Early Childhood Education Manager (3301)

Lutheran Services Florida•Largo, FL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Early Childhood Education Manager supports the Head Start Director or Director of Education for Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) in efforts to ensure compliance across the Early Childhood and Development areas. This role is responsible for education and early childhood development services, including program options and staffing, voluntary pre-kindergarten, and school readiness. The manager participates and provides leadership in HS/EHS Quality Assurance efforts.

Requirements

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.
Must be 21 years of age.
Five years of supervisory experience required as well as early education teaching experience.
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, both one-on-one and in group settings, in the joint process of capacity-building strategies.
Provide skill development and mentoring to staff progressing in their position by performing on-the-job technical assistance and mentoring of specific skills.
Provide 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 with the implementation of Head Start and State Pre-Kindergarten school readiness.
Provide support in instances in which vacancies exist 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 the 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 is responsible for working 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
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