Center Manager

Innovative Network of Knowledge•Jasper, AL

32d•Onsite

About The Position

It's a great feeling to work for a company that does so much good for others around the world! This role involves ensuring the physical and mental health and safety of children, managing program personnel, overseeing the delivery of high-quality program services, monitoring compliance of recordkeeping systems, ensuring staff follow appropriate safety practices, tracking child outcomes, supporting staff development, maintaining child files, ensuring the facility is hazard-free, reporting incidents, establishing staff meetings, and preparing reports. Additionally, the Center Manager serves as the primary point of contact for the Head Start center, analyzes program data, participates in family engagement activities, identifies opportunities for parent involvement, supports community engagement efforts, ensures in-kind contributions are documented, assists with grant applications and budgets, manages center needs, and performs other assigned duties.

Requirements

Experience in licensed childcare centers.
Associate degree or CDA.
Experience working with diverse families in low-income communities.
Valid Driver’s License and work eligibility status.
Pass criminal driving and background check, physical and drug screen.
MUST obtain within 6 months: CPR/First Aid certification, 80 hours CDA coursework in infant/toddler or preschool (if no CDA), Center Director Initial Child Care Training 25 Hours Course for Alabama(cdastars.com).
Leadership skills evident through professional presence and reinforcement of agency mission, vision, and culture to encourage passion, engagement, and accountability among center staff.
Courtesy and sensitivity when dealing with center staff, children, and parents, including effective management of difficult or emotional child and/or parent situations.
Strong people acumen, knowledge of human resources policy requirements, and personnel management strategies.
Ability to organize and prioritize duties and responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to work independently in a flexible schedule including nights, holidays, and weekends.
Sensitivity to the service population’s cultural and socio-economic characteristics.
Familiarity with applicable state and federal Head Start regulations, performance standards and guidelines.
Ability to work independently.
Possess a valid driver’s license.
Complete and pass health examination.
Confirm work eligibility status.
Successfully pass driving history check.
Clear criminal background check.
Required to lift up to 60 pounds.
Required to stand, sit on the floor, bend, squat, kneel, lift children, and engage with children.
Exposure to communicable diseases, and other hazards such as cigarette smoke, pets, at risk neighborhoods, etc.
Travel up to 50% by car, bus, airplane, or train may also be required associated with attendance at conferences, meetings and other duties carried out at distant locations in and out of state and in some cases where some overnight travel may be required.
Some evenings and weekend work may occasionally be required for events such as home visits, parent teacher conferences, Parent Committee meetings, community, and social events such as field trips.
Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education
Bilingual (Spanish)
Three (3) years of case management experience

Responsibilities

Ensure staff, consultants, contractors, and volunteers protect the physical and mental health and safety of our children and no child is left alone or unsupervised while under our care in your facility.
Hire, train, manage, and evaluate program personnel to support individual staff professional development and continuous program quality improvement.
Manage the delivery of high-quality program services that comply with state and federal standards through implementation, monitoring, and feedback of program policies and procedures.
Monitor compliance of recordkeeping systems for all physical and electronic program files (e.g., personnel, client, accounting, and incident records), including compliance with confidentiality.
Ensure center staff (including contractors) follow appropriate practices to keep children safe during all activities, including reporting at a minimum suspected or known child abuse and neglect, appropriate supervision of children at all times; and all standards of conduct.
Track and monitor child outcomes and quality assessment results on a center-wide basis, including compliance with positive adult-child interactions as measured by the CLASS: Pre-K instrument.
Support staff development, including completion of minimum training requirements as specified in state and federal standards, continuing professional development, and staff wellness initiatives.
Ensure physical and electronic child files are current and organized.
Monitor facility to be certain it is free from physical and environmental hazards.
Report incidents within the timeframes designated in program policy and protocol.
Establish weekly staff meetings to ensure effective command, control, and coordination.
Prepare and submit reports prior to deadlines.
Provide timely communication as the first point of contact for the Head Start center for center personnel, support staff, families, and community partners.
Analyze program and child data and make program development recommendations to program leadership team.
Participate in program efforts and events designed to actively inform, recruit, and engage families with eligible and/or enrolled children in the service area.
Identify and promote opportunities for parents to participate in parenting and professional skills development, including opportunities to participate in the Head Start program as volunteers or employees.
Participate in the development and implementation of family and community engagement activities and special events.
Ensure teachers understand, generate and document in-kind contributions from parents and others and other allowable costs applied toward the non-federal share requirement.
Support development of community and self-assessment, grant applications, budgets, and required reports in accordance with INK and Office of Head Start timelines and criteria for composition.
Center needs are met, including but not limited to orders, inventory, and maintenance.
Perform other job duties as assigned.