Infant Teacher

Job Description

Job Description

Infant & Toddler Teacher

Position: Infant & Toddler Teacher
Reports To: Site Leader / Director
Program: Infant & Toddler Classroom
Employment Type: Variable-Hour Position
Schedule: Approximately 25–40 hours per week, depending on program and staffing needs

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Infant & Toddler Teacher provides loving, responsive, and developmentally appropriate care for infants and toddlers in a safe, nurturing, Christ-centered environment.

At The Midwest Playhouse, our infant and toddler teachers do much more than meet basic care needs. Teachers build meaningful relationships, encourage early development through purposeful play, communicate closely with families, and create a calm environment where our littlest learners feel safe, loved, and encouraged to grow.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Nurturing Care & Supervision

• Provide attentive, loving, and responsive care throughout the day.
• Maintain active supervision of children at all times.
• Use gentle voices, positive redirection, and age-appropriate guidance.
• Build secure, trusting relationships with each child.
• Follow each child's individual feeding, bottle, nap, and care routine.
• Complete diapering and toileting routines consistently and according to TMP and licensing expectations.
• Follow all safe-sleep requirements for infants.

Learning & Development

• Implement developmentally appropriate infant and toddler curriculum.
• Create meaningful opportunities for sensory exploration, fine and gross motor development, language, music and movement, early social-emotional development, and play.
• Incorporate tummy-time activities for infants as developmentally appropriate.
• Read and interact with children throughout the day.
• Incorporate baby sign language and early communication skills.
• Participate in weekly Bible connections and simple faith-based learning experiences.
• Encourage children to explore, practice new skills, and develop independence at their own pace.

Classroom Environment

• Maintain a clean, organized, welcoming classroom.
• Sanitize toys, surfaces, feeding areas, and classroom materials according to required schedules.
• Complete opening, nap-time, closing, weekly, and monthly classroom responsibilities.
• Keep children's belongings organized and properly labeled.
• Help maintain a calm classroom environment with engaging, developmentally appropriate materials available to children.
• Work cooperatively with other teachers to ensure classroom responsibilities are shared.

Family Communication

• Build positive and professional relationships with families.
• Accurately document children's meals, bottles, diapers, naps, activities, and daily information in Playground.
• Provide meaningful photos and updates that allow families to see their child's day.
• Communicate concerns regarding a child's health, behavior, development, or care needs to leadership promptly.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding children, families, and employees.

PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS

Infant & Toddler Teachers are expected to:

• Arrive on time and ready to actively participate in the classroom.
• Demonstrate reliability and consistent attendance.
• Maintain professional behavior both on and off the clock when representing The Midwest Playhouse.
• Accept feedback and demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow.
• Take initiative rather than waiting to be directed for routine classroom responsibilities.
• Maintain a positive attitude and contribute to a supportive, gossip-free team environment.
• Follow all Missouri childcare licensing requirements and The Midwest Playhouse policies and procedures.
• Represent TMP's Christian values through kindness, patience, integrity, professionalism, and compassion.

REQUIRED BEFORE FIRST DAY

☐ FCSR Letter
☐ Safe Sleep Certificate
☐ Fingerprinting Letter
☐ Orientation Certificate
☐ Physical
☐ TB Documentation
☐ CPR & First Aid In-Person Course

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This position requires the ability to safely perform the physical responsibilities of caring for infants and toddlers, including getting on and off the floor frequently, sitting on the floor, bending, reaching, standing for extended periods, assisting children with daily care routines, and safely lifting and carrying children as needed.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The ideal Infant & Toddler Teacher is dependable, nurturing, patient, energetic, attentive, and genuinely enjoys working with young children.

We're looking for someone who understands that the little things matter—from comforting a baby who is having a hard morning to getting on the floor and engaging during playtime, keeping the classroom clean without being asked, and making sure parents feel confident about the care their child receives.

OUR MISSION

At The Midwest Playhouse, our mission is to provide a safe, Christ-centered learning environment where every child is loved, encouraged, and inspired to grow through faith, learning, and play.

Where faith, learning, and play come together every day.

The Midwest Playhouse is a Christian, Missouri state-licensed early childhood program serving infants through Kindergarten Prep in nurturing, relationship-focused learning environments.

What began as a small in-home childcare program has grown into a community of loving in-home classrooms and our Lake St. Louis Learning Center—all built around one purpose: creating a place where children feel safe, loved, known, and excited to learn.

Our approach goes beyond traditional childcare. We believe the early years should be filled with meaningful relationships, purposeful play, creativity, exploration, and opportunities for children to grow in their faith and character. Our programs incorporate hands-on curriculum, Bible lessons, music and movement, sensory experiences, process art, STEM, Spanish, outdoor play, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences.

Just as importantly, we're intentional about the team we build. We look for educators who are kind, dependable, positive, professional, and genuinely passionate about children. We value teamwork, initiative, gentle guidance, open communication, and teachers who want to continue learning and growing in the early childhood field.

At The Midwest Playhouse, you're not simply coming to work to supervise children. You're joining a growing team with opportunities to learn, lead, create, and make a meaningful impact during some of the most important years of a child's life.

Where faith, learning, and play come together every day.

Company Description

The Midwest Playhouse is a Christian, Missouri state-licensed early childhood program serving infants through Kindergarten Prep in nurturing, relationship-focused learning environments.\n\nWhat began as a small in-home childcare program has grown into a community of loving in-home classrooms and our Lake St. Louis Learning Center—all built around one purpose: creating a place where children feel safe, loved, known, and excited to learn.\n\nOur approach goes beyond traditional childcare. We believe the early years should be filled with meaningful relationships, purposeful play, creativity, exploration, and opportunities for children to grow in their faith and character. Our programs incorporate hands-on curriculum, Bible lessons, music and movement, sensory experiences, process art, STEM, Spanish, outdoor play, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences.\n\nJust as importantly, we're intentional about the team we build. We look for educators who are kind, dependable, positive, professional, and genuinely passionate about children. We value teamwork, initiative, gentle guidance, open communication, and teachers who want to continue learning and growing in the early childhood field.\n\nAt The Midwest Playhouse, you're not simply coming to work to supervise children. You're joining a growing team with opportunities to learn, lead, create, and make a meaningful impact during some of the most important years of a child's life.\n\nWhere faith, learning, and play come together every day.