Director, Wolk Children's Center

Director, Wolk Children’s Center

Department: Children & Family Programs

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Location: In Person

Program Ages: Infants through School Age

Licensed Capacity: 286 Children

Reports To: Senior Program Director

Position Summary

The Wolk Children’s Center is a vibrant community where children are encouraged to explore, build relationships, develop confidence, and grow into who they are. We are looking for a Director who brings warmth, energy, strong leadership, and a deep understanding of children to this work.

The Director serves as the primary leader of the Wolk Children’s Center and is responsible for the overall quality and performance of a comprehensive childcare program serving children from infancy through school age. This is a highly visible leadership position for someone who enjoys being present in classrooms, connecting with families, developing staff, and creating an environment where children feel safe, supported, challenged, and excited to be here.

With a licensed capacity of 286 children, the Director must also be a strong organizational leader who can successfully manage a large team and complex daily operation. The Director is accountable for program quality, staff leadership, family experience, licensing and compliance, enrollment, financial performance, and the overall operation of the Center.

Essential Responsibilities

Program Quality & Child Development

• Provide leadership and oversight for infant, toddler, preschool and school-age programs.
• Establish and monitor standards for program quality, classroom environments, curriculum, teacher-child interactions, and developmentally appropriate practice.
• Maintain regular visibility in classrooms and program spaces.
• Ensure programs support children's social-emotional, cognitive, language, physical, and developmental growth.
• Conduct regular classroom observations and provide feedback and coaching to teaching teams.
• Guide staff in supporting children's behavior through positive, developmentally appropriate practices.
• Ensure children's developmental progress and milestones are appropriately observed, documented, and communicated with families.
• Coordinate additional support when developmental, behavioral, social-emotional, or educational concerns are identified.
• Use observations, developmental information, family feedback, and program data to continuously improve program quality.

Staff Leadership & Development

• Recruit, hire, onboard, supervise, coach, evaluate, and retain qualified employees.
• Establish clear roles, expectations, and accountability across the Center team.
• Develop supervisors and lead teachers to effectively lead their teams.
• Maintain regular visibility with staff and provide timely coaching and performance feedback.
• Develop staffing schedules that meet enrollment needs, required ratios, program expectations, and budget parameters.
• Monitor vacancies, attendance, call-outs, coverage, overtime, and staffing patterns.
• Ensure staff qualifications, training, certifications, and professional development remain current.
• Plan and facilitate staff meetings and professional development.
• Address performance and conduct concerns promptly and consistently.
• Foster a professional culture where employees feel supported, accountable, and committed to providing high-quality care.

Family Experience

• Serve as a visible, accessible, and welcoming leader for Center families.
• Build positive relationships with families and maintain a consistent presence throughout the program day.
• Ensure families receive timely, accurate, and professional communication.
• Respond to family questions, concerns, and escalated situations promptly and appropriately.
• Meet with families regarding developmental, behavioral, classroom, or program concerns as needed.
• Ensure parent-teacher conferences and developmental updates are provided consistently.
• Support staff in maintaining strong and professional relationships with families.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Monitor family feedback and retention and identify opportunities to strengthen the family experience.

Licensing, Compliance & Safety

• Maintain current knowledge of New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) regulations and licensing requirements.
• Ensure the Center operates in compliance with applicable regulations, licensing requirements, and JCC policies.
• Maintain the Center's license and required regulatory documentation.
• Serve as a primary contact for OCFS and manage regulatory visits, inspections, inquiries, and follow-up.
• Ensure required child, personnel, medical, attendance, training, safety, and licensing records are complete and current.
• Ensure employees meet applicable qualification, clearance, medical, certification, and training requirements.
• Monitor licensed capacity, classroom groupings, staffing, and required child-to-staff ratios.
• Ensure appropriate supervision of children throughout the program day.
• Oversee health care, medication, illness, injury, emergency, evacuation, and safety procedures.
• Ensure mandated reporter requirements and behavior management policies are understood and followed.
• Complete required regulatory reporting and address compliance concerns within established timeframes.

Center Operations

• Direct the daily operation of the Early Childhood and School Age programs.
• Ensure adequate leadership, staffing, and coverage throughout operating hours.
• Maintain effective systems for attendance, arrival and dismissal, staffing, communication, documentation, and classroom transitions.
• Ensure classrooms and program spaces are safe, organized, appropriately equipped, and prepared for children.
• Respond to staffing shortages, facility concerns, health situations, behavioral incidents, and other operational needs.
• Ensure emergency procedures and required drills are completed and documented.
• Maintain accurate administrative records and meet organizational and regulatory deadlines.
• Evaluate Center processes and implement improvements that increase consistency, efficiency, safety, or program quality.
• Keep JCC leadership informed of significant operational needs, trends, risks, and concerns.

Enrollment & Financial Management

• Monitor enrollment, tuition revenue, classroom utilization, waitlists, and available capacity.
• Establish and monitor goals for enrollment, retention, revenue, staffing, and financial performance.
• Develop enrollment projections to inform staffing, budgeting, and program planning.
• Monitor personnel costs, including staffing levels, scheduled hours, and overtime.
• Align staffing decisions with enrollment, required ratios, program quality, and financial sustainability.
• Oversee classroom placements, waitlists, tours, registration, and enrollment.
• Monitor family retention and trends affecting enrollment or revenue.
• Monitor purchasing and program expenditures within the approved budget.
• Support accurate administration of tuition, childcare subsidies, scholarships, and other program funding.
• Use financial, enrollment, staffing, and program data to guide decisions and long-term planning.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen enrollment, responsibly manage expenses, and support program growth.

Marketing & JCC Engagement

• Represent the Wolk Children’s Center positively within the JCC and Greater Rochester community.
• Partner with JCC Marketing to support enrollment, program promotion, and community awareness.
• Provide program information, stories, photos, milestones, and highlights for marketing and communications.
• Participate in open houses, tours, family programs, and appropriate JCC events.
• Coordinate with other JCC departments when programs or resources can enhance the experience of children and families.
• Participate in organizational meetings and initiatives as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Education, Human Services, or a related field, including coursework necessary to meet New York State OCFS Director qualifications.
• Minimum of one year teaching and one year of supervisory experience in a childcare or early childhood setting.
• Strong knowledge of child development, developmentally appropriate practice, and social-emotional development.
• Working knowledge of New York State OCFS childcare regulations and licensing requirements.

Position Requirements

• Full-time, in-person position with regular and reliable attendance required.
• Consistent presence throughout the Wolk Children’s Center is an essential function of the position.
• Flexibility based on staffing, family, regulatory, and operational needs.
• Occasional early morning, evening, or weekend availability for meetings, training, family programs, emergencies, or JCC events.
• Ability to move regularly throughout classrooms, playgrounds, hallways, and other indoor and outdoor program spaces.
• Ability to engage directly with children and provide classroom support when needed.
• Must successfully complete and maintain all required background checks, clearances, health requirements, certifications, training, and professional development.