Overview

U.S. Kids Child Development Center seeks a dedicated Director to lead an early childhood center in providing excellent, loving, and affordable childcare to families in D.C. The Director will provide invigorating energy and strong leadership for U.S. Kids, and build a strong community among teachers, parents, and staff to support children’s success. The Director will be responsible for managing an exceptionally talented and diverse staff and maintaining those qualities as s/he makes new hires. S/he will lead the continued improvement of U.S. Kids curriculum and offerings while effectively managing the center’s budget. The Director will ensure the center stays in compliance with regulations and policies and maintain the Center’s accreditation. The Director will serve as a welcoming and warm presence to all families.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced early childhood education professional with significant experience managing and leading in an educational context and a passion for supporting the health, growth, and development of children. S/he will be a strong communicator and manager with a proven ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and a natural customer service orientation. A demonstrated ability to manage processes, including attention to timelines, due dates, tasks to be completed is necessary, as is the flexibility and poise to solve problems that arise unexpectedly. Candidates must meet all D.C. and NAEYC qualifications for a childcare center Director. Application instructions are located at the end of this document.

About U.S. Kids

U.S. Kids offers a warm, friendly, and professional environment, with countless opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of children. U.S. Kids is a non-profit, independent child development center for children ages three months to five years, located in downtown Washington, D.C. The Center serves approximately 100 children with a full-time staff of almost 30 talented and passionate educators and administrators. We are proud to have many teachers with long tenures at U.S Kids. The quality of U.S. Kids is rooted in a strong community, one that actively fosters family participation in the classrooms and promotes communication across staff, teachers, families, and the Board of Directors.

U.S. Kids is a secure and happy place for both children and their parents. Our goal is to meet the developmental, emotional, social, physical, and intellectual needs of children. The Center respects and accommodates the developmental stages of all children and promotes positive self-image. At U.S. Kids, we appreciate children, their diversity, their challenges, and their successes.

U.S. Kids is a federally-sponsored center, receiving guidance and support from the General Services Administration (GSA) and operating in a GSA-managed space. The Center is fully accredited by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). For more information about us, see www.uskidsdc.org.

Description of Responsibilities

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Director manages the daily operations of U.S. Kids. To continue the Center’s success and improve the services for its families, the next Director will:

Operate an efficient, organized, and high-quality center. The Director will implement systems and procedures to ensure smooth operation of U.S. Kids. S/he will set a vision for providing the best care and learning environment for young children and will assess the strengths and areas for improvement of U.S. Kids and its operations, developing a plan to address challenges.
Manage a dedicated and caring staff. The Director will identify, hire, and retain a team of high quality, diverse staff, keeping turnover low and morale high. S/he will create an environment that enables teachers to perform their best work, and provide mentoring and effective support to help teachers improve their skills as needed.
Enrich the center’s developmental offerings for children. The Director will create new and innovative programs to enhance the daily curriculum. S/he will provide guidance and support for classrooms to improve the ability of teachers to focus on children and minimize and quickly address disruptions.
Make wise resource allocation decisions. The Director will effectively manage the Center’s budget and work within available resources. S/he will work with the Board to ensure the financial sustainability and health of the Center.
Build the Preschool program. The Director will identify ways to create a sustainable enrollment in the preschool program through enhanced offerings and improved outreach to potential families. With free Pre-K available for D.C. families, the Director will increase the competitiveness of the Center’s preschool program, improving upon and generating more interest in a program that already produces outstanding results.
Maintain accreditation and general compliance. The Director will ensure the Center is compliant with all applicable rules and regulations and maintain the Center’s accreditation. S/he will review and address recommendations and issues raised by accreditation representatives and maintain effective communication with the Board about the issues and their proposed solutions.
Work effectively with parents, staff, and the Board. The Director will provide meaningful and effective communication to stakeholders, including parents, children, and the Board through a variety of channels including email, phone, in-person conversation, and official Center messages. S/he will create a collegial and caring environment that values the diversity and perspective of all members of the Center community.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications, experience, and qualities:

10 years or more of combined teaching and education management experience, including experience in a preschool or child development center.
A deep and proven commitment to the success of all children and a strong belief in the potential of every child.
General knowledge of D.C. and NAEYC criteria for child care programs; experience working at a federally-sponsored Center is a plus.
Experience managing a staff, including past responsibility for hiring new staff, and reviewing and improving the performance of current staff.
A demonstrated ability to manage processes, including attention to timelines, due dates, tasks to be completed, as well as to solve problem that arise unexpectedly.
Ability to relate meaningfully and effectively with children, parents, and staff of diverse backgrounds.
Strong communication and customer service skills (Spanish speaking a plus);
A bachelor’s degree is required and a graduate degree in early childhood education or a related field is preferred.
Must meet D.C. and NAEYC qualifications for a director/program administrator. For details, see http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Notice/DownLoad.aspx?VersionID=3275125 and http://www.naeyc.org/academy/pursuing/edquals/candidacy.

Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits include health, dental, retirement, and the potential for bonuses.

How to apply

Application Instructions

To apply, email a cover letter and resume to uskids@uskidsdc.org. Please put in the subject line of the email “Application for Director.” US Kids is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.