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How to hire an infant and toddler teacher

Infant and toddler teacher hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring infant and toddler teachers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire an infant and toddler teacher is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new infant and toddler teacher to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an infant and toddler teacher, step by step

To hire an infant and toddler teacher, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire an infant and toddler teacher:

Here's a step-by-step infant and toddler teacher hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write an infant and toddler teacher job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new infant and toddler teacher
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an infant and toddler teacher do?

An infant and toddler teacher is an individual who aids in the cognitive and social development of preschool children by teaching them the most basic skills that focus on play-centered learning and creativity. Infant and toddler teachers must help children develop positive self-images and encourage them to explore their interests and develop social skills. They must plan and carry out a curriculum that teaches children basic skills such as color, shape, and letter recognition. Infant and toddler teachers must also meet the children's parents to discuss concerns.

Learn more about the specifics of what an infant and toddler teacher does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring an infant and toddler teacher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an infant and toddler teacher to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an infant and toddler teacher that fits the bill.

    This list presents infant and toddler teacher salaries for various positions.

    Type of Infant And Toddler TeacherDescriptionHourly rate
    Infant And Toddler TeacherPreschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach reading, writing, science, and other subjects in a way that young children can understand.$11-17
    Teacher AideTeacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities... Show more$11-17
    Preschool Lead TeacherA preschool lead teacher is responsible for managing the overall learning progress of preschool students. Preschool lead teachers to develop engaging and fun activities for the young learners to monitor their personal and social development... Show more$11-21
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • CPR
    • Child Care
    • Child Development
    • Professional Development
    • Classroom Environment
    • Classroom Management
    • Emotional Development
    • Physical Development
    • Open Communication
    • Healthy Environment
    • NAEYC
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Fine Arts
    • Diaper Changes
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead team meetings with therapists and clinicians pertaining to quarterlies, annual reports, IEP goals, and parent teacher conferences.
    • Plan and develop curriculum, manage mathematics department.
    • Receive current CPR training as well.
    • Develop and implement individual student's IEP in conjunction with a mental health worker, classroom aide, and clinical team.
    • Complete ongoing documentation for NAEYC accreditation.
    • Develop and publish developmentally appropriate curriculum for infants/toddlers, in accordance with NAEYC guidelines.
    More infant and toddler teacher duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your infant and toddler teacher job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An infant and toddler teacher can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, infant and toddler teachers' average salary in alabama is 47% less than in vermont.
    • Seniority. Entry-level infant and toddler teachers 38% less than senior-level infant and toddler teachers.
    • Certifications. An infant and toddler teacher with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an infant and toddler teacher's salary.

    Average infant and toddler teacher salary

    $14.23hourly

    $29,606 yearly

    Entry-level infant and toddler teacher salary
    $23,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 23, 2026

    Average infant and toddler teacher salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Washington$35,999$17
    2California$35,626$17
    3Illinois$34,669$17
    4Massachusetts$34,541$17
    5Colorado$33,274$16
    6New Jersey$32,486$16
    7New York$32,451$16
    8Nebraska$32,435$16
    9Utah$31,388$15
    10Maryland$31,062$15
    11Virginia$30,884$15
    12Texas$29,620$14
    13Wisconsin$28,794$14
    14Missouri$27,835$13
    15Pennsylvania$27,339$13
    16Georgia$26,570$13
    17North Carolina$25,958$12
    18Indiana$25,912$12
    19Florida$23,110$11
    20Alabama$19,804$10

    Average infant and toddler teacher salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1University of California-Berkeley$39,447$18.968
    2Northwest Center$36,849$17.72
    3Siemens$36,720$17.65
    4Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc$36,370$17.49
    5University of California$35,264$16.9512
    6Monroe Community College$34,454$16.56
    7North Monterey County Unified School District$34,252$16.472
    8Congressional School$33,499$16.112
    9Central Lakes College$32,903$15.82
    10ACTION-Bridgeport Community$32,495$15.629
    11Muckleshoot Casino$32,231$15.502
    12CARE$31,840$15.313
    13Child Care Solutions$31,709$15.248
    14Puget Sound ESD$31,656$15.22
    15UCI Health$31,490$15.142
    16Triumph$31,461$15.134
    17Telamon$31,355$15.07
    18Trinity Health$31,324$15.066
    19Georgetown Hill Early School$31,318$15.062
    20Montessori Academy of Colorado$31,302$15.052
  4. Writing an infant and toddler teacher job description

