The top five at a glance
| Attribute | Indeed | ChildcareHires | Child Care Aware of America Career Center | State and city early-childhood job banks | SitterTree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | General job board covering every industry, with organic and sponsored postings | Job board built only for early-education jobs at childcare centers, preschools and Head Start programs | Child Care Aware of America's career center for the early childhood field, with paid email packages | Job listings published by state and city early-childhood organizations for local programs | Child care marketplace where a center posts a job and local providers apply |
| Free posting option | Many jobs can be posted free, subject to Indeed's terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits; some jobs are sponsored only | None — every employer post is paid | Basic 30-day listings are free for Child Care Aware of America members | Delaware's licensing office posts openings as a courtesy to licensed facilities; New York City's Early Childhood Career Center posts openings at no cost | Not published |
| Published price | Not published — Sponsored Jobs are budgeted per job, and its teacher-assistant page offers new US accounts a $75 sponsor credit | $199 Standard or $399 Featured per 30-day post at launch pricing; slot plans from $899 a month | $199 for a 30-day posting; Job Flash packages run $299, $399 and $599; a single resume is $35 | Not published — the job banks checked post openings at no cost | $25 a booking as you go (groups that need 1-9 providers a year) or $20 a booking in prepaid packs of 10, 20, 50 or 100 (groups that need 10 or more); prices vary by location |
| How long a posting runs | Not published | 30 days per post; slot-plan posts don't expire while the plan is active | 30 days | Delaware's courtesy list shows openings posted within the last 4 weeks | Not published |
| How candidates apply | On Indeed | On the center's own application page or inbox | Through the career center | Varies — Delaware's list gives a contact name, phone and email at the facility; not published for the others | Providers apply to the job; the group can also invite up to 5 candidates to apply per job |
| Best for | Reach — the widest reach for a classroom role, if you are willing to screen applications | Centers that are always hiring assistant teachers, aides and floaters | An early-childhood-only audience, with email packages to reach more candidates | Licensed facilities that want a free local listing | Substitutes and short-term coverage, at an hourly rate the center sets (in California, providers set their own rates) |
As of October 2026, checked on each company's own website.
How we chose the best sites for assistant teacher and aide jobs
An assistant teacher, aide or floater opening has a shape a hiring manager knows: a roster that moves with enrollment, and a hiring need that can restart any week a staff member moves on.
The sites below are ranked by how well they solve that problem — not by size or brand.
Launch pricing and sponsor credits are the kind of offers that change; confirm the current terms on each company's pricing page before you buy.
What does it cost to post an assistant teacher job on Indeed?
Indeed is where a center can start without spending anything.
Its pricing page says many jobs can be posted for free, "subject to Indeed's terms, conditions, quality standards, and usage limits" — with two catches.
Some jobs are sponsored only (for example, jobs aggregated from a career site or published from an applicant tracking system), and Indeed reserves the right to require that a job must be sponsored for any reason.
When you do sponsor, there is no fixed list price.
The Standard price "is generated based on Indeed's recommendation system," the minimum for your job shows on the sponsorship page, and you can set any budget that meets it — Premium sits above Standard.
Invoices reflect "the amount spent on job seeker interactions like clicks or started applications," so the cost tracks the attention a posting gets.
New centers get a running start: Indeed's teacher-assistant hiring page offers "a $75 credit to sponsor your first job" to new US accounts that post a job.
The credit expires one year after account creation, and after it expires you are charged based on the Sponsored Job budget you set.
SimplyHired is a second door to the same audience.
It says it has partnered with Indeed, and a job posted through SimplyHired — free or sponsored — also appears on Indeed.
Read the fine print first: the free posting offer "does not apply to job sites, all staffing agencies or certain other types of jobs," at Indeed's discretion.
When is a childcare-only job board the better choice?
A general board puts an assistant teacher opening next to every other job in town.
ChildcareHires is built for one thing: early-education hiring.
Assistant teachers, aides and floaters each have their own role page, so a posting sits beside the classroom jobs a candidate is already browsing — along with infant, toddler, preschool, pre-K, Head Start and director openings.
Posting is flat-priced: $199 for a Standard post or $399 for Featured (with logo, highlighted card and top-of-feed placement) at launch pricing, each a one-time payment that runs 30 days, goes live the moment payment clears, is indexed in Google Jobs, and sends candidates to your center's own application page or inbox.
Details are on the fact sheet and the pricing page.
