediately communicate health, safety, injury, feeding, developmental, or behavioral concerns according to center procedures.
- Complete attendance records, observations, developmental documentation, incident reports, feeding records, diapering records, sleep records, daily notes, and other required classroom documentation accurately and on time.
- Support assistant teachers, aides, substitutes, and floaters by modeling appropriate infant-care practices and providing clear direction.
- Help classroom support staff understand infant routines, individual care plans, feeding instructions, safe-sleep requirements, supervision responsibilities, sanitation requirements, and respectful interactions with infants.
- Model calm, responsive, respectful, and developmentally appropriate infant guidance.
- Never use harsh, punitive, frightening, or inappropriate discipline techniques with infants.
- Participate in staff meetings, professional development, coaching, classroom observations, quality-improvement activities, and licensing preparation.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding children, families, staff members, and center operations.
- Collaborate with center leadership to ensure infant-care practices are implemented consistently while meeting licensing and operational requirements.
- Assist in other classrooms when necessary to maintain required ratios, supervision, staffing coverage, and center operations.
Required Qualifications
- Colorado Shines PDIS Level 2: Must currently hold, or be able to document and maintain, Colorado Shines PDIS Level 2 status as required by the center.
- Infant Early Childhood Teacher Qualifications: Must meet applicable Colorado requirements to serve as an Early Childhood Teacher in an infant program, including required education, experience, training, orientation, and documentation.
- Must have the required documented experience working with and supervising children under three years of age for the position assigned.
- Must complete required infant-program orientation before independently assuming responsibility for an infant group.
- Background Checks: Must successfully complete and maintain all required Colorado child care background checks and maintain eligibility to work in a licensed child care setting.
- First Aid and CPR: Must hold, or be able to obtain promptly, current Department-approved First Aid and CPR certification appropriate for a child care setting, including infant CPR.
- Infant Safe Sleep Practices: Must complete and maintain Department-approved Infant Safe Sleep Practices training before working with infants under 12 months of age and complete required renewals.
- Shaken Baby Syndrome / Abusive Head Trauma: Must complete and maintain required Department-approved training related to prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma.
- Standard Precautions: Must complete and maintain required standard precautions training.
- Mandated Reporter Training: Must complete and maintain required child abuse and neglect mandated-reporter training.
- Must complete emergency preparedness, health and safety, and other required child care training through PDIS or another approved training provider.
- Professionalism and Character: Must be dependable, attentive, flexible, mature, organized, patient, compassionate, and able to communicate professionally with families, coworkers, and leadership.
- Infant Classroom Leadership: Must be able to lead classroom routines, coordinate individualized infant schedules, provide direction to support staff, maintain classroom organization, and respond appropriately to infants' individual needs.
- Must demonstrate appropriate knowledge of infant feeding, bottle handling, diapering, sanitation, safe sleep, supervision, and early development.
- Physical Requirements: Must be able to sit and work safely on the floor for extended periods; stand, bend, kneel, reach, lift, carry, and move throughout the classroom.
- Must be able to safely lift and carry infants repeatedly throughout the workday.
- Must be able to move quickly and respond immediately when an infant requires assistance or during an emergency.
- Must be comfortable performing frequent diaper changes, bottle feeding, cleaning, sanitizing, and other hands-on infant-care responsibilities.
- Must be willing to complete any additional training required for infants or the specific classroom assignment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience as an Infant Teacher, Infant Lead Teacher, Infant Early Childhood Teacher, Infant Nursery Group Leader, Infant Program Early Childhood Teacher, or Infant Program Supervisor in a licensed child care setting.
- Previous experience caring for infants between approximately 6 weeks and 18 months of age.
- Experience working with multiple infants simultaneously in a group child care environment.
- Infant/Toddler Montessori credential, certificate, diploma, coursework, or documented Montessori classroom training.
- Experience working in a Montessori, Montessori-inspired, child-led, responsive-caregiving, or individualized early childhood environment.
- Familiarity with Montessori infant principles including respect for the child, freedom of movement, purposeful environments, observation, emerging independence, and developmentally appropriate materials.
- Experience preparing and maintaining an infant classroom environment.
- Experience with responsive caregiving and primary-caregiver or continuity-of-care approaches.
- Experience identifying and responding to infant hunger, sleep, sensory, emotional, and developmental cues.
- Experience with bottle preparation, breast milk handling, formula feeding, introduction of solid foods, and infant feeding documentation.
- Experience implementing safe-sleep practices in a licensed child care environment.
- Experience observing infants and planning individualized developmental experiences based on readiness.
- Experience supporting gross-motor development, fine-motor development, sensory exploration, early communication, secure attachment, and social-emotional development.
- Experience communicating professionally with families regarding infants' feeding, sleep, diapering, development, health, and daily experiences.
