Join Our Team

Join Our Team

Some jobs fill your time.
This one fills your purpose.

At Smart Beginnings Academy, we believe the adults in a child's world matter just as much as the lessons they learn. We're looking for educators who show up with their whole heart — and stay because the work truly means something.

Mission-Driven

Built by physicians, for families

3 Locations

Oswego, Ogden & Kirk

Heart-First Culture

Where educators are valued

Apply Now
🩺

Founded by two physicians, built on science.

Smart Beginnings Academy was founded by Dr. Roy Lingam and Dr. Cindy Magas — not as a daycare, but as a developmental environment grounded in how children's brains actually grow. When you join our team, you're not just teaching. You're part of something that started with a very high bar — and keeps it there.

Why Smart Beginnings

A place where educators are proud to work

🌱

Mission-driven culture

You'll feel the difference from day one — this is a team that genuinely cares about children, families, and each other.

📚

Professional growth

Ongoing training, coaching, and support so you can keep growing as an educator — not just clock in and clock out.

🤝

Respected & supported

Leadership that listens. Staff that have each other's backs. You won't feel invisible here.

🏡

Multiple locations

Opportunities across our Oswego, Ogden, and Kirk & Butterfield campuses — we're growing, and so is your career.

👨‍👩‍👧

Families who value you

We attract families who are invested in their children's development — they notice and appreciate great educators.

High standards, high reward

We hold ourselves to a higher bar — and that's what makes the work meaningful when you look back on it.

Teacher reading with young children

"The work you do in the first five years of a child's life echoes for a lifetime."

Dr. Roy Lingam & Dr. Cindy Magas

What We Look For

We're clear about what great looks like

  • Warmth and reliability. Children thrive on consistency. We need educators who show up — emotionally and physically — every day.

  • Patience and adaptability. Every child is different. We look for educators who flex their approach, not their expectations.

  • A team-first mindset. You collaborate, communicate, and lift the room — not just your own corner of it.

  • Commitment to child safety. DCFS standards are our floor, not our ceiling. We take licensing, ratios, and safety seriously.

  • Professionalism with heart. We want people who are kind to families, respectful of boundaries, and proud of what they do.

Ready to grow with us?

Send us your resume and a few lines about why early childhood education matters to you. We read every application — and we'll get back to you.

Apply Now →

Serving Oswego, Ogden & IL-59, and Kirk & Butterfield, IL