Centers that re-hire constantly can take a slot plan instead of paying per post: Growth is $899 a month for up to 10 posts live at once, and Brand is $1,749 a month for up to 25 posts with Featured placement on every one.
When a position is filled, the slot takes the next opening at no extra cost.
Plans are arranged by contacting ChildcareHires, bill monthly, and can be cancelled anytime.
Know what it is not: a job board, not a staffing or substitute-placement service.
It does not screen, interview or vouch for candidates, it does not place subs, and it does not guarantee that a listing results in a hire — screening and the hiring decision stay with your center.
What do the early-childhood-specific options cost?
The Child Care Aware of America Career Center is Child Care Aware of America's job board for the early childhood field.
A 30-day posting costs $199, and members of Child Care Aware of America post basic 30-day listings free.
To push a job harder, Job Flash packages email it to Qualified Child Care Professionals: Job Flash at $299 (30 days plus email), Premium Job Flash at $399 (stays high in search results and is highlighted), and Ultimate Recruitment at $599, which adds a TalentBoost distribution to a network of 1,000+ sites.
A single resume can also be bought, at $35 each.
State and city job banks are the free end of the spectrum.
Delaware's Office of Child Care Licensing posts openings "as a courtesy to licensed child care facilities" — it does not specifically endorse or recommend the organizations, and the list shows openings from the last 4 weeks with the position, full-time or part-time status, salary and a contact name, phone and email.
New York City's Early Childhood Career Center lets employers "post your openings with us at no cost to you" and runs an Early Childhood Education Employment Network with advisors who connect employers and job seekers.
These banks are run locally, so availability depends on where your center operates.
Ask your state child care licensing agency or your city's early childhood career center whether a listing exists for your area.
Where can a center find substitutes and last-minute coverage?
A job board fills a vacancy; a coverage gap needs someone in the room this week.
That is a different tool.
SitterTree works per job: the center posts the role, chooses child care provider, substitute or direct hire, sets the hourly rate and schedule (in California, providers set their own rates), and can invite up to 5 candidates to apply per job.
Bookings cost $25 each bought as you go for groups that need 1-9 providers a year, or $20 each in prepaid packs of 10, 20, 50 or 100 for groups that need 10 or more a year; prices vary by location.
Wonderschool SubPool is the managed version: providers post half- or full-day substitute jobs, an alert goes to subs on the platform within a geographic radius who are a good match, and the provider reviews the sub, decides whether to hire, approves the recorded hours and pays.
Wonderschool recruits, screens, qualifies, trains and onboards the substitutes, with onboarding to help them meet state requirements — and publishes no prices on the page checked for this comparison.
ChildCare Careers is the staffing route: pre-screened teachers, assistant teachers and site directors placed at centers, with substitutes available on demand, even same day, for short-term, long-term or permanent placements.
It calls itself the largest staffing firm dedicated to the child care field, says it has served thousands of centers since 1996, and says staff can arrive in as little as two hours — self-reported figures, so ask for references before you commit.
ChildcareHires, to be clear about its own limits, does none of this: it is a job board, not a staffing or substitute-placement service, and it does not place subs.
For a floater or assistant teacher you want on your payroll, post the opening; for someone in the classroom tomorrow, use a coverage service.
How should a center choose where to post?
Match the site to the gap.
One assistant teacher opening and time to screen: Indeed's free posting, with sponsorship only if the listing stalls.
A roster that never stops churning: a childcare-only board with always-live slots beats re-buying posts one at a time.
Zero budget this month: the career center membership rate if your organization is a member, or your state and city job banks.
A classroom uncovered on Monday: a booking service or a staffing firm, not a posting.
Whichever mix you pick, the posting does most of the work: name the pay range, the classroom age group, the schedule and the qualification you actually require, and route applications to an inbox a real person answers.
