Early Childhood Teacher - Infant Full Time

Bright Skies Childcare is an early childhood center in Topeka, Kansas, dedicated to providing exceptional care in a warm, family-centered environment. Our mission is to combine the strengths of play-based and teacher-guided learning while creating a place where children, families, and educators feel supported every day. We serve children from six weeks to five years old and are proud to offer a STEAM-inspired curriculum, real-time communication with families, nutritious meals prepared in-house, and a collaborative team culture where teachers are valued as professionals.

Our infant classroom is built around curiosity, movement, and meaningful relationships. Teachers work together in a co-teacher model, creating an engaging environment where infants can safely explore, build confidence, and reach important developmental milestones. We believe the best classrooms are led by teachers who feel supported, appreciated, and empowered to make a difference every day.

Positions:

Infant Co-Teacher — Full-time, 40hrs. You'll share the room with a co-teacher, splitting planning and caregiving so no one is carrying the day alone.

Part-Time Float — 25hrs. You'll move between classrooms covering breaks, ratios, and call-outs, with a focus on our infant and young toddler rooms.

Responsibilities

• Build secure, responsive relationships with each infant — learning their cues, rhythms, and what settles them
• Follow each child's individual feeding and sleep schedule, including bottle preparation, safe handling and labeling of breast milk and formula, and introducing solids in coordination with families
• Maintain safe sleep practices at all times, including proper positioning and crib standards
• Handle diapering, hand washing, and sanitizing according to health and licensing requirements
• Create a floor-level environment that invites reaching, rolling, crawling, cruising, and walking, with daily tummy time and sensory exploration
• Bring STEAM-inspired discovery into infant care through texture, sound, cause and effect, water and light play, and simple exploration
• Observe and document developmental milestones, and share progress with families
• Communicate with parents daily through real-time updates and end-of-day summaries covering feeds, diapers, naps, and moments from the day
• Partner with families to understand each child's background, home routines, and needs
• Collaborate closely with your co-teacher and the wider Bright Skies team
• Support smooth transitions as children move up to the toddler room
• Keep the classroom clean, organized, and consistent with health and safety standards

Skills

• Experience caring for infants in a licensed center, home setting, or comparable role
• Meets Kansas (KDHE) staff qualification requirements for program staff in a licensed child care center
• CPR and First Aid certified, or willing to obtain — we cover the cost
• Safe Sleep training, or willingness to complete it before working in the room
• Solid understanding of infant development and responsive, relationship-based caregiving
• Familiarity with health, safety, and sanitation guidelines for infant classrooms
• Warm, patient, reliable, and steady — infants need consistency more than anything else
• Comfortable with the physical realities of the job: lifting infants up to 35–40 lbs, frequent bending, and spending much of the day on the floor
• Able to pass a KBI background check and child abuse registry clearance, and complete a KDHE health assessment
• CDA, ECE coursework, or a related degree is a plus

Pay: $16.00 - $18.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $16 - $18