Childcare Support Staff

Afternoon Support Staff
The Sunshine Academy · 202 W 1st Street, Laurel, MT 59044 · Part-Time · Afternoons · $12–$20/hour

Your afternoons, well spent.

If your mornings are full with classes, another job, or getting your own family out the door, this role fits in after that. Afternoons are when our classrooms need an extra set of hands most. Kids are waking up from nap, snack is coming out, teachers are taking breaks, and families start arriving for pickup. You’re the person who keeps that stretch of the day steady.

As Afternoon Support Staff at our 1st Street location in Laurel, you’ll help in classrooms from infants to preschoolers. You don’t plan lessons. Our Lead Teachers handle that, and you follow their plan and routines. Your job is to keep kids safe, keep the afternoon calm, and help send every child home happy. If you’ve worked in retail, food service, or raised kids of your own, you already know how to jump in where you’re needed. We’ll teach you the rest.

What your afternoons look like

• Covering teacher breaks and helping wherever the day needs an extra adult
• Helping children wake up from nap, get through transitions, and settle into afternoon activities
• Serving snacks and helping with cleanup
• Helping with diapering, toileting, and handwashing
• Following each room’s routines so children’s days stay consistent
• Guiding kids through big feelings and helping them work out conflicts
• Greeting families at pickup with a friendly goodbye
• Helping close out the day so classrooms are clean and ready for the morning
• Watching for safety and keeping ratios where they need to be

Who thrives here

You’re dependable, because teachers are counting on you to show up so they can take their breaks. You’re calm when the end of the day gets busy and kids are tired. You can move from one room to another without missing a beat. You take direction well, pitch in without being asked, and stay out of gossip and drama.

What you’ll need

• 18 years or older
• Membership on the Montana ECP Practitioner Registry. It’s easy to get, and we’ll help you sign up.
• Current Infant/Child/Adult CPR, infant choking response, and standard and pediatric First Aid. Not certified yet? We’ll schedule and pay for your CPR class.
• Completion of our staff orientation within your first 30 days, which we’ll walk you through
• Current MMR and Tetanus immunizations
• A background check and fingerprinting, as required by Montana licensing
• Able to lift 45 pounds and get up and down from the floor easily
• Clear communication with both children and adults

What we offer

• $12–$20 per hour, based on experience and credentials
• An afternoon schedule
• PTO after one year
• 50% off tuition
• Professional development
• A Director who knows you and backs you up

If you want a meaningful afternoon job, we’d love to meet you.

Pay: $12.00 - $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: No more than 30.0 per week

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person