Teacher Early Childhood Education Program Director
Job Description
Phipps Neighborhoods helps children, youth, and families in low-income communities rise above poverty. We work in South Bronx neighborhoods where we can address the greatest barriers to lasting success through education and career programs, and access to community resources. We’re dedicated to our neighborhoods for the long term, supporting individuals and families as they establish self-sufficiency. Our services create opportunities for people to thrive in every aspect of their lives.
Position Summary:
Phipps Neighborhoods seeks an innovative leader to launch a comprehensive early childhood program serving families with children age zero to five years. The program will offer structured pre-kindergarten classes for 3 and 4 year old children, family resources including prenatal and parenting classes held in a “reading room,” and case management with wrap around supports for families. The programming will ultimately be a continuum of services connecting the families of our youngest participants with the Phipps Neighborhoods cradle to career pipeline. The early childhood continuum will roll out over three phases, with the first including structured prekindergarten classes and a multi-service family reading room. The ideal candidate will provide leadership in the creation, planning, organization, and consistent implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum emphasizing a child-centered learning environment for toddlers and preschoolers. This leader will work closely with a UPK Compliance Manger and a Family Resource Specialist to partner with families to ensure the highest quality prekindergarten learning environment.
- Oversee the creation and daily operations of a multi service early childhood family resource center. These services will include, but are not limited to full day prekindergarten classes for 3 and 4 year old children; an early childhood family reading room; parenting classes; family case management; and adult education; craft a plan for early childhood program growth (Phase 2 and 3) that is in alignment with the Phipps Neighborhoods early childhood program strategy.
- Supervise all instructional staff including head teachers, assistant teachers, and school aides; create and implement professional development plans for all instructional staff including regular observation and feedback of classroom instruction; Recruit and hire qualified instructional staff.
- Cultivate, engage, and support external partners and volunteers to work with both the prekindergarten classes and family resource center.
- Support fundraising efforts for early childhood program.
- Supervise the Family Resource Specialist in creating a welcoming and productive learning environment for families of children 0-5 years old.
- Create and manage the site budget and effectively track expenses so spending perfectly aligns with program needs.
- Create, plan, and implement curriculum, assuring they meet the highest quality standards.
- Assist with student recruitment and enrollment.
- Demonstrate knowledge of early childhood education best practices and how to incorporate these practices into, and across, program sites.
- Communicate effectively with parents as needed and maintain a positive relationship with families through parent meetings, counseling, conference, workshops and special events.
- Engage families with learning activities both in the classroom during the school day and strategies for early childhood learning at home.
- Possess a good understanding of current, applicable regulations and be able to perform all necessary steps to make sure programs are in compliance with these regulations, including the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Department of Education.
- Develop and implement structures to support successful achievement of outcomes and performance targets.
- Use data consistently for ongoing quality assurance and performance monitoring
- Promote the positive image of the organization and play a major role in making Phipps Neighborhoods a provider of choice in educational programs for the communities we serve
Qualifications:
- MA in Early Childhood Education or related field is required
- Must meet all NYC DOE requirements for early childhood education program supervision
- Minimum of 3-5 years as a group or lead teacher preferred along with 2+ years as an education supervisor, or site manager required.
- Previous experience designing and launching holistic, whole family programs from the ground up.
- A track record of excellence with inspiring teachers, parents, and other community members
- A track of record of fully enrolling programs in areas with high competition
- Excellent written communication skills
- Above average proficiency with the full Microsoft office suite, especially Excel.
- Strong record of yielding student achievement and kindergarten readiness.
- Experience with Teaching Strategies Gold, Early Screening Inventory (ESI), Assessment Survey Quality Evaluation (ASQE), Program Quality Assessment (PQA) and Salesforce and other data management and evaluation software strongly preferred
- Knowledge of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Article 47 regulations, Head Start Performance Standards, Department of Education Universal Pre-K and Common Core Standards and Administration of Children Services Standards
- Knowledge of NAEYC and other state and national accreditation standards
- Ability to multi-task, be goal oriented and possess a high energy level in order to succeed in a challenging, fast-paced environment
- Positive, energetic and engaging personality as well as a good sense of humor
