Floating Assistant Teacher

At Magical Beginnings, we believe every child deserves a safe, nurturing, and engaging start to their educational journey. With care, we care — and that belief is at the heart of everything we do. As a trusted leader in early childhood education, our award-winning childcare and preschool centers create joyful learning environments where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

We're currently seeking an experienced and passionate Floating Assistant Teacher to join our Upper Village center. This is an exciting opportunity for an early childhood education professional who loves supporting toddlers during one of the most important stages of development. If you enjoy creating hands-on learning experiences, encouraging language development, fostering independence, and building meaningful partnerships with families, we'd love to meet you.

As a Floating Assistant Teacher, you'll primarily support our preschool classrooms, helping create a nurturing, engaging environment where children learn, grow, and thrive. You'll work closely with classroom teachers to support developmentally appropriate activities, assist with daily routines, and ensure children receive attentive, compassionate care throughout the day. You'll also help maintain smooth end-of-day transitions by assisting with classroom closing procedures and providing support across toddler, preschool, and other daycare settings as needed, while upholding the highest standards of safety, quality, and compliance with New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) regulations and center quality standards.

This position requires availability Monday through Friday, 2:00 PM–7:00 PM and prior experience working with toddlers, preschoolers, and in a daycare or early childhood education setting.

Role Requirements:

• A minimum of one year of experience working with preschoolers and toddlers in a licensed childcare center, daycare, preschool, or early childhood education setting required.
• Child Development Associate (CDA), Associate's Degree, or Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field preferred.
• Experience supporting classroom routines, assisting with developmentally appropriate activities, and helping maintain a safe, engaging learning environment preferred.
• Strong understanding of early childhood development, positive classroom guidance, play-based learning, and the social-emotional needs of young children.
• Ability to support multiple classrooms as needed, with a primary focus on the preschool wing, while collaborating effectively with lead teachers and other classroom team members.
• Ability to assist with end-of-day classroom closing procedures, including maintaining classroom cleanliness, organizing materials, and ensuring a smooth, safe transition for children and staff.
• Ability to maintain compliance with New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) childcare licensing regulations, health and safety standards, and applicable teacher-to-child ratios.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, organizational, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues.
• Ability to actively engage with children throughout the day, including sitting on the floor, bending, kneeling, lifting up to 40 pounds, and participating in indoor and outdoor activities.
• Must be available to work Monday through Friday, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all required New York State background clearances and regulatory requirements, including fingerprinting, criminal history review, and Statewide Central Register (SCR) clearance. Candidates must also meet all applicable health, immunization, and training requirements in accordance with New York State OCFS regulations.

As a Floating Assistant Teacher, you will be responsible for:

• Supporting the implementation of developmentally appropriate curriculum and engaging classroom activities, primarily within the preschool wing, in alignment with early childhood education best practices.

• Creating a safe, nurturing, and stimulating classroom environment that supports children's social-emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development through play-based learning.

• Assisting with daily classroom routines, including learning activities, meals, toileting, outdoor play, rest time, and smooth transitions throughout the day.

• Providing attentive supervision and actively engaging children while maintaining positive classroom guidance, continuous supervision, and required New York State OCFS teacher-to-child ratios.

• Providing flexible classroom coverage and support across toddler, preschool, and other age groups as needed to maintain consistent, high-quality care and learning experiences.

• Assisting with end-of-day classroom closing procedures, including organizing learning materials, cleaning and sanitizing classroom spaces, and ensuring classrooms are safe, orderly, and ready for the next school day.

• Supporting children's individual developmental needs, encouraging independence, positive social interactions, and age-appropriate learning experiences.

• Collaborating with Lead Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and center leadership to maintain consistent classroom routines and a positive, team-oriented learning environment.

• Maintaining clean, organized, and sanitized classroom spaces in accordance with New York State OCFS licensing regulations and health and safety standards.

• Assisting with the preparation and organization of classroom materials and learning environments that encourage curiosity, creativity, language development, and hands-on exploration.

• Communicating professionally and respectfully with families and team members to support a welcoming, inclusive, and positive childcare experience.

• Ensuring compliance with all applicable New York State OCFS childcare licensing requirements, company policies, and center quality standards.

• Contributing to a positive center culture through flexibility, teamwork, reliability, and a commitment to providing exceptional care and education for children.

What Magical Beginnings offers you:

• Paid sick time
• 13 paid holidays*, plus a guaranteed paid week-long winter break
• Paid snow days and vacation time*
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance*
• Long-term disability
• Company-paid life insurance with additional voluntary coverage
• Parental leave
• Child care discount ($25/day)
• Weekly pay and direct deposit
• Referral and enrollment bonuses
• Classroom tablets
• A budget for classroom supplies
• Paid classroom planning time
• Mentor program
• Teacher appreciation events
• Team building activities
• School community outreach projects
 
*Available to full-time employees only