Director of Early Learning

Grow Early Learning Corp•Raleigh, NC

2d•$89,200 - $105,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Early Learning leads, manages, and oversees early childhood education services across Grow Early Learning regions and centers, including their design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The role leads the development and execution of agency-wide school readiness goals, establishes processes for selecting and evaluating evidence-based curricula and assessment tools, and develops systems for evaluating classroom quality and reporting child progress and classroom quality to stakeholders. The Director also designs and evaluates a coordinated Planned Language Approach that supports the languages and cultures of enrolled families, and evaluates education services to identify enhancements. The Director leads education staff and teams in individualizing curricula, creating culturally and linguistically respectful classrooms, assessing curriculum fidelity and classroom quality, and using child assessment data to guide improvements at classroom, center, regional, delegate, and grantee levels. The role coordinates with organizational leadership to support high-quality learning environments, oversees training, technical assistance, and coaching initiatives, and leads efforts to achieve and maintain NAEYC accreditation. The Director represents Grow Early Learning on early childhood education matters and supervises the School Readiness Specialist and Early Childhood Education Coaches. The position is based in an office, with frequent travel in rural areas, in and out of state, for periods of two to three days. The role requires the ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Requirements

Master of Education (MEd) or Master of Science (MS) in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in an Early Childhood Education leadership role.
Knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards.
Strong communication skills, including reading and writing.
Strong leadership, time-management, and organizational skills.
Knowledge of adult learning principles.
Recordkeeping and computer skills.
Ability to guide and motivate individuals from diverse populations.
Ability to travel frequently in rural areas, in and out of state, for two to three days at a time.
Ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of agency-wide school readiness goals aligned with children's needs and federal and state systems; monitor progress and make course corrections.
Develop and lead processes for reviewing and selecting appropriate curricula, assessment tools, and developmental screening tools, involving stakeholders across the organization.
Lead education staff in individualizing curricula and developing appropriate resources for each child.
Guide staff in implementing curricula and creating classroom environments and cultures that respect and embrace the cultures and languages of enrolled children and families.
Develop and lead processes to evaluate fidelity to selected curricula and address implementation challenges.
Develop processes for assessing classroom quality, including use of CLASS, ECERs, ITERs, and other assessment or evaluation tools, and lead teams in addressing challenges.
Develop and implement systems to collect, aggregate, and report child assessment data at classroom, center, region, delegate, and grantee levels; guide course corrections as needed.
Develop reporting systems on school readiness progress, challenges, and classroom quality for stakeholders, including the Board of Directors, Policy Council, Office of Head Start, organizational leadership, and regional and center leadership.
Develop and implement Grow Early Learning's Planned Language Approach to support children learning more than one language.
Coordinate with leadership to ensure facilities and playgrounds provide high-quality learning environments that reflect family cultures and support the selected curriculum.
Develop communication and collaboration systems with Grow Early Learning and Delegate Agency leadership to support education systems.
In collaboration with the Training Manager, oversee development and delivery of training and technical assistance plans for education and other staff, including Delegate Agencies.
Develop and implement a research-based coaching curriculum for Grow Early Learning and Delegate Agency classroom and education staff.
Lead plans to help centers achieve and maintain NAEYC accreditation.
Participate on the management team, sharing relevant early childhood education information and collaborating with other members.
Represent Grow Early Learning nationally at conferences and other events as requested, and serve as a subject matter expert on early childhood education and development.
Stay current with research on early childhood development and education, dual language learners, program evaluation, and early childhood environments.
Supervise the School Readiness Specialist and Early Childhood Education Coaches.
Perform other duties as assigned.