Director, Early Childhood Education

Rocketship Public Schools • Washington, DC

10d

About The Position

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Description

The Director of Early Childhood Education (ECE) serves as the regional leader and program owner for Rocketship DC’s early childhood education pilot. This role is responsible for the design, launch, implementation, quality assurance, and continuous improvement of Rocketship’s ECE program, ensuring high-quality, developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children while maintaining full compliance with state and local early childhood regulations.
This role sits on the regional team and operates with a program-implementation and strategic planning lens, rather than as a site-based instructional leader. In the absence of school leaders with deep ECE expertise, the Director serves as the primary instructional quality authority for the ECE program, establishing systems, monitoring fidelity, and ensuring alignment with external accountability standards, including OSSE and Teachstone’s CLASS.

The Director of Early Childhood Education is deeply committed to the success of each Rocketeer, and the daily workload reflects that commitment. The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in early childhood education, including 3+ years in a ECE leadership role.
• Teachstone CLASS Certified Observer (Pre-K).
• Demonstrated experience using CLASS data to drive instructional quality and program improvement.
• Experience operating ECE programs within school-based, charter, or network environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and launch of Rocketship’s early childhood education pilot, including program model, policies, procedures, staffing structures, and operational systems.
• Establish and steward a clear ECE instructional vision grounded in child development, developmentally appropriate practice, and state early learning standards.
• Develop short- and long-term strategic plans for program stabilization, evaluation, and potential scale.
• Serve as the primary regional owner for the ECE program, ensuring alignment across instructional, operational, and compliance priorities.
• Own the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of ECE instructional quality systems across participating schools.
• Serve as a Teachstone CLASS Certified Observer, ensuring classrooms are observed and evaluated according to CLASS standards and OSSE expectations.
• Design and oversee systems for CLASS-aligned observations, feedback, and continuous improvement, particularly in environments where school leaders may not have ECE expertise.
• Analyze CLASS data alongside developmental progress, attendance, and implementation metrics to inform strategic planning and instructional adjustments.
• Establish clear expectations for curriculum, instructional practices, and teacher–child interactions aligned to CLASS domains and state ECE frameworks.
• Partner with school-based leaders to translate CLASS data into actionable improvement plans while maintaining appropriate role boundaries.
• Ensure full compliance with all state and local ECE licensing regulations, including health and safety requirements, staff-to-child ratios, enrollment, and reporting.
• Serve as the primary liaison with OSSE, licensing bodies, and external evaluators.
• Prepare for and lead licensing visits, audits, and quality reviews.
• Develop systems to proactively monitor compliance and mitigate operational and regulatory risk.
• Partner with Operations, Facilities, HR, and Legal teams to ensure ECE environments, staffing models, and schedules meet regulatory requirements.
• Oversee ECE program budgets in partnership with the Executive Director and Finance, ensuring fiscal sustainability.
• Partner with school-based leaders to support the recruitment, onboarding, development, and retention of ECE educators.
• Build the capacity of site-based leaders to understand and apply CLASS-aligned instructional expectations.
• Establish clear role definitions, decision-making frameworks, and escalation pathways between regional and school-based teams.
• Support leaders in using CLASS and other quality data to drive improvement while maintaining a joyful, supportive learning environment.
• Design and oversee systems for meaningful family engagement that honor families as children’s first teachers.
• Ensure communication structures are in place to keep families informed, supported, and engaged in their child’s learning experience.
• Partner with schools to build inclusive, culturally responsive relationships with families and communities.
• Model reflective leadership by owning outcomes, responding constructively to feedback, and continuously improving practice.
• Collaborate across schools and regions to share best practices and strengthen ECE implementation.
• Contribute to Rocketship’s organizational learning around early childhood education and quality assurance.

Benefits

• excellent health and wellness benefits
• 403b retirement plan
• flexible spending account (FSA)
• generous paid time off

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director