Toddler Lead Teacher

Merritt Academy; Fairfax (VA); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Health, dental and vision insurance

Vacation and sick leave

Retirement plan with employer matching

Discounted tuition rate for children

Job summary

Merritt Academy in Fairfax, VA is seeking a Lead Toddler Teacher to create a nurturing classroom where toddlers learn through play, language, movement, and responsive caregiving. You will lead and collaborate with your team to provide exceptional care and maintain routines for feeding, diapering, and safe sleep.

Responsibilities include observing individual development, partnering with families, and keeping parents connected to daily moments while fostering a patient, positive, and dependable

Qualifications

• Must have a High School diploma; AA in ECE or CDA or 12 college credits in Education.
• Bachelors degree preferred.
• Experience in education with early childhood experience required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate with classroom team to provide exceptional care.
• Maintain consistent routines for feeding, diapering, and safe sleep.
• Observe development and build partnerships with families; keep parents connected.

Skills

Patience

Positivity

Reliability

Engaging with toddlers

Communication with families

Education

High School diploma + AA in Early Childhood Education|CDA

Bachelors degree preferred

12 college credits in Education

Tools

CPR Certification

First Aid Certification

Job description

Description

Merritt Academy is seeking a warm, nurturing, and enthusiastic Lead Toddler Teacher who loves working with toddlers and understands just how important their first year of learning and development can be. You’ll create a safe, loving, and engaging classroom where toddlers can explore, build trusting relationships, and develop through play, sensory experiences, language, movement, and responsive caregiving.

As our Lead Toddler Teacher, you’ll lead and collaborate with your classroom teaching team to provide exceptional care while maintaining consistent routines for feeding, diapering, safe sleep, supervision, and classroom organization. You’ll observe and support each toddler’s individual development, build meaningful partnerships with families, and keep parents connected to the special moments happening throughout their child’s day. We’re looking for someone who brings patience, positivity, dependability, and a genuine love for toddlers to the classroom each day.

Requirements

In order to be considered for this position, you must meet the following requirements, including:

• High School diploma required with an AA in Early Childhood Education, or related field, Child Development Associate (CDA) (or at least 12 college credits in Education)
• Bachelors degree preferred
• Experience working in education, early childhood experience is required
• A love for children and a strong desire to make a difference every day.
• Must be physically able to lift and carry a minimum of 45 pounds, engage in physical activity with children, and work indoors or outdoors.
• Must be able to constantly move and interact with the children to provide stimulation and develop relationships.
• Must be able to alternate often between sitting and standing.
• Must be able to maintain sight and sound of the children at all times.
• CPR and First Aid certified or willingness to obtain.
• Must be able to read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
• Pass pre-employment screenings and trainings as required.

We also seek candidates who exhibit professionalism, pride in work, initiative, a strong work ethic and who support parents as partners in education.

We support our teacher’s passion for learning by providing a tuition reimbursement program as well as many professional development training opportunities. Additional benefits include:

• Competitive pay
• Health, dental and vision insurance options for eligible employees
• Vacation and sick leave
• Retirement plan with employer matching
• Discounted tuition rate for child(ren) attending any J127 Education Foundation school