Academy Director

Job Description

Job Description

Good Shepherd Academy Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Position Summary:
The Academy Director provides leadership and oversight for the daily operations of Good Shepherd Academy. This individual is responsible for creating a safe, organized, nurturing, and academically engaging environment for every scholar. The Director leads staff, strengthens relationships with families, ensures regulatory compliance, supports curriculum implementation, and guides the academy through continued growth and improvement.

Leadership and Staff Supervision:

• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, train, and retain qualified team members.
• Verify that all required background checks, fingerprinting, credentials, and personnel documentation are completed before staff begin working.
• Develop staff schedules that maintain appropriate classroom coverage and required child-to-staff ratios.
• Review employee attendance, timesheets, performance, and professional-development requirements.
• Observe staff interactions with scholars and provide coaching, feedback, and corrective action when necessary.
• Establish clear expectations for professionalism, dress code, active supervision, classroom management, and family communication.
• Build positive staff morale while holding all team members accountable to academy policies and licensing standards.
• Identify staff strengths and assign responsibilities that support effective academy operations.
• Lead regular staff meetings, training sessions, and performance-development activities.

Academic Programming and Curriculum:

• Oversee the development and implementation of age-appropriate, engaging, and educational programming.
• Work closely with teachers to develop lesson plans and learning experiences that meet state requirements and the academy’s educational goals.
• Ensure classrooms have appropriate learning materials, organized centers, posted schedules, and evidence of scholar learning.
• Monitor lesson plans, portfolios, assessments, classroom documentation, and curriculum implementation.
• Support teachers with classroom management, instructional practices, and individual scholar needs.
• Promote school-readiness skills, social-emotional development, creativity, and positive character development.
• Communicate curriculum goals, classroom activities, and opportunities for continued learning at home to families.

Licensing, Safety, and Compliance:

• Ensure Good Shepherd Academy complies with all applicable state, local, and federal regulations.
• Maintain accurate and current scholar, staff, training, attendance, health, and licensing records.
• Ensure required child-to-staff ratios and active-supervision practices are maintained at all times.
• Confirm that doors, classrooms, playgrounds, and common areas are secure and equipped with appropriate child-safety measures.
• Conduct routine safety inspections and address hazards, repairs, or maintenance concerns promptly.
• Maintain emergency plans, required safety equipment, first-aid supplies, and classroom emergency information.
• Cooperate with licensing representatives and other regulatory agencies during inspections and follow-up visits.
• Report serious incidents, suspected abuse or neglect, licensing concerns, and safety matters according to established procedures.

Academy Operations and Facility Management:

• Maintain a clean, organized, professional, and welcoming academy environment.
• Oversee the organization and upkeep of classrooms, the kitchen, administrative offices, entrances, storage areas, and outdoor spaces.
• Monitor academy supplies, instructional materials, equipment, food-service needs, and maintenance requests.
• Develop systems for enrollment, attendance, tuition, family records, staff documentation, and daily communication.
• Assist with budgeting, purchasing, expense monitoring, and responsible use of academy resources.
• Coordinate cleaning schedules, facility-improvement projects, and regular building inspections.
• Ensure opening and closing procedures are completed accurately and consistently.
• Protect the confidentiality of scholar, family, and employee information.

Family and Community Engagement:

• Build trusting and professional relationships with scholars, families, employees, and community partners.
• Maintain a visible and approachable leadership presence throughout the academy.
• Welcome families and respond to questions, concerns, and complaints promptly and professionally.
• Provide consistent communication regarding academy policies, events, curriculum, safety, and scholar progress.
• Support enrollment and retention by ensuring families receive excellent service and feel connected to the academy.
• Plan family-engagement opportunities, academy events, and community partnerships.
• Promote Good Shepherd Academy’s mission, values, programs, and accomplishments.

Continuous Improvement:

• Support the academy during its period of transition, strengthening systems, expectations, and accountability.
• Identify operational and instructional concerns and develop clear corrective-action plans.
• Conduct routine classroom, personnel-file, safety, and compliance audits.
• Establish short-term and long-term goals for staffing, enrollment, curriculum, family engagement, and facility improvement.
• Monitor progress and provide regular updates to academy ownership and leadership.
• Demonstrate flexibility, sound judgment, initiative, and a solution-focused leadership approach.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Strong leadership, organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing employees.
• Knowledge of Texas childcare licensing standards and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Experience working with young children and supporting early-childhood education programs.
• Ability to develop staff schedules and maintain required ratios and classroom coverage.
• Experience with curriculum implementation, lesson-plan review, and classroom observations.
• Ability to manage budgets, purchasing, records, and operational systems.
• Proficiency with computers, email, digital recordkeeping, and childcare-management systems.
• Current CPR and First Aid.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and respond appropriately during emergencies.
• Positive, professional attitude and enthusiasm for supporting scholars, families, and employees.
• Ability to meet all background-check, fingerprinting, education, and Director credential requirements.

The successful candidate will be a strong and dependable leader who is excited about positive change and prepared to help move Good Shepherd Academy toward excellence in safety, education, compliance, family service, and overall operations.