Assistant Child Care Director

Job purpose

The Assistant Director of Early Education & Care is responsible for assisting in the management of the Early Education & Care program, including children enrolled in Head Start, Early Head Start, Child Care and Respite Care, with the goal of supporting all children to achieve School Readiness. Responsibilities include supervision of teaching staff (center teachers, assistant teachers, floating caregivers, extended day teachers), assisting with the orientation and ongoing mentoring of the Early Education & Care staff, supervising and training of the Early Education & Care staff, maintaining child/staff ratios, and adherence to the child care, NAEYC and Head Start regulations. The Assistant Director will also assure that developmentally appropriate practices are followed according to WI State Licensing and NAEYC Accreditation standards, continuously striving toward quality improvement. The Assistant Director reports directly to the Director of Early Education & Care.

Working relationships

Community professionals

Agency Staff

Families

Volunteers

General public

Prime functions

Directly supervise center staff, ensure completion of HR activities, and ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures.

• Work with teachers to develop and support their individual development plan, including training plans for each teacher to obtain a CDA, bachelor’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education or a related field. Keep Individual Development Plans filed in the staff file and maintain a training log.
• Meet at least once per month with the people you supervise to monitor, provide ongoing verbal and written feedback consistent with their individual development plans for performance improvement, ensure adherence to regulatory performance standards, and to plan and direct work.
• Plan and adjust work operations to meet changing or emergent program requirements within available resources.
• Submit annual performance evaluations in a timely manner.
• Understand the personnel policies and procedures, and ensure that the people you supervise are aware of these and any changes to them that occur.
• Assign and review work of the people you supervise. Instruct, train and work effectively with the people you supervise from a variety of backgrounds and with differing levels/areas of training. Model best practices within the service area.
• Devise work methods and procedures that support improvements in existing work practices; supporting the people you supervise in developing and setting goals, priorities and timelines.
• Work with HR and Director on employee recruitment and selection procedures.
• Work with HR and Director to take required disciplinary action, in an objective and fair manner, when necessary.
• Make appropriate personnel decisