Apply to Director of Early Childhood Learning

DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING

Full-Time | New Jersey | Benefits Eligible

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Early Childhood Learning is responsible for the overall leadership, administration, compliance, and daily operations of a comprehensive Head Start and Early Head Start program. This position provides direct oversight of four center-based Head Start locations and a Home-Based Early Head Start program, ensuring high-quality, comprehensive services for children, pregnant women, families, and the community.

The Director ensures that all program operations comply with the Head Start Act, Head Start Program Performance Standards, federal and state licensing requirements, grant requirements, agency policies, and best practices in early childhood education and family support services.

The ideal candidate is an experienced leader with a strong background in early childhood education, program administration, staff supervision, fiscal management, and regulatory compliance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. PROGRAM LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of all Head Start and Early Head Start operations, including four center-based locations and the Home-Based Early Head Start program.

• Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, licensing requirements, grant requirements, and agency policies.

• Develop, implement, and monitor program goals, school readiness objectives, service delivery plans, policies, and continuous quality improvement initiatives.

• Supervise program management staff across education, family services, health, nutrition, disabilities, mental health, ERSEA, home-based services, facilities, transportation, and data management.

• Prepare reports, recommendations, and updates for executive leadership, governing bodies, Policy Council, auditors, and funding agencies.

2. COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• Maintain effective systems for program governance, planning, communication, recordkeeping, reporting, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

• Lead preparation for federal monitoring reviews, Focus Area reviews, CLASS assessments, fiscal reviews, licensing inspections, and other program evaluations.

• Ensure timely correction of deficiencies, compliance concerns, audit findings, and licensing issues.

• Monitor implementation of Head Start Program Performance Standards across all service areas.

• Maintain accurate documentation demonstrating compliance with applicable requirements.

3. CENTER-BASED HEAD START OVERSIGHT

• Oversee four Head Start centers to ensure safe, inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and high-quality learning environments.

• Ensure classrooms implement approved curricula, child assessment systems, individualized instruction, and school readiness goals.

• Monitor classroom quality, teacher-child interactions, child outcomes, attendance, staffing, ratios, supervision, and licensing compliance.

• Coordinate services across education, family services, health, mental health, nutrition, disabilities, and transportation.

• Support center leadership in maintaining safe, welcoming, and well-managed environments.

4. HOME-BASED EARLY HEAD START OVERSIGHT

• Oversee home-based services, including home visits, group socializations, family engagement, child development services, and service coordination.

• Ensure compliance with home-based service requirements, including caseloads, weekly home visits, service duration, and group socializations.

• Support home visitors in promoting parent-child relationships, child development, family well-being, and school readiness.

• Monitor caseloads, documentation, visit completion, family goals, referrals, and follow-up services.

• Ensure group socializations are planned with families and include appropriate child and parent participation.

5. OVERSEE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

• Oversee Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA) systems.

• Monitor enrollment, waitlists, attendance, recruitment strategies, and vacancy timelines to maintain funded enrollment.

• Ensure eligibility determinations and enrollment decisions comply with federal requirements and approved selection criteria.

• Build partnerships with school districts, childcare providers, healthcare providers, and community organizations to support recruitment and referrals.

• Analyze enrollment trends and barriers to participation and implement strategies to improve enrollment and attendance.

6. FISCAL AND GRANT MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with the fiscal department to develop, monitor, and manage program budgets.

• Ensure expenditures are allowable, reasonable, allocable, properly documented, and aligned with approved grant budgets.

• Monitor staffing, supplies, contracts, training, travel, facilities, transportation, and other expenses.

• Support grant applications, continuation applications, budget narratives, refunding applications, and required federal reports.

• Participate in budget planning, cost allocation, nonfederal share tracking, and fiscal monitoring.

7. SUPERVISION AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

• Supervise, coach, evaluate, and support management staff and program leadership.

• Ensure staff receive orientation, ongoing training, professional development, supervision, and performance feedback.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, corrective action, performance improvement, and succession planning.

• Ensure staff meet applicable Head Start qualification requirements.

• Promote professionalism, accountability, teamwork, compliance, safety, and continuous improvement.

8. CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

• Ensure comprehensive services are provided in education, health, oral health, mental health, nutrition, disabilities, family engagement, and transition planning.

• Ensure children with suspected or identified disabilities receive timely referrals, evaluations, individualized support, and coordinated services.

• Monitor health and developmental screenings, assessments, referrals, and follow-up services.

• Ensure family partnership agreements, goal setting, referrals, and follow-up services are implemented and documented.

• Support parent engagement, fatherhood initiatives, Policy Council participation, parent committees, family events, and community partnerships.

9. DATA, MONITORING, AND CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

• Use program data to assess compliance, child and family outcomes, enrollment, attendance, staffing, fiscal performance, and service quality.

• Ensure accurate and timely documentation in ChildPlus or other approved data systems.

• Conduct regular file reviews, classroom observations, home visit reviews, center visits, and management meetings.

• Identify trends, risks, service gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

• Lead continuous quality improvement initiatives and monitor implementation of program improvement plans.

10. GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• Collaborate with the governing body, Policy Council, parent committees, and agency leadership to support shared governance.

• Ensure Policy Council receives appropriate training, reports, consultation, and opportunities for meaningful participation.

• Build partnerships with school districts, childcare providers, healthcare providers, social service agencies, housing providers, higher education institutions, and community organizations.

• Represent the program at meetings, coalitions, public events, and community partner discussions.

• Support transitions from Early Head Start to Head Start and from Head Start to kindergarten.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Human Services, Public Administration, Education Administration, Social Work, Nonprofit Management, or a closely related field.

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible leadership experience in Head Start, Early Head Start, early childhood education, human services, or a related federally funded program.

• Minimum of three years of supervisory experience, including supervision of managers, coordinators, center leadership, or multidisciplinary teams.

• Demonstrated experience in staff supervision, fiscal management, and administration consistent with applicable Head Start requirements.

• Strong knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, ERSEA, child development, school readiness, family engagement, health and safety, and comprehensive service delivery.

• Experience overseeing center-based early childhood programs.

• Experience with or strong working knowledge of Home-Based Early Head Start services.

• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple sites, manage competing priorities, analyze data, implement corrective actions, and ensure compliance.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively with children, families, staff, governing bodies, Policy Council, community partners, funders, and regulatory agencies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership, Human Services, Public Administration, Social Work, Nonprofit Management, or a related field.

• Direct experience as a Head Start Director, Early Head Start Director, Education Director, Program Director, or senior manager within a Head Start or Early Head Start program.

• Knowledge of New Jersey childcare licensing requirements.

• Experience with ChildPlus, Teaching Strategies GOLD, ASQ, ASQ-SE, CLASS, ERSEA systems, and federal monitoring reviews.

• Bilingual ability preferred.

• Experience leading programs through federal monitoring, designation renewal, grant competition, corrective action, or quality improvement processes.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Leadership and staff supervision

• Fiscal and grant management

• Head Start compliance and monitoring

• Early childhood education and child development

• Home-Based Early Head Start service delivery

• ERSEA and enrollment management

• Family engagement and community partnerships

• Data analysis and continuous quality improvement

• Written communication and report preparation

• Conflict resolution and problem-solving

• Cultural responsiveness and trauma-informed leadership

• Policy implementation and accountability

• Staff coaching, development, and performance management

PHYSICAL AND WORK REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to travel between four Head Start centers, home-based service locations, administrative offices, community partner sites, and meetings.

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and move throughout early childhood centers and office settings.

• Ability to occasionally lift or carry program materials.

• Ability to work a flexible schedule as needed for evening meetings, parent events, Policy Council meetings, board meetings, monitoring visits, and community events.

• Must complete required background checks, health screenings, child abuse registry checks, fingerprinting, and other employment clearances as required by federal, state, and agency policies.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

• Compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards and state licensing requirements.

• Maintenance of full enrollment and effective attendance follow-up.

• Quality of center-based and home-based services.

• Timely completion of screenings, assessments, referrals, and child outcome reporting.

• Effective supervision and development of staff.

• Fiscal responsibility and budget compliance.

• Successful monitoring outcomes and timely correction of findings.

• Strong parent, family, and community engagement.

• Accurate data management and reporting.

• Progress toward school readiness goals, program goals, and continuous improvement priorities.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Full-time position.

• Paid time off and paid holidays.

• Health, dental, and life insurance.

• 403(b) retirement plan.

• Additional fringe benefits may be available.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Fingerprinting and Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) clearances are required in accordance with New Jersey Office of Licensing requirements.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Join a mission-driven early childhood education program dedicated to supporting children, strengthening families, and building stronger communities through high-quality Head Start and Early Head Start services.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The employer is committed to providing equal employment opportunities in accordance with applicable laws.