Infant Assistant Teacher

The YMCA at Millworks, located on the beautiful Bellingham waterfront, is seeking a full-time Assistant Infant Teacher to join our nurturing early learning team. Our infant classroom serves up to eight children, ages 1 month to 12 months, with a teacher-to-child ratio of 1 teacher for every 4 children. Most children enroll between 4–6 months of age and attend either part- or full-time.

We are looking for someone who genuinely loves working with infants, thrives in a collaborative environment, and understands the importance of consistency, communication, and compassionate care during a child’s earliest months. The ideal candidate will have experience working with infants or toddlers (preferably in a group setting), be organized and dependable, communicate well with both children and adults, and feel confident supporting the developmental needs of children birth through 18 months.

This position follows a Monday–Friday schedule from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., so we’re looking for someone who enjoys starting their day early and bringing positive energy to the classroom each morning.

If you are passionate about early learning, enjoy working as part of a team, and want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young children and families, we encourage you to review the full job description and apply. We’d love to hear from you!

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position supports the work of the Y, a leading nonprofit, charitable organization committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Assistant Infant Teacher at the Whatcom Family YMCA maintains a supportive, positive atmosphere that welcomes and respects all individuals, promotes the potential of all youth, and provides a quality experience to both youth and their families.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises the children, classroom, and all program activities.
• Follows all procedures and standards as established by the law or the Y; makes ADA accommodations where appropriate; maintains the program site, equipment, and required program records.
• Work alongside the Lead Teacher and other classroom teachers to engage children in singing, conversation, reading books, and simple learning activities.
• Follow infant daily schedules of feeding, diapering, and napping using best practices in early childhood learning and development.
• Assists the Lead Teacher in collecting documentation for use in child assessment and portfolios.
• Provides and welcomes ongoing dialogue with parents and caregivers about their childs needs and progress; connects families to the Y.
• Attends and participates in family nights, program activities, staff meetings, and staff training.
• Completes and records daily cleaning list, consistently cleaning, sanitizing, and organizing classroom materials and surfaces.
• Administers first aid, completes accident forms, and notifies the Lead Teacher, Program Supervisor, or Director.
• Follows organizations policies and procedures regarding protecting youth from abuse; including screening and selection, training and supervision, and responding to allegations. Communicate to all staff and volunteers the organizations commitment to protect youth from abuse.
• Follows mandated reporting requirements.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY:

Everything we do at the YMCA is based on the ideal that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or identity, diverse abilities, age, religion, socioeconomic status or any other statuses or identities. Our work is focused on eliminating barriers to access, eliminating disparities in health, providing educational support, supporting working families, and growing our next generation of changemakers for our country.

YMCA COMPETENCIES (Leader):

Advancing Our Mission & Cause: Engaging Community

Building Relationships: Collaboration, Communication & Influence, Inclusion

Leading Operations: Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Functional Expertise, Innovation

Developing & Inspiring People: Developing Self & Others, Emotional Maturity

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Must be 18 years of age or older and a high school graduate (or equivalent).
2. Previous experience working with children in a developmental setting preferred.
3. Ability to plan, organize and implement age-appropriate/developmentally appropriate program activities.
4. Previous experience with diverse populations. Ability to develop positive, authentic relationships with people from different backgrounds.
5. Current CPR (Adult, Infant & Child) and First Aid, AED certifications.
6. Complete Praesidium Child Abuse prevention training within 15 days of hire.
7. STARS 30 Hour Childcare Basic Training (Must be completed within 3 months of hire date)
8. Willingness to obtain the ECE initial certificate or equivalent (approximately 12 credits).
9. Must have or be in the process of obtaining the following:

___ Negative TB Test

___ HIV/Bloodborne Pathogen training

___ Safe Sleep                          

___ MERIT ID account 

___ Food Handlers Card  

 ___ Cleared Portable Background Check from MERIT

 ___ MMR Immunization Record

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee needs sufficient strength, agility and mobility to perform essential functions and to safely supervise program activities.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach, and must be able to move around the work environment.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Salary : $20 - $21