Early Childhood Education Manager (3301)

Lutheran Services Florida • Largo, FL

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is seeking a talented Early Childhood Education Manager to support the Head Start Director or Director of Education for Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS). This role is crucial for ensuring compliance across Early Childhood and Development areas, including program options, staffing, voluntary pre-kindergarten, and school readiness. The manager will also participate in and provide leadership for HS/EHS Quality Assurance efforts, aiming to make a significant impact on the lives of children and families.

Requirements

• Must be 21 years of age.
• Five years of supervisory experience required.
• Early education teaching experience required.
• A baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood education from an accredited college or university; or A baccalaureate or advanced degree in any subject and coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education.
• Current Florida Child Care Director’s credential.
• Preschool CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) Certification within 6 months from date of hire and maintain certification/reliability renewals annually.
• Infant/Toddler CLASS certification within 6 months from date of hire and maintain certification/reliability renewals annually.
• Certification in First Aid and CPR within six months of the date assigned to this position.
• Successful completion of a Level II background screening and drug screening prior to hiring.
• Knowledge of HS/EHS performance standards.
• Knowledge of adult learning techniques.
• Math skills needed to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, percentages and overtime.
• Computer skills to produce and interpret graphs, charts, spreadsheets and other mathematical reports.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; make recommendations and develop implementation strategies.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to interpret agency, federal and state laws pertaining to the program.
• Ability to speak before groups of individuals and to lead employees and volunteers.
• Ability to plan and direct activities to write goals and objectives.
• Ability to utilize agency resources and technology to appropriately answer questions and provides guidance to staff and parents.
• Ability to train and provide presentations to large and small groups.
• Ability to collaborate with and have working knowledge of local community resources.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
• Sustained concentration and attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to prioritize and manage work load and deadlines.
• Excellent diagnostic and problem solving skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail are required and the candidate must be able to meet designated deadlines.
• Must demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.

Nice To Haves

• Some experience in financial management and budgeting preferred.
• Previous Head Start/Early Head Start experience preferred.
• Bilingual preferred: English/Spanish or English and other languages present in the local area.
• Knowledge of local customs, cultures, languages and resources helpful.

Responsibilities

• Support the Head Start program by managing the early childhood services area with the support of Program Leadership.
• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning in one-on-one or group settings for capacity-building strategies.
• Provide skill development and mentoring to staff through on-the-job technical assistance.
• Offer guidance to staff in building skills and competence.
• Facilitate the development, implementation, and coordination of internal support plans (action plans, behavior plans) with parents, teachers, and supervisors.
• Implement and evaluate skills and strategies.
• Provide ongoing quality assistance to address children’s challenging behaviors and sensory needs.
• Support the professional development of all staff by delivering coaching and technical assistance.
• Ensure assistance to Center Management in the absence of the Center Director/Site Manager via the ECE Supervisor and VPK/SR Supervisor.
• Ensure that CLASS, classroom assessments, and all other school readiness requirements are met at each center.
• Provide support in the implementation and roll-out of LSF policy and procedures and management by objectives and the approval process for early childhood services.
• Work collaboratively with the VPK/SR Supervisor on the implementation of Head Start and State Pre-Kindergarten school readiness.
• Provide support in instances of vacancies among early childhood management and classroom staff.
• Provide direct support in the aggregation of school readiness data and required assessments for all LSF Head Start and Early Head Start children.
• Oversee supervision of Center Directors/Site Managers and directly supervise ECE & VPK Supervisors.
• Ensure adequate staffing at all center locations.
• Provide CLASS evaluations and the aggregation of children assessments.
• Review all performance appraisals for center staff and prepare appraisals for directly supervised staff.
• Take appropriate corrective action as needed in accordance with LSF Personnel Policies and Procedures and HS Performance Standards.
• Participate in site visits, classrooms observations, and work groups to assess program needs and planning strategies for system/process improvement and/or development of early childhood education, disabilities, and mental health.
• Assess the implementation of the agency’s work plan to ensure program/content goals and objectives are met.
• Provide guidance and support to staff with implementation of curriculum/individualization plans and ongoing assessments.
• Manage the curriculum implementation county-wide for the Grantee and work with the Head Start Director and Director of Continuous Quality Improvement toward providing required assessments for children and outcomes reporting.
• Maintain content development expertise and disseminate such knowledge by providing ongoing quality assistance to staff.
• Develop and disseminate resources and best practices for the process of implementing quality improvement efforts.
• Attend all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the HS Director and Vice President of Early Learning, Research & Training.
• Serve as the liaison between LSF and community programs that provide support to the Head Start Program.
• Attend all required staff and parent meetings and activities.
• Maintain strict confidentiality with respect to HS/EHS children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Telehealth (24/7 online access to Doctors)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer paid life insurance (1X salary)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• Generous PTO policy (starting at 16 working days a year)
• 403(b) Retirement plan with 3% discretionary employer match OR 3% student loan repayment reimbursement
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

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