Director - First Lutheran Church Preschool

First Evangelical Lutheran Church

3604 Chatham Road

Ellicott City, MD 21042

Position Title: Director, First Evangelical Lutheran Church Preschool

Reports to: Senior Pastor Effective: February 1, 2025

Directly Supervises: Preschool staff

Status: Full-time

FLSA: Salaried, Exempt

Job Summary:

The First Evangelical Lutheran Preschool is a vital community and education outreach ministry of First Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Director has primary responsibility for developing and implementing the preschool mission and ensuring its full alignment with the mission and ministry of the congregation. The Director works closely with and in support of the Senior Pastor, representing First Evangelical Lutheran Church to the children, families and community served and serving as the primary interface of the preschool to the congregation.

Essential Functions:

· Oversees the development and implementation of school curriculum including experiences relevant to the Lutheran understanding of faith.

o Ensures effective implementation of all preschool policies and procedures.

o As applicable, supports a public pre-K classroom, supervising staff, curriculum, and grant funding requirements.

· Develops and manages annual budget for endorsement by the congregation council.

o Ensures necessary program and office supplies or resources are available;

o Organizes and maintains appropriate filing systems;

o Provides oversight to ensure completion of all enrollment processes including collection of deposits, fees and tuitions;

o Ensures compliance with all associated state licensing requirements and fire, safety and building usage requirements.

· Supervises preschool staff and provides regular performance-related feedback as well as formal annual assessments of performance.

o Encourages and supports the on-going professional development of preschool staff to ensure the highest caliber resource team.

· Ensures an on-going, integrated relationship with congregation, staff and preschool board, attending associated meetings and providing regular communications.

o Represents the preschool to the congregation, ensuring on-going communications about this important congregational ministry and promoting the preschool scholarship fund to the congregation;

o Works with congregation leaders to strengthen the preschool’s role in meeting the vision and mission of the congregation;

o Supports and participates in congregation events and programs as requested by the Senior Pastor.

o Oversees any preschool fund-raising in line with congregation policies and guidelines.

o Utilizes appropriate software for communication and enrollment, including Brightwheel.

o Ensures that the preschool website is up-to-date, secure and provides timely information to parents and the broader community.

· Communicates regularly with families of preschool student and community representatives;

o Assists families with scholarship applications, leads families to community resources as appropriate; conducts open houses and other community outreach activities.

Other Responsibilities:

· Attends weekly church staff meetings.

· Upholds professional membership in early childhood associations, local or national, to stay up to date with current trends in early childhood education.

Minimum Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline (early childhood preferred) and demonstrated competence and experience in learning and development-related fields.

· Desire to work in a faith-based preschool environment.

· Voting membership in an ELCA congregation and demonstrated appreciation of the Lutheran tradition, preferred.

· Strong commitment to intergenerational, multicultural and an inclusive ministry setting.

· Strong commitment to outdoor learning methods and environment.

· Teaching certification and prior management experience, preferred.

· Teaching experience in a private child care or preschool setting preferred.

· General computer literacy and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

· Valid driver’s license.

Physical Requirements:

· N/A.

Core Competencies:

· Mission Ownership: Demonstrates understanding and full support of the mission, vision, values and beliefs of the congregation; can demonstrate those values to others; consistently behaves in a manner congruent with the mission, vision, values and beliefs.

· Interpersonal Skills: Establishes good working relationships with all others who are relevant to the completion of work; works well with people at all levels of the congregation; builds appropriate rapport; considers the impact of his/her actions on others; uses diplomacy and tact; is approachable; avoids communication triangles.

· Helping Orientation: Demonstrates concern for and attends to the needs of the congregation’s internal and external constituents; projects a sense of empathy and understanding when dealing with members and friends of the congregation; is able and willing to supply answers and resources that others find satisfying.

· Team Orientation: Demonstrates interest, skill and success in team environments; promotes group goals ahead of personal agendas; offers self as a resource to other members of the team; understands and supports the importance of teamwork; shares credit for success with others; takes responsibility for his or her part in team failures.

· Supervising Work: Is good at establishing clear expectations and setting clear direction; sets stretching objectives; distributes the workload appropriately; provides regular and ongoing feedback about performance; proactively deals with substandard performance; engages disciplinary processes in a timely manner.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $58,000.00 - $64,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Ability to Commute:

• Ellicott City, MD 21042 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Ellicott City, MD 21042: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $58,000 - $64,000