How to hire a toddler teacher

How to hire a toddler teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 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 a toddler teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new toddler teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a toddler teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The toddler teacher hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect toddler teacher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of toddler teachers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Toddler Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Toddler Teacher	Preschool 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.	$11-18
   Vocational Childcare Teacher	A vocational childcare teacher teaches vocational subjects at a secondary school level, in either public or private schools. Their duties include preparing materials for classroom activities, assigning and grading classwork, and designing assignments... Show more	$11-18
   Teacher Aide	Teacher 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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Child Care
   • CPR
   • Customer Service
   • Child Development
   • Open Communication
   • Classroom Environment
   • Classroom Management
   • NAEYC
   • Toddler Room
   • Social Development
   • Early Childhood Development
   • Diaper Changes
   • Creative Curriculum
   • Toilet Training

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Attend required training (CPR, OSHA, etc).
   • Perform first aid and CPR if need.
   • Take care of kids change diapers give out snacks take kids outside take trash out get kids ready before getting pick up
   • Prepare formulas, feeding, bathing, playing games, monitoring and maintaining safe and very careful watch over the kids.
   • Maintain a neat, well organize, and attractive prepare environment consistent with Montessori pedagogy.
   • Develop and deliver lessons following the Montessori method to encourage the development in reading and sensory skills.

   More toddler teacher duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, toddler teachers' average salary in alabama is 48% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level toddler teachers 41% less than senior-level toddler teachers.
   • Certifications. A 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 a toddler teacher's salary.

   Average toddler teacher salary

   $14.76hourly

   $30,703 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level toddler teacher salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average toddler teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$37,250	$18
   2	Massachusetts	$35,948	$17
   3	Minnesota	$35,240	$17
   4	Washington	$35,175	$17
   5	New York	$32,767	$16
   6	Colorado	$32,101	$15
   7	Missouri	$31,988	$15
   8	Nebraska	$30,833	$15
   9	Nevada	$28,980	$14
   10	Kansas	$28,710	$14
   11	South Dakota	$28,708	$14
   12	Michigan	$28,541	$14
   13	Texas	$28,267	$14
   14	Arkansas	$27,442	$13
   15	Arizona	$27,104	$13
   16	Tennessee	$26,331	$13
   17	Pennsylvania	$25,806	$12
   18	North Carolina	$25,573	$12
   19	Indiana	$25,057	$12
   20	Georgia	$25,049	$12

   Average toddler teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Columbia University in the City of New York	$44,726	$21.50
   2	Solana Beach School District	$39,558	$19.02
   3	Santa Monica High School	$36,036	$17.32	2
   4	Monroe 2 Boces	$35,501	$17.07	4
   5	Immanuel Lutheran Church	$35,321	$16.98	2
   6	Turtle Rock Studios	$35,294	$16.97	4
   7	Central Lakes College	$34,238	$16.46
   8	ywcacentralmass	$32,823	$15.78
   9	Archdiocese Of San Antonio	$31,992	$15.38	17
   10	Little Sunshine's Playhouse	$31,830	$15.30	33
   11	First Presbyterian Church	$31,737	$15.26	5
   12	Lionheart Children's Academy	$31,718	$15.25
   13	Criterion Child Enrichment	$31,508	$15.15
   14	Pathways for Children	$31,460	$15.13	2
   15	Coughlin KIA of Newark	$31,123	$14.96
   16	Learning Care Group	$31,100	$14.95	663
   17	First Plymouth Congregational Church	$31,066	$14.94	36
   18	AHRC New York City Foundation	$31,014	$14.91
   19	Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County	$30,969	$14.89	70
   20	Little Lukes	$30,766	$14.79	21

4. Writing a toddler teacher job description

   A 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 a toddler teacher job description:

   Toddler teacher job description example

   Job DescriptionOur objective at Children's Choice Learning Center is to create an atmosphere that promotes a love of learning and to educate children to be caring, socially responsible citizens of their community and the world. Our goal is to create a place that engages each child. We are focused on the child's individual growth and school readiness. We believe that CCLC is an extension of the home and with the parents, we are a unified team.
   
   Children's Choice Learning Center is looking for a Toddler Teacher to join our growing staff, offering the utmost supportive culture and team, unlike other centers have to offer! At Children's Choice, we are a collaborative team, working together for one common goal. We believe education and learning should be engaging, supportive, and lively. We are looking for teachers who understand early childhood education, and the works of learning and want to ensure all teachers have a positive attitude and nurturing side to their environments.
   We are currently hiring at our Pearland location.
   Responsibilities and Expectations (include, but are not limited to)
   Maintain a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment. Communicate with families, including completing daily activity reports. Maintain a tidy and organized classroom. Attend professional development. Develop and post-lesson plans Adapt the program to meet the individual needs of each child Develop an appropriate classroom management system to support the goals and developmental level of the children in the classroom Potty train children Provide a variety of developmentally appropriate materials Interact with the children to support play, exploration, and learning Create a multi-cultural learning environment Cross training in all programs, Infant through Pre-K Qualifications
   
   Must have prior childcare experience (working for a licensed childcare center) Passion for Teaching & Love for Children Dependability and Reliability High School Diploma, Associates Flexible schedule between 7 am and 6 pm, daily Must Pass Background Check CPR/First Aid Certification Required License/Certification:
   
   First Aid Certification (Preferred) CPR Certification (Preferred)
   Schedule:
   
   Temporary with the potential to become permanent. Flexible between the hours of 9:30 am to 6:30 pm.
   Our school is TRS certified, we can assist with obtaining your CDA, ask us how!
   Benefits: Health Insurance, Paid holidays, vacation time, sick days, discounted tuition for faculty children, paid personal development training, and a pleasant work environment.
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right toddler teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with toddler teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit toddler teachers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find toddler teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit toddler teachers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 toddler teacher

   Once you've decided on a perfect 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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.)

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