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Child Care Lead Educator

Bright Horizons

Nashville, TNFull-time$21.1–25.75/hrPosted 5 days agoStill listed 3 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$21.1–25.75/hr
Location
Nashville, TN
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

CDA With Associate Degree Plan

Job overview

Bright Horizons seeks a Lead Educator to guide a teaching team in delivering developmentally appropriate curriculum and to mentor teachers. The role includes assessing program implementation, partnering with families, and meeting mandated reporter responsibilities. Candidates must hold a CDA with an educational plan to complete an associate degree and have at least three years of professional teaching experience in a high-quality child care, daycare, or preschool setting.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Curriculum ImplementationAnti-Bias EducationEducational Quality AssessmentFamily CommunicationTeacher MentoringMandated ReportingLifting ChildrenEmergency Response

Qualifications

CDA With Associate Degree PlanAssociate Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development3+ Years Teaching ExperienceNAEYC-Accredited Center ExperienceState and Company Background Checks

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

Grow your teaching career with Bright Horizons, where you can make a meaningful impact on children’s lives every day. Learn from early education experts while having the opportunity to mentor others on how they can create engaging curriculum and experiences. Experience this and more as a Bright Horizons Lead Educator.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead a team in implementing high-quality, developmentally appropriate curriculum aligned with our philosophy and anti-bias education
  • Be a curriculum expert and use educational quality tools to assess and enhance program implementation
  • Partner and communicate effectively with families, while mentoring new teachers and serving as a role model for the teaching team
  • Fulfill mandated reporter requirements as defined by the appropriate State agency. This includes reporting any suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the agency, informing the director, and ensuring teaching staff are aware of this requirement

Qualifications: Candidates must pass required state and company background checks and meet state and company minimum education and experience requirements:

  • CDA with an educational plan to complete associate degree is required
  • Associate or higher degree in early childhood education or child development related field is preferred
  • At least three years of professional experience teaching in high-quality child care, daycare, or preschool settings is required
  • Experience working in a NAEYC-accredited center is preferred

Be part of a community where people grow, futures are shaped, and lives are changed. We offer the rewards, opportunities, and support you deserve because making a difference goes both ways. We’re changing the world of work and family, and it starts with you. At Bright Horizons, you’re the difference.

Physical Requirements: This position requires the employee to comply with all applicable federal, state, local, Bright Horizons’, and client site requirements concerning immunizations, employment physical/screening, and health and safety training.

If hired, you will work in person in an early education/preschool child care center to provide supervision, care, curriculum delivery and services per Bright Horizons’ policies, procedures and guidance, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations, and in a manner that will ensure the safety of children in Bright Horizons care and the employee.

  • Frequently lift, carry, or hold children with a range of weight from 10 to 40 pounds; occasionally lift, carry, or hold weight more than 40 pounds
  • Demonstrate full range of motion to lift, reach, squat, climb, sit, and otherwise fully participate in activities
  • Respond immediately and appropriately to multiple or unexpected situations or emergencies
  • Maintain mental and physical alertness and an appropriate level of energy to perform essential job requirements

The full set of physical requirements for this role can be reviewed at https://careers.brighthorizons.com/job-descriptions. Bright Horizons complies with all laws that require reasonable accommodation for qualifying disabilities and/or pregnancy-related limitations.

This position requires in-person work in the Nashville TN, area.

Compensation: The hourly rate for this position is between $21.10-$25.75 per hour. The pay range listed here is what Bright Horizons in good faith anticipates offering for this job opening. Actual compensation offers within this range will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education and training, certifications, geography, and other relevant business or organizational factors.

Benefits: Bright Horizons offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Paid vacation, sick, holiday, and parental bonding leave
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Long-term and short-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Money-saving discounts and financial planning tools
  • Career development opportunities and free college degrees through our Horizons CDA & Degree Program
  • Caregiving support and resources for the children and adults in your family
  • Learn more at https://careers.brighthorizons.com/us/en/health-and-wellness

Life at Bright Horizons:

At Bright Horizons, you’re more than your job title — you’re the difference. Whether you’re nurturing a child’s first steps or supporting the systems behind the scenes, your work creates real impact. We’re a community that celebrates individuality, invests in your growth, and supports your whole self. Because when you thrive, so do the children, families, and clients we serve. Join us and help build a brighter future — for yourself and for others.

Bright Horizons provides equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. Bright Horizons complies with the laws and regulations described in the following federal government resources: Know Your Rights, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA).

If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation in completing these application materials or any aspect of the application and hiring process, please contact the recruitment helpdesk at 855-877-6866 or [email protected]. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

How this job compares

Set against the 1,744 open Early Childhood Educator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$21.1–25.75/hr
  • US median$18–21/hr1,018 hourly ranges

This range's midpoint, $23.43/hr, is 21% above the US median midpoint ($19/hr) — in the top quarter of Early Childhood Educator hourly ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 14 open Early Childhood Educator jobs in Tennessee and 1,744 across the US. None of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most across the US
Experience
This posting asks for at least 3 years of experience — more than three in four Early Childhood Educator postings that state a minimum ask for (median 1 year, across 624 postings).
Education
101 of the 1,744 open Early Childhood Educator jobs (6%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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