Montessori Nido (3–18 Months)
**Joyspring Montessori School – Garsfontein, Pretoria**
**Position available from January 2027**
Joyspring Montessori is a well-established Montessori school in Garsfontein, Pretoria, dedicated to providing authentic Montessori education in a warm, respectful and nurturing environment.
We believe that the first eighteen months of life lay the foundation for a child’s lifelong learning, security and independence. Our Nido environment is a peaceful, respectful space where each baby is nurtured as an individual and supported to develop at their own pace.
Our Nido is intentionally kept small, with only 5–8 babies, allowing each child to receive individualised care and attention while forming secure, trusting relationships with the adults in the environment.
We are looking for someone who sees caring for babies not simply as a job, but as a vocation. If you are passionate about supporting babies and their families during this precious stage of life, we would love to hear from you.
Who We Are Looking For:
We are seeking a mature, compassionate professional with a relevant qualification or substantial professional experience working with babies aged 3–18 months.
Montessori 0–3 training is a distinct advantage, but is not essential.
However, a thorough understanding of Montessori philosophy and principles is a requirement, particularly in relation to the respectful handling, care and development of babies.
We are looking for someone who shares our values and understands the importance of respectful, responsive care during the earliest stages of a child’s development.
The successful candidate will:
- Have a genuine love for babies and young children.
- Have a calm, gentle and nurturing nature.
- Be emotionally mature, dependable and organised.
- Have excellent observational and communication skills.
- Be physically fit and comfortable lifting, carrying and caring for infants throughout the day.
- Be willing to learn and embrace Montessori practice.
- Take pride in maintaining a beautiful, peaceful and well-prepared environment.
- Be committed to providing consistent, loving care to a small group of children and building trusting relationships with their families.
Responsibilities:
The role combines education with high-quality infant care and includes:
- Planning and preparing developmentally appropriate Montessori activities.
- Daily observations, record keeping and developmental assessments using Transparent Classroom.
- Writing developmental reports.
- Preparing, rotating and maintaining Montessori materials.
- Making classroom materials where required.
- Maintaining a beautiful and orderly prepared environment.
- Feeding babies and encouraging age-appropriate independence.
- Following each child’s individual feeding and sleep routines.
- Changing nappies and maintaining excellent hygiene standards.
- Supporting each family’s parenting journey through respectful, responsive caregiving, including an understanding of breastfeeding, expressed breastmilk and responsive and paced bottle feeding.
- Supporting each child’s physical, cognitive, language, emotional and social development.
- Building warm, professional relationships with parents.
- Working collaboratively with colleagues to provide the highest standard of care.
Essential Requirements:
Applicants must have:
- A relevant qualification (min NQF5) or substantial professional experience working with babies aged 3–18 months.
- A thorough understanding of Montessori philosophy and principles, particularly as they relate to the handling, care and development of babies.
- An appreciation for responsive caregiving and a willingness to support each family’s individual parenting journey.
- Basic computer literacy and a willingness to learn new systems.
- Experience with Transparent Classroom is not necessary, as training will be provided.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
- A valid, up-to-date First Aid Certificate.
- A valid Police Clearance Certificate.
- Reliable own transport.
- The physical ability to meet the daily demands of caring for infants.
Advantageous:
- Montessori 0–3 qualification.
- Montessori 3-6 qualification.
- Experience creating educational materials.
- Experience supporting breastfeeding families.
Position Details:
- Full-time position
- Monday to Friday, 07:00–17:00
- Paid school holidays.
- Paid public holidays.
- Participation in the school’s rotational holiday programme is required.
- Salary will be discussed.
If you believe you would be a good fit for our Joyspring family, we would love to hear from you.
Please email your CV together with a brief covering letter outlining your experience with infants and why you believe you would be well suited to this position to info@joyspringmontessori.co.za
Our School, in line with POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) will attempt to ensure the confidentiality of all applicants for this role. All reasonable measures will be in place to protect personal information but will be used in the recruitment, selection, and reporting process. By submitting your application for this position, you are recognizing and accepting this disclaimer.
