Director of Early Childhood Education

School Director

At Educare of Omaha, Inc., we invest in our staff just as much as we invest in our children. Reimagine your role. Rediscover your passion. Join the Fun. Make a Difference.

Educare of Omaha, Inc. is a non-profit organization that has a collaborative partnership between Early Head Start/Head Start, Omaha Public Schools and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund. Comprised of the two Educare Omaha Schools (Kellom and Indian Hill) and three Early Learning Centers (Skinner, Gateway and Kennedy), the mission of Educare of Omaha, Inc. is to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children ages 0 to 5 through the provision of evidence-based education, health, nutritional, social, family engagement and other services to enrolled children and their families.

The School Director is responsible for creating a high-performing learning community that ensures exceptional outcomes for children, families, and staff through strong instructional leadership, relationship-based family partnerships, operational excellence, and continuous quality improvement. The School Director leads the implementation of the organization's strategic priorities by developing a positive school culture, supporting staff growth, using data to drive decision-making, and ensuring the effective integration of education, family engagement, health, and operational services at their assigned location. Depending on site structure, the School Director provides direct supervision to leadership team members and may directly supervise teaching staff or provide leadership through Education Supervisors or Mentor Teacher Supervisors.

Educare of Omaha at Kellom (2123 Paul Street. Omaha, NE 68102)

Full Time (40 hours per week, Monday-Friday); 12 Months; Exempt. The typical work schedule is within the hours of 7:00am to 5:30pm, with flexibility available based on operational needs.

Duties And Responsibilities

Instructional Leadership & School Readiness

• Revise and implement written policies and procedures in collaboration with the Program Director.
• Supervise and monitor implementation of curriculum, assessment, coaching, and instructional practices that improve school readiness outcomes.
• Analyze child outcome data and classroom performance to establish school improvement priorities.
• Collaborate with Education Supervisors, Mentor Teacher Supervisors, and Content Area Directors to improve instructional quality.
• Ensure fidelity of curriculum implementation.
• Monitor classroom quality using CLASS, GOLD, and other agency measures.
• Develop annual School Improvement Plans aligned with agency goals.
• Promote inclusive practices and high-quality learning environments

Family Engagement & Community Partnerships

• Foster a welcoming, inclusive school culture where families are authentic partners.
• Support implementation of family engagement strategies that strengthen child outcomes.
• Utilize family feedback to improve school climate.
• Collaborate with Family Engagement staff to address attendance, enrollment, and family goals.
• Promote meaningful parent leadership opportunities and school led parent committees.

Leadership, Culture & Staff Development

• Create and sustain a positive, inclusive, and high-performing school culture.
• Lead through coaching, reflective supervision, and relationship-based leadership.
• Develop leadership capacity among direct reports.
• Build collaboration across disciplines.
• Recognize employee accomplishments.
• Address conflict proactively.

Talent Development & Performance Management

• Interview, select, and retain exceptional staff.
• Develop leadership capacity.
• Conduct meaningful coaching conversations.
• Provide timely performance feedback.
• Address performance concerns early.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Leadership

• Use data for decision making.
• Lead Continuous Quality Improvement at assigned location.
• Support agency strategic initiatives.
• Participate in cross-functional leadership.
• Champion innovation.
• Develop annual school goals.

Self-Management & Leadership

• Employee is seen as an ambassador to the organization.
• Consistently follows through to accomplish job functions and/or meet deadlines.
• Demonstrates ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing work conditions and/or project requirements.
• Exhibits a positive attitude and good work ethic; works well with others.
• Provides excellent customer service, both internally and externally.
• Adheres to all organizational policies, procedures, regulations as well as the expected code of conduct and ethics relating to IT security, OPS User Agreement, and Confidentiality.
• Maintains professional appearance and attire.
• Punctual and reliable attendance at the assigned work location.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education

• Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Educational Leadership, or a closely related field preferred. If master's degree is in related discipline (e.g., Social Work, Child Development, Human Development, Family Studies, Psychology, Public Administration, or Organizational Leadership) will be considered when combined with demonstrated leadership experience in early childhood education.

Qualifications

Required

• Valid driver's license and car insurance required.
• Ability to travel locally and out of state as required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid certification.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible leadership experience, in early childhood education preferred.
• Minimum of five years supervising professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience improving child outcomes through instructional leadership.
• Experience leading data-driven continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience building collaborative partnerships with families and community organizations.
• Familiarity with community culture and knowledge of community resources and services.
• Ability to take or think about the perspective of others and demonstrate self-awareness of one's own culture, beliefs, and values.

Preferred

• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of grant compliance, community referral networks, and two-generation approaches. Experience in a Head Start/Early Head Start program.
• Experience with accreditation (NAEYC or other nationally recognized accreditation systems). Experience with Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) or other state quality rating initiatives.
• Experience using data systems such as Teaching Strategies GOLD®, CLASS®, ChildPlus, and other early childhood assessment and reporting tools.
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities are preferred.

What's In It For You?

Generous Paid Time Off:

• Up to 96 hours vacation and 96 hours sick time in your first year
• 10 paid holidays, including your birthday
• 2-week paid Winter Break
• 1-week paid Spring Break
• Paid inclement weather days

Competitive Pay & Benefits:

• Starting at $80,000 Annually (based on experience and tenure)
• Medical premiums starting at $40.32 per paycheck
• No copays for mental health therapy
• Dental, vision, FSA, life insurance, short-term disability, and more
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligible

Thrive in Your Career:

• Ongoing coaching and professional development
• Tuition assistance available
• No contracts

Educare of Omaha, Inc. is committed to ensuring equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all hiring and employment practices. We are committed to equal treatment for all applicants and employees and will not discriminate based on age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, disability, sex/gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

Equal Opportunity Employer