Child Care Center Director

Job Description

Job Description

Benefits:

• Employee discounts
• Paid time off
• Training & development

Child Care Center Director

We are seeking an experienced, confident leader to oversee the day-to-day operations of a large, established early childhood education program.

This position requires someone who can successfully lead adults, manage operations, maintain regulatory compliance, support enrollment and family relationships, and build a healthy, accountable workplace culture .

While knowledge of early childhood education is important, this is first and foremost a leadership and management position .

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must:

• Meet all current Tennessee Department of Human Services licensing qualifications to serve as a Child Care Center Director.

• Be at least 21 years of age.

• Have a minimum of 3 years of supervisory, management, or administrative leadership experience .

• Have at least 2 years of direct responsibility for supervising employees , including coaching, performance management, scheduling, accountability, and conflict resolution.

• Demonstrate experience managing daily operations in a fast-paced organization.

• Have experience implementing and consistently enforcing policies and procedures.

• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Be comfortable handling difficult conversations with employees and families in a professional and solution-focused manner.

• Possess strong organizational, prioritization, delegation, and follow-through skills.

• Demonstrate sound judgment and the ability to make independent operational decisions.

• Be comfortable using technology for scheduling, documentation, communication, enrollment, reporting, and general business operations.

Classroom teaching experience alone does not satisfy the management experience requirement.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference may be given to candidates who have:

• 3–5+ years of management or administrative leadership experience.
  
  
• Experience supervising 30 or more employees .

• Previous experience managing a large child care center, school, healthcare operation, hospitality organization, retail operation, or another high-accountability service environment.

• Experience with recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, coaching, corrective action, and employee retention.

• Experience managing staffing levels and labor costs.

• Experience with enrollment, customer service, tours, family retention, and community relationships.

• Experience analyzing operational metrics and using data to make decisions.

• Experience preparing for regulatory visits, audits, inspections, or accreditation.

• Experience developing supervisors or emerging leaders.

• Familiarity with Tennessee child care licensing requirements, Procare, Pyramid Model practices, Conscious Discipline, or other early childhood systems.

Education

A degree in one of the following areas is preferred:

• Early Childhood Education

• Education

• Business Administration

• Management

• Human Resources

• Organizational Leadership

• Psychology, Social Work, or a related field

An equivalent combination of education, leadership experience, and applicable professional experience may be considered provided the candidate meets Tennessee DHS Director qualifications.

Leadership Responsibilities

The Director serves as the primary operational leader of the center and is responsible for creating a workplace where expectations are clear, employees are supported and accountable, children are safe, families are well served, and systems operate consistently.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the center's leadership team and teaching staff.

• Maintain adequate staffing and ensure classrooms remain within required ratios.

• Develop schedules and make staffing adjustments based on enrollment and operational needs.

• Address attendance, call-outs, performance concerns, policy violations, and employee relations issues promptly.

• Participate in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts.

• Conduct regular leadership meetings and employee performance conversations.

• Ensure licensing, health, safety, supervision, documentation, and training requirements are consistently followed.

• Maintain readiness for Tennessee DHS inspections at all times.

• Review incidents, supervision concerns, complaints, and regulatory issues and ensure appropriate follow-up.

• Oversee enrollment, tours, family communication, retention, and customer service.

• Monitor classroom quality and work collaboratively with instructional leadership to improve teaching practices.

• Ensure center policies and procedures are implemented consistently.

• Monitor overtime, staffing efficiency, enrollment, attendance, and other key operating indicators.

• Identify operational problems before they become emergencies and develop solutions without depending on ownership for routine decisions.

• Maintain professional boundaries while building a positive, trusting workplace culture.

• Communicate significant risks, trends, staffing concerns, compliance concerns, and business needs to executive leadership.

What Successful Leadership Looks Like

A successful Director:

• Leads instead of simply reacts.
  
  
• Addresses problems early rather than allowing them to continue.

• Delegates effectively instead of personally doing everything.

• Sets clear expectations and follows through.

• Coaches employees while still maintaining accountability.

• Remains calm and professional during conflict.

• Makes thoughtful decisions without needing constant approval.

• Understands that employee morale and employee accountability must coexist.

• Maintains visibility throughout the center.

• Builds relationships with families without allowing individual requests to override policies.

• Understands how staffing decisions affect both quality and financial performance.

• Takes ownership of the overall success of the center.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate may have significant early childhood experience, but we are equally interested in an exceptional people leader and operations manager who meets Tennessee licensing requirements and understands how to lead a complex organization.

We are looking for someone who can move beyond managing today's schedule and instead build systems, develop people, solve problems, and lead the center forward.

This role is best suited for someone who wants genuine responsibility and ownership of the center's daily operations—not someone who needs ownership to make routine management decisions for them.