- Familiarity with Colorado Shines, PDIS, Colorado child care licensing visits, classroom observations, and quality-improvement expectations.
- Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care (EQIT) training or other recognized infant/toddler training.
- Infant/Toddler Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or comparable early childhood credential.
- Ability to remain calm, consistent, attentive, organized, and positive during busy infant-room routines.
- Associate's or bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child development, education, human development, or a related field.
Infant Classroom Expectations
The Infant Lead Teacher is expected to:
- Treat every infant with dignity, patience, gentleness, affection, and respect.
- Recognize that caregiving activities such as feeding, diapering, dressing, and comforting are important opportunities for relationship-building and learning.
- Respond to crying and other infant communication promptly and appropriately.
- Speak to infants throughout caregiving routines and explain what is happening before and while handling them.
- Handle infants gently and respectfully.
- Follow each infant's individualized feeding, sleeping, and care routine whenever reasonably possible.
- Never force an infant to eat, sleep, participate in an activity, or remain in an uncomfortable position.
- Encourage freedom of movement and provide safe opportunities for infants to develop physical skills naturally.
- Provide appropriate tummy time for awake, supervised infants based on developmental readiness.
- Avoid unnecessary use of restrictive equipment and provide substantial supervised floor time and movement throughout the day.
- Provide infants with safe opportunities to reach, grasp, roll, crawl, sit, pull up, cruise, walk, manipulate objects, and explore.
- Observe carefully before intervening when an infant is safely working to accomplish a developmental task.
- Encourage emerging independence without withholding needed assistance, comfort, or physical support.
- Maintain a prepared infant environment in which materials are safe, developmentally appropriate, accessible when appropriate, and carefully organized.
- Protect infants from overstimulation and provide calm areas for rest, feeding, movement, and exploration.
- Talk, sing, read, smile, make appropriate eye contact, and interact frequently with infants throughout the day.
- Recognize that infant development requires responsive caregiving, active supervision, careful observation, freedom of movement, consistent routines, and individualized adult attention.
- Maintain accurate and timely feeding, diapering, sleeping, developmental, and daily-care documentation.
- Balance individualized infant care with licensing requirements, ratios, sanitation standards, classroom needs, and center operations.
Schedule Expectations
- Flexible schedule availability is required.
- Must be available to work closing shifts as scheduled.
- Must be dependable, punctual, and able to maintain consistent attendance.
- Must be prepared to remain actively engaged and attentive throughout the workday.
- Must understand that infant care is physically active and requires frequent lifting, floor work, feeding, diapering, cleaning, comforting, and supervision.
- May be asked to assist in other classrooms when needed to support required ratios, supervision, staffing coverage, or center operations.
- Schedule may vary based on enrollment, classroom needs, staffing levels, and center operating hours.
Compensation
- $20.00–$21.00 per hour
- Final compensation will depend on documented infant-care experience, training and credentials, PDIS credential level, education, licensing qualifications, schedule availability, classroom leadership experience, Infant/Toddler Montessori experience, EQIT or comparable infant/toddler training, and overall fit for the position.
Compliance and Employment Requirements
- Employment is contingent upon completion of all required Colorado child care background checks and verification of eligibility to work in a licensed child care setting.
- Candidates must provide documentation of their PDIS credential level, qualifying education, infant/toddler experience, early childhood education or training, and required licensing training.
- Candidates must meet the applicable Colorado qualification requirements for the position in which they will be assigned.
- Candidates who have not completed all center-required training may be required to complete assigned training within established timelines before performing specific duties or working independently where required.
- Employees must maintain all required certifications, credentials, training, and background-check eligibility throughout employment.
- Employees must follow Colorado child care licensing rules, center policies, infant safe-sleep procedures, classroom expectations, supervision requirements, feeding procedures, diapering procedures, and health and sanitation requirements.
- This job description is intended to align with the expectations of a licensed Colorado child care center operating an infant program serving children 6 weeks through 18 months of age. Final qualification determinations may be subject to review by center leadership, Colorado child care licensing personnel, and current Colorado rules.
How to Apply
Please submit your resume and include any available documentation showing:
- Colorado Shines PDIS credential level
- Infant/Toddler Montessori certification, credential, coursework, or classroom training
- Early childhood education coursework
- Infant and toddler child care experience
- Infant classroom leadership experience
- Experience working in a Montessori or Montessori-inspired environment
- EQIT or comparable infant/toddler training
- Infant Safe Sleep Practices training
- Shaken Baby Syndrome / Abusive Head Trauma training
- Current First Aid and CPR certification, including infant CPR
- CDA or Infant/Toddler CDA credential, if applicable
- Any additional early childhood credentials, certifications, or professional development
Pay: $20.00 - $21.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have experience with teaching Montessori?
- What is your currently ECE Level in PDIS?
Work Location: In person
