Early Learning Center Director - Alameda

Warren Village Inc.•Denver, CO

3d•$80,000 - $91,000

About The Position

The ELC serves children ages 6 weeks to 11 years old in a comprehensive, high-quality early learning environment with a strong emphasis on whole-child development, teacher training, and application of Conscious Discipline®. The center is attached to a low-income, permanent supportive housing complex and is open to resident families as well as the surrounding community. The Director plays a key role on the Executive Leadership Team, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, equity, and inclusion, while leading the Center’s strategic vision and daily operations, educational programming, staff management, compliance with regulations, and fostering of family and community partnerships. Position also collaborates closely with those at Warren Village's Gilpin location ELC to form a strong, cooperative team and ensure consistent practices across sites. At Warren Village, we uphold organizational values of accountability, collaboration, empowerment, excellence, inclusion, and integrity. We agree to engage our work together with honesty and transparency, clear decision-making, continuous learning and improvement, a commitment to repair, community building, and collective growth and well-being. We recognize that our backgrounds are broad, and our talents are many, from different lived experiences. We value and leverage these differences to support and engage our communities.

Requirements

Associate’sDegree inEarlyChildhoodEducationor related fieldor4years of related experiencemay be substituted for education.
Valid State of Colorado Large Center Director Certificate.
Demonstratedsuccessleadinga large early learning centerin the Directorrolefor a minimum of 3 years.
Demonstratedknowledge and application of Colorado ELC licensing standards and requirements
Experience with Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), Denver Preschool Program (DPP), Universal Pre-K (UPK), State Funded Program (SFP), Teaching Strategies Gold®/Interrater Reliability, Creative Curriculum®, Conscious Discipline®, and trauma-informed practices.
Experience with Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Child Care Licensing Rules & Regulations.
Understanding of, and experience with,service tolow-income families in an ELC environment.
Sixyears of relatedELCexperience, includingteaching andat leastthreeyearsin a supervisory role.
Two years of computer experiencewithsoftwareprograms andskillsrelated to ELCoperations.
Ability to passthe Stateof Colorado (and out-of-state, as applicable) fingerprint and background checks.
Ability toindependently and successfully operate a large early learning center,predominantlyservingstudents coming fromhighlycomplicatedand challenging environments.
Commitment to the mission,goals,and values of Warren Village.
Strong management, organization, and leadershipskillswithminimal oversightrequired.
Effective time management and ability to meet deadlines.
Strongability to hold staff accountableto schedules and policies with swift corrective action as needed.
Clear decision-making, problem-solving, and effective prioritization.
Knowledge of Colorado licensing requirements and regulations.
Continuouslearning andmodelingflexibility to meet business needs.
Passion forequitableearly childhood education, curriculum design, and instructional improvement.
Proficiencyin Microsoft Office Suite programs and early childhood datasystems (TS GOLD®, Creative Curriculum®, Conscious Discipline®,Brightwheel).
Ability to implement inclusive practices for diverse developmental, medical, and behavioral needs.
Working knowledge of licensing requirements, state/federal regulations, and health standards.

Nice To Haves

Strongly preferred:Bachelor's Degree (BA) in Early Childhood Education or related fieldor 8 years of related experienceto include teaching.
Spanishproficiency, both verbally and in writing.
Experience with culturally diverse populations.
A valid Colorado driver’s license.
Experience with Head Start, Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), ESI (Early Screening Inventory), and Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3/ASQ-SE2).

Responsibilities

Overseesdaily operations, ensuring licensing compliance and smooth administrative functions. Includes effective engagement, communication,complianceand relationship with Colorado state licensing staff.
Oversees implementation of curricula and daily routines, ensuring alignment with educational standards.
Ensures compliance with Colorado Shines quality standards.
Develops,implements, and evaluates curriculum plans, focusing on holistic child development.
Partners with teaching teams to foster parent involvement and support family engagement.
Approves educational events, field trips, and activities.
Collaborates with the Instructional Coach tomaintaininstructional quality,data tracking, and use of data to improve practice and student outcomes.
Works with other departments and service providers on enrollment, funding, and diverse learnersupport.
Collaboratesfrequentlywith Gilpin ELCleadership to ensure alignment and efficiency across both sites.
Interviews, hires, trains, and superviseshighly qualified staff. Mentors and holdsall ELC staffaccountabletoWarren Village HR guidelines and requirements.
Conductsstaffperformance evaluations,implementsstaff development plans,managesstafftime-off.
Manages staff schedulingand substitute arrangementsin alignment with standard hours of operation and budgetary requirements,engaging AssistantDirectorsupport as needed.
Leadsimmediate and effectiveconflict resolutionamong staff, manages internal communication, andfacilitatesstaff meetings.
Ensurescompliance with personnel policies and oversees payroll and performance improvement plans.
Builds a learning culture with shared leadership structures.
Handles budgeting andfinancial managementwith the Financeteam, aligning resources with program goals.Consistently ensures teacher FTEs align with budget, funding requirements, and enrollmentlevels.
Prioritizesstudent enrollment(in accordance withWV enrollment priorities)to maximizeroomcapacityand revenue sources.
Maintainsaccuraterecords, including student counts and staff files.
Representsthe ELC in the community, advocating for the center and engaging with donors and community partners.
Develops and monitors departmental strategic plan action itemswith reporting as necessary;implements changesas neededto ensure quality outcomes.
Ensures the safety and wellbeing of children bymaintaininga clean, safe environment.
Independently ensures compliance withState of Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood licensing requirements, includinghealth, safety, and licensing standards.
Coordinatesmaintenancewith the Director of Facilitiesin alignment withlicensing or otherrequirements.
Oversees emergency drill procedures and staff responsibilitiesandtimely adherence to all program-related requirements.
Develops and manages the center’s budget in collaboration with the Finance team, including ensuring ongoing compliance with all fundingsource requirements fortimelyfamily information compliance.
Approvesexpendituresand managessupplypurchasingand capital itemsalong with AssistantDirector.
Supports the management of parent accounts, enrollment, and marketingeffortsas needed,includingtimelyparent tuition payments.
Collaborates with the grant-writing team on applications and implementation.
Independentlyensurescontracts with funding sources (CCAP, UPK, DPP,SFP, HeadStart,etc.) areaccurateandcurrent,andthatongoing complianceand communicationrequirementsare met.
Engagesconsistently with FamilySupportiveServices staff to proactively address studentand/orparent issues, enrollment issues and other factors related to successful Two Gen model implementation.
Buildsrelationships with familiestoensureopen communicationonchildprogress and center policies.
Addresses parent concerns andfeedback andfacilitatesparent meetings and conferences.
Collaborateswith community organizations to support the center’s goals.
Plans andimplementsfamily engagement opportunities, including conferences and events.
Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Attractive benefits package, including generous paid time off (sick/vacation days) and twelve holidays.
One-week closure in both winter and summer (paid outside of PTO).
Matching employer 403(b) plan.
Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental and vision plans for employee and dependents.
Virtual telemedicine program.
Voluntary supplemental Short-Term Disability and other similar benefits.
Plus, company paid life and long-term disability insurance and Employee Assistance Program.
FSA and HSA accounts.
Professional development and tuition reimbursement opportunities.
Discounted Early Learning Childcare services available.