    An infant and toddler teacher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an infant and toddler teacher job description:

    Infant and toddler teacher job description example

    Want to work for the Agency that was awarded Best of State 2022 for Best Public Preschool and Best Charitable Service Organization?

    Utah Community Action in Salt Lake City, UT is seeking to hire an Infant & Toddler Lead Teacher for our Early Head Start preschool! Typical schedule 7:30am -3:30pm Monday-Friday.

    Our Lead Teacher earns a competitive wage of $16.52/hour . We also offer generous benefits , including health, dental, vision, a flexible spending account (FSA), a healthcare spending account (HSA) with up to a $2,500 match, a 401k plan with 5% match, short and long-term disability, accident insurance, life insurance, tuition reimbursement (conditions apply ), 11 paid holidays, paid time off between Christmas and New Year's, accrue PTO up to 192 hours a year, and an hour of paid time on Fridays for self-care. Potential for FCDL student loan forgiveness after 120 eligible payments.

    Are you looking for a rewarding teaching career where you can make a difference in the lives of preschool children? Have you been looking for a teaching job where you will enjoy coming to work every day ? If so, apply today!

    ABOUT UTAH COMMUNITY ACTION

    Founded in 1965, Utah Community Action is a nationally recognized nonprofit provider of comprehensive services for income-eligible families. Our six core programs, Head Start, Adult Education, Case Management & Housing, Nutrition, HEAT, and Weatherization, address barriers to self-sufficiency in order to empower individuals, strengthen families, and build communities. We are committed to ending poverty and improving the lives of those living in our community.

    A DAY IN THE LIFE AS A LEAD TEACHER

    As an Infant & Toddler Lead Teacher, you come to work each day excited and ready to make a difference in children's lives. Working cooperatively with another teacher, you teach a class of 8 children. You help develop weekly lesson plans to ignite the curiosity and growth of the children in our preschool. You track each child's growth through observations, portfolio documentation, developmental checklist, and assessment data.

    Associate Degree/CDA in Early Childhood Education with a focus on infant and toddler development required if you do not have a Bachelor's degree. Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education or Human Development with a focus on infant and toddler development preferred. One year of related experience preferred. Previous Head Start experience preferred. Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

    Since you love interacting with children, you can definitely say that you get paid to do what you love.

    OTHER DUTIES

    • Responsible for the safety, supervision, and activities of children birth to 3 years of age.
    • Relate with children in a positive way.
    • Accept responsibility for children under his/her care.
    • Leadership and supervisory skills as a Lead Teacher.
    • Ability to coordinate and assign classroom workloads.
    • Knowledge of internet, e-mail, various word processing and spreadsheet software.

    ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR TEAM?

    We understand your time is valuable and that is why we have a very quick and easy application process. If you feel that you would be right for this Lead Teacher position at our Early Head Start preschool, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application . We look forward to meeting you!

    Verification of degree/transcripts/CDA required.

    Utah Community Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer and the agency prohibits discrimination and harassment because of a person's protected status such as race, color, national origin, religion, age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran, military service, gender, sex (including conditions of pregnancy), marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected- group status.





    Job Posted by ApplicantPro
  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find infant and toddler teachers for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your infant and toddler teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit infant and toddler teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit infant and toddler teachers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new infant and toddler teacher

    Once you've decided on a perfect infant and toddler teacher candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    To prepare for the new infant and toddler teacher first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire an infant and toddler teacher?

There are different types of costs for hiring infant and toddler teachers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new infant and toddler teacher employee.

You can expect to pay around $29,606 per year for an infant and toddler teacher, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for infant and toddler teachers in the US typically range between $11 and $17 an hour.

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