If a childcare-only board is the fit, you can post a job on ChildcareHires and it goes live as soon as payment clears.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Indeed if…
- You want the widest reach for a classroom role, including people outside early education looking to switch in
- You are willing to screen applications yourself before replying to any of them
- You want to start free and sponsor selectively — the $75 credit covers a first sponsored test
Choose ChildcareHires if…
- You want the posting on a childcare-only board, on the assistant teacher, aide and floater role pages candidates browse
- You are always hiring, and a slot plan keeps posts live and refills each slot with the next opening at no extra cost
- You want candidates applying on your center's own page or inbox, not into another site's inbox
- You prefer flat per-post pricing over budget-based sponsorship with a per-job minimum
Choose Child Care Aware of America Career Center if…
- Your organization is a Child Care Aware of America member, so basic 30-day listings are free
- You want the job emailed to an early-childhood audience, not just listed
- You want to buy individual resumes when a candidate looks worth a direct approach
Choose State and city early-childhood job banks if…
- Your state or city runs one, and a free local listing costs nothing to try
- You are a licensed facility, and a list like Delaware's exists specifically as a courtesy to licensed facilities
- Your budget for this opening is zero
Choose SitterTree if…
- You need substitutes and short-term coverage booked job by job, not a permanent hire
- You want to set the hourly rate and schedule for each booking yourself (in California, providers set their own rates)
- You prefer paying per booking, with prepaid packs once you know your volume
Choose ChildCare Careers if…
- You want pre-screened assistant teachers and directors placed at your center rather than applying to a posting
- You need coverage fast, including substitutes on demand, even same day
- You want short-term, long-term or permanent placements handled by a staffing firm
Frequently asked questions
Where can I post a daycare assistant teacher job for free?
Several routes cost nothing.
Indeed lets many jobs post free, subject to its terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits, though some jobs are sponsored only.
A free SimplyHired posting also appears on Indeed, with exclusions at Indeed's discretion.
Child Care Aware of America members post basic 30-day listings free.
And state and city job banks — Delaware's licensing office and New York City's Early Childhood Career Center are examples — list local openings at no cost.
How much does it cost to post an assistant teacher job on ChildcareHires?
A Standard post is $199 and a Featured post is $399 at launch pricing (regular prices $299 and $499).
Each is a one-time payment that runs 30 days, goes live the moment payment clears, and appears on the matching role and city pages and in Google Jobs.
Centers that hire constantly can take a slot plan: $899 a month for 10 live posts or $1,749 a month for 25, cancellable anytime.
What is the fastest way to cover a classroom when an assistant calls out?
Use a coverage service rather than a job posting.
SitterTree books providers per job at a rate the center sets (in California, providers set their own rates); Wonderschool SubPool sends your half- or full-day opening to screened subs nearby and handles recruiting, training and onboarding; ChildCare Careers places pre-screened staff, with substitutes available on demand, even same day.
ChildcareHires is a job board and does not place substitutes.
Does ChildcareHires screen assistant teacher candidates?
No. ChildcareHires is a job board, not a staffing or recruiting agency: it does not screen, interview or vouch for candidates or employers, it does not background-check anyone, and it does not guarantee that a listing results in a hire.
Candidates apply through your center's own application page or inbox, so screening, references and the hiring decision stay with you.
Do I need separate postings for an aide and an assistant teacher?
On ChildcareHires, yes — each role needs its own post, because candidates browse the role page that matches the job they want.
An assistant teacher opening and an aide opening are listed separately.
If one position is genuinely mixed, post it under the role that takes up most of the shift.
Is SimplyHired a different audience from Indeed?
Not really.
SimplyHired says it has partnered with Indeed, and a job posted through SimplyHired — free or sponsored — also appears on Indeed, so you are reaching the same job seekers through a second front door.
The caveat is the free offer: SimplyHired's free posting does not apply to job sites, staffing agencies or certain other job types, at Indeed's discretion.
Where these facts come from
- Indeed: indeed.com/hire/pricing (checked October 8, 2026)
- Indeed: indeed.com/hire/how-to-hire/teacher-assistant (checked October 8, 2026)
- Child Care Aware of America Career Center: careers.childcareaware.org/employer/pricing (checked October 8, 2026)
- Child Care Aware of America Career Center: info.childcareaware.org/blog/explore-our-employer-benefits-in-the-child-care-career-center (checked October 8, 2026)
- State and city early-childhood job banks: education.delaware.gov/families/birth-age-5/occl/current-child-care-job-openings (checked October 8, 2026)
- State and city early-childhood job banks: earlychildhoodny.org/cdsc/jobopportunities.php (checked October 8, 2026)
- SitterTree: sittertree.com/help/groups/5139 (checked October 8, 2026)
- SitterTree: sittertree.com/pricing (checked October 8, 2026)
- Wonderschool SubPool: wonderschool.com/corp/subpool (checked October 8, 2026)
- ChildCare Careers: childcarecareers.com (checked October 8, 2026)
- SimplyHired: simplyhired.com/post-jobs (checked October 8, 2026)