Waddler/Toddler CO-Lead

Agape Childcare and Prek Center; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Agape Childcare & Pre-K Center in Seattle is seeking an Infant–Waddler/Toddler Teacher to create secure, attachment-rich classrooms where children explore and grow. You will build strong relationships with babies and toddlers, guide language development, and plan developmentally appropriate experiences.

You will collaborate with a teaching team, document progress, and ensure health, safety, and licensing adherence. We value creativity, growth, and family partnerships in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• ECE credentials or equivalent education/experience required.
• Experience with infants and toddlers preferred.
• Knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices.

Responsibilities

• Build loving, responsive relationships with babies and toddlers.
• Talk, sing, read, and play throughout the day.
• Plan developmentally appropriate experiences based on interests.
• Create sensory, art, music, movement, STEAM, and outdoor activities.
• Engage with children on the floor and explore the world together.
• Support language development and communication.
• Support crawling, walking, climbing, grasping, feeding, and dressing.
• Help children express their emotions using co-regulation.
• Encourage independence and self-help skills.
• Observe development and plan next steps.
• Foster wonder and hands-on, exploratory learning.

Skills

Infant & Toddler care

Relationship-based care

Play-based learning

Team collaboration

Education

CDA / Associate or Bachelor's in ECE

Pursuing ECE credentials considered

Job description

Infant–Waddler/Toddler TeacherCome Grow With Us at Agape Childcare & Pre-K Center

Are you an early childhood educator who believes that the first years of a child's life truly matter?

Do you love watching a baby discover something for the first time, helping a toddler find the words for a big feeling, getting messy with art and sensory play, exploring outside, singing songs, reading stories, and turning children's curiosity into meaningful learning?

If so, you may be exactly who we are looking for.

At Agape Childcare & Pre-K Center, we are looking for a caring, dependable, creative teacher to join our Waddler/Toddler team.

We are looking for an educator who wants to make a difference.

Who We Are

Agape Childcare & Pre-K Center is a small early learning community serving children from infancy through Pre-K.

We believe children thrive when they feel safe, loved, respected, connected, and free to explore their world.

We also believe great early learning programs begin with great teachers.

Our teachers bring their own ideas, creativity, experiences, talents, and personalities into their classrooms. We want educators who are excited to learn alongside children, collaborate with their teaching team, build meaningful relationships with families, and continue growing professionally.

Agape participates in Early Achievers, and we are committed to providing a high-quality early learning experience for our children and families while supporting the professional growth of our teachers.

What Learning Looks Like at Agape

Our classrooms aren't about worksheets or expecting every child to learn in exactly the same way.

Children learn by doing.

They learn through relationships, movement, music, messy art, sensory experiences, nature, conversations, building, experimenting, pretending, problem-solving, repetition, and PLAY.

Our philosophy brings together:

• Relationship-Based Care
• Social-Emotional Learning & Co-Regulation
• Learning Through Play
• Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences
• STEAM
• Project-Based Learning
• Emergent Curriculum
• Reggio Emilia-Inspired Practices
• Outdoor and Nature-Based Experiences
• Hands-On, Active Learning

We believe there are many ways to be explore and many ways to learn.

Our job as educators is to discover what interests each child, provide meaningful experiences, and help that child develop socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and through language and communication.

What You'll Do

As an Infant–Waddler/Toddler Teacher, you will have the opportunity to create a classroom where our youngest children can feel secure, develop strong attachments, explore, play, and grow.

Your days may include:

• Building loving, responsive relationships with babies and toddlers.
• Talking, singing, reading, laughing, and playing throughout the day.
• Planning fun, developmentally appropriate experiences based on children's interests.
• Creating sensory, art, music, movement, STEAM, and outdoor experiences.
• Getting on the floor and experiencing the world alongside children.
• Helping children develop language and communication.
• Supporting crawling, walking, climbing, grasping, feeding, dressing, and other emerging skills.
• Helping children recognize and express their emotions.
• Using co-regulation and positive guidance rather than punishment.
• Encouraging independence and self-help skills.
• Observing children's development and using those observations to plan what comes next.
• Creating an environment where children are encouraged to wonder, explore, experiment, and try again.
• Celebrating the little moments that are actually very big moments in early childhood.

You will also communicate with families, document children's development, maintain a safe and engaging classroom, collaborate with your teaching team, and follow Washington State health, safety, supervision, and licensing requirements.

Families Are Part of Our Team

At Agape, families aren't separate from what happens in the classroom.

We believe parents and caregivers are children's first and most important teachers.

Our teachers build relationships with families, share children's accomplishments and developmental milestones, listen to family perspectives, and work together to support each child.

We want families to feel that when they leave their child with us, they are leaving them with people who genuinely know, understand, and care about their child.

We Want Our Teachers to Grow Too

We don't expect teachers to know everything when they walk through our doors.

Early childhood education is a profession where we are always learning—from our education, from one another, from families, and especially from the children.

As an Early Achievers participating program, you may have opportunities to access educational resources and pathways that can help you continue building your Early Childhood Education knowledge and credentials.

We encourage professional development and continuing education while supporting teachers in meeting Washington State DCYF professional requirements.

We want Agape to be a place where you can grow not only as a teacher, but as an early childhood professional.

Who Would Be a Great Fit at Agape?

You may be a great fit for our team if you:

• Genuinely love working with young children.
• Understand that caring for infants and toddlers is important educational work.
• Believe relationships come before curriculum.
• Enjoy being playful, creative, curious, and hands-on.
• Understand that young children need patience, consistency, and connection.
• Can laugh and have fun while still being professional and dependable.
• Enjoy working as part of a team.
• Value open communication with families and coworkers.
• Are willing to learn and continue growing professionally.
• Understand that every child develops differently.
• Want to contribute your own ideas and talents to your classroom.
• Believe children deserve teachers who see their strengths and potential.

Education & Experience

We are seeking candidates with:

• A CDA, Associate Degree, Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, or equivalent education/experience related to Early Childhood Education or Child Development.
• Candidates currently pursuing their Early Childhood Education credentials may also be considered.
• Experience working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or young children.
• Knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate practices.
• Familiarity with play-based learning, social-emotional learning, relationship-based care, emergent curriculum, project-based learning, Reggio-inspired practices, or similar approaches is a plus.
• The ability and willingness to meet Washington State DCYF requirements for early learning professionals.

Why Agape?

Because early childhood education should be about more than getting through the day.

It should be about relationships.

It should be about children feeling safe enough to explore.

It should be about teachers having the freedom to be creative.

It should be about families knowing their children are genuinely cared for.

It should be about celebrating growth—even when that growth happens one tiny step at a time.

And it should be about working with people who understand that what we do every day matters.

If you are looking for a place where you can bring your creativity, knowledge, compassion, and love of early childhood education to work each day, we would love to meet you.

Come be part of the Agape family.

Come play. Come teach. Come learn. Come grow with us.