Child Care Specialist

Description

About the Role:

 Sierra Meadows Behavioral Health is launching a Postpartum Outpatient Track and we’re building something we’re genuinely proud of — a program that treats the whole picture of a new mother’s experience, including her baby. As part of that, we’re opening an on-site nursery so mothers in treatment don’t have to choose between getting the help they need and being close to their infant.

This isn’t a typical daycare job. You’ll be caring for infants and toddlers (ages 0–24 months) inside a behavioral health program, alongside mothers who are doing real and difficult work. Your role is to keep their babies safe, fed, clean, and calm while they’re in group — and to do it with the kind of steady, professional warmth that lets moms actually focus on treatment without worrying about what’s happening in the next room.

If you’ve worked in infant care before and you’re looking for a role with more purpose behind it, this might be the right fit.

Schedule:

Full Time | Monday - Friday | 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

What You’ll Do:

• Provide direct care for infants and toddlers — feeding, burping, diapering, soothing, and age-appropriate interaction — in accordance with AAP safe sleep and infection control standards
• Complete check-in and check-out documentation for each child at every session
• Log all feedings and diaper changes in real time throughout each session
• Deliver a warm, clear verbal handoff to each mother at pickup — what her baby ate, how they slept, anything worth noting
• Maintain nursery cleanliness and sanitize equipment between uses; conduct daily supply checks
• Document any health observations and report to clinical staff per protocol
• Respond calmly and competently to infant emergencies per established procedures
• Participate in required training including Pediatric CPR/First Aid, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep, and mandated reporter training
• Maintain strict confidentiality — you’re operating inside a behavioral health program

Requirements

Required to be considered:

• Minimum one year of professional experience providing direct care to infants and toddlers in a structured care setting (childcare center, family daycare, pediatric healthcare setting, or comparable — personal babysitting does not qualify) — Required
• Current Pediatric CPR and First Aid certification, or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire — Required
• Current TB clearance — Required
• DOJ/FBI fingerprint clearance prior to first day of contact with children — Required
• Completion of SMBH mandated reporter training before first day — Required

Preferred — will make you a stronger candidate:

• Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or Early Childhood Education (ECE) coursework — Preferred
• Experience in a healthcare or behavioral health setting — Preferred
• Bilingual in English and Spanish — Preferred
• Experience with newborns specifically (0–3 months) — Preferred

Who You Are:

Beyond credentials, here’s what this role actually requires day to day:

• You stay calm when things get loud — a fussy infant, a mother in distress, and a half-eaten bottle on the floor all at the same time is a real Tuesday
• You show up. This program cannot run if the nursery is unstaffed. Reliability isn’t a nice-to-have here, it’s the job.
• You understand what it means to be a mandated reporter — not just that you are one, but what it actually requires you to do
• You work well with clinical staff and know how to communicate clearly across a team
• You can hold a warm, reassuring presence with a mother who is anxious about leaving her baby — because many of ours will be