Director of Early Learning

Grow Early Learning Corp•Raleigh, NC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Grow Early Learning, a Head Start organization serving children and families of migrant and seasonal farm workers, is seeking a Director of Early Learning. The Director leads, manages, and oversees early childhood education services across all regions and centers, including their design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The role leads the development and execution of school readiness goals; establishes processes for selecting and supporting evidence-based curricula and assessment tools; develops classroom-quality and child-progress evaluation and reporting systems; and designs and evaluates a coordinated planned language approach that supports the languages and cultures of enrolled families. This is an in-office position with frequent travel in rural areas, in and out of state, typically for two to three days at a time. The role works in a typical office environment and requires the ability to lift at least 25 pounds. The Director supervises the School Readiness Specialist and Early Childhood Education Coaches and collaborates with agency and delegate leadership, staff, and stakeholders. Other duties may be assigned, and job duties may change.

Requirements

Master of Education (MED) or Master of Science (MS) in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
At least five 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 lift a minimum of 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of agency-wide school readiness goals reflecting the needs of Grow Early Learning children and aligning with federal and state systems.
Lead the execution of school readiness goals and objectives and make course corrections as needed.
Develop and lead processes for reviewing and selecting curricula, assessment tools, and developmental screening tools appropriate for children and families, involving stakeholders including the Board of Directors and Policy Council.
Lead education staff in individualizing curricula and developing resources for each child.
Guide staff in implementing curricula and creating classroom environments and cultures that respect and embrace enrolled children’s and families’ cultures and languages.
Develop and lead processes for evaluating fidelity to selected curricula and help education teams address challenges.
Develop and lead processes for assessing classroom quality, including use of CLASS, ECERs, ITERs, and other evaluation tools as necessary.
Lead education teams in identifying and addressing classroom-quality challenges.
Develop and implement systems for collecting, aggregating, and reporting child assessment data at classroom, center, region, delegate, and grantee levels.
Lead education teams in developing course corrections based on assessment data at all levels.
Develop reporting systems on school readiness progress, challenges, and classroom quality for the Board of Directors, Policy Council, Office of Head Start, Grow Early Learning leadership, and regional and center leadership.
Develop and implement the Grow Early Learning Planned Language Approach to support children learning more than one language.
Coordinate with other agency leaders to ensure facilities and playgrounds are high-quality learning environments that reflect enrolled families’ cultures and support the selected curriculum.
Develop communication systems and collaborate with Grow Early Learning and Delegate Agency leadership to ensure education systems are supported and implemented.
In collaboration with the Training Manager, oversee development and delivery of training and technical assistance plans for education and other staff, including Delegate Agencies, based on school readiness results, classroom-quality assessments, monitoring results, and the strategic plan.
Develop and implement a research-based coaching curriculum for Grow Early Learning and Delegate Agency classroom and education staff.
Lead plans to help all centers achieve and maintain National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation.
Participate on the management team, sharing relevant early childhood education information and collaborating with other team members.
Represent Grow Early Learning nationally, as requested, by presenting and speaking at conferences and other events.
Serve as the organization’s subject matter expert on early childhood education and development.
Stay current with research on early childhood development and education, dual language learners, program evaluation, early childhood environments, and related topics.
Supervise the School Readiness Specialist and Early Childhood Education Coaches.
Perform other duties as assigned.