Early Childhood Director

Benefits: Dental insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Job Title: Director Reports to: Head of School Hours: variable- 7:45- 4:30 PM Position Purpose The purpose of this position is to provide supervision, mentorship, strategic growth and program management at Giving Tree Early Learning. The Director will develop individual and group professional development plans and implement program improvements through a process of collaboration and reflection. The Director will establish professional networks maintaining the program’s standing within the Jewish community and professional/educational communities. The Director must also be willing to put forth the extra effort of developing the Early Childhood program and to provide leadership in the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices, accreditation guidelines provided by NAEYC, Judaic programming and the Reggio Emilia philosophy regarding young children. Giving Tree Early Learning Director will: Promote positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth. Maintain professional ethics standards as outlined by NAEYC including upholding the confidentiality of our students and their families. Implement and adapt the onboarding process for new hires. Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate effective teaching and supervision approaches through the use of the Indiana Early Learning Foundation Standards and Responsive Classroom techniques. Utilize the Reggio Emilia approach to learning in coaching, curriculum and environment. Provide ongoing assessments of team member progress using reflection and evaluation tools. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with the students, families and staff and adopt a growth mindset. Establish relationships with and use the resources of the community to support the achievement of program goals. Provide a safe and healthy physical environment. Implement strong personnel, fiscal, and program management policies so that all children, families and staff have high quality experiences. Be proactive in identifying challenges, have the ability to both brainstorm multiple solutions and implement problem solving skills. Education/Experience The Director is required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field, and at least 5 years working within the education setting. College credits will need to be verified by licensing to meet minimum standards. Two or more years of administration experience and experience working in the Reggio Emilia philosophy are strongly preferred. The Director must also have a willingness to learn about Judaism and Jewish values as it relates to the school community and curriculum. The director should embrace the importance of Jewish education within the community. Continuing education or 20+ hours of professional development are required of each staff member in order to stay current on Best Practices and to meet Licensing requirements. Staff will be asked to participate in a variety of staff in-services (including monthly staff meetings) and family engagement events, some of which may take place in the evening or on weekends. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Establish a vision of quality for the center and maintain quality effectiveness measurements. Maintain and adhere to Paths to QUALITY Guidelines. Lead and maintain NAEYC accreditation. Assist in On My Way Pre-K and CCDF trainings and program management. Communicate illness policy with parents and send students home when necessary. Develop strategic plan for Giving Tree and share in Administrative strategic plan annually. Develop individual professional development plans and implement support and mentorship to further the individual’s professional growth. Provide support both inside and outside of the classroom environment to support program quality, licensing requirements and the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Perform ongoing evaluations and assessments of program and staff to support continued growth. Routinely reflect, plan, evaluate and improve the physical environment in the classroom and communal spaces to create opportunities to meet the changing needs of the developing child. Embody the principles of the Reggio Emilia philosophy and utilize the 100 Languages of Children in mentorship and guidance. Resource and supply acquisition Budget development and management. Identify and schedule fundraising events Work collaboratively with the PTO Organize family engagement events Oversee the food policy including training webinar Development and implementation of emergency plans and active shooter training. Serve as a role model for students, dressing professionally, and demonstrating the importance and relevance of learning, accepting responsibility and pride in the education profession. Attract, recruit, hire and retain highly skilled and motivated staff. Report suspected child abuse and neglect. Attend Board meetings as requested. Creation and disbursement of parent/staff surveys and data analysis. Ordering of paper goods, supplies and other EC needs such as milk and snacks. Grant management including seeking new grant opportunities and grant reporting. Ensures clear communication with parents, staff and administration. Completes yearly performance evaluations and staff surveys. Maintains good standing and membership with INAEYC, NAEYC, Reggio Collaborative, and NAREA. Well versed in early childhood development and resources to support student growth and families. Demonstrates excellent leadership organizational skills and the ability to motivate others. Plans and leads parent and staff education programs. Develops procedures to identify and support children who are not progressing. Assist with the development and review of individual goals for children. Create schedules for staff including breaks, prep times and substitutions. Provide classroom coverage as needed to maintain classroom ratios and program integrity. Organization of back-to-school night, supply drop off and home visits. Represents the school within the professional community through networking, presenting and leadership in professional circles. Maintenance of staff documents, such as tracking of professional development hours or professional development plans as well as staff infractions and corrective action. Ensures safety of children by identifying and implementing appropriate risk management and training practices. Demonstrates the ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, using proper grammar and vocabulary. Responds in a timely manner to parent, staff and administrative concerns. Handles tours and marketing for the program. Assists in website development and social media. Maintains confidentiality. Reports staff absences and approves time off requests. Understands and agrees to follow the procedures and expectations outlined in the Staff Handbook including those that relate to food, drink, personal items and cell phone and social media policies. The director will be free of communicative disease, such as TB, and maintain a drug free lifestyle. Universal Precautions completed annually. Infant CPR and First Aid completed annually. Serve Safe certificate to be maintained by director. Submit to drug testing at point of hire and randomly if drug use is suspected. Limited Criminal History check and fingerprinting (every 3 years). In accordance with our "team" philosophy, the person filling this position may occasionally be required to carry out or assist with other tasks in addition to the duties listed on this job description. Terms of Employment The Director is required to work year around with flexibility on breaks and summers. Two weeks of vacation time is allotted for the months of June-July with flexibility in meeting work requirements. The Director will be on call for emergency situations. Additional information on sick and personal days can be found in the employee handbook. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be made by an employee to successfully perform the essential job functions of the Director. While performing this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, bend over, lift and do a variety of mobile positions for the needs of young children. The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers, to climb or balance, stoop and kneel. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 30 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. As an employee of Early Childhood, any staff member must be willing to work with children who may have bathroom accidents and/or require diaper changes. The employee must be able to do many of these items without warning or with a quick response time for emergency situations such as fire or tornado drills. The employee must be able to participate in the children’s activities in the Big Muscle Room, gym time, and recess. There will not be chairs or sitting time provided. Communication Skills The Director must be able to professionally and adequately respond to common inquiries or complaints from families and communicate with the Giving Tree staff and any other HHAI staff in regard to the children and their needs. Proficiency in English and the use of email (gmail), Google applications (documents, sheets, photos, blogger, calendar etc.) is a requirement of all HHAI staff. Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the day-to-day functions of this job. Indoor and a variety of outdoor weather conditions High and low noise levels Variety of odors to be tolerated Obstacles on the floor that require the ability to move around, above or under. Exposure to a variety of childhood and adult diseases and illnesses. Relationships Responsible for maintaining positive, respectful and professional relationships with: Children and families in the Giving Tree program All staff, parents, administration, board members and guests of Giving Tree and HHAI. Professional staff from other related agencies The greater Jewish community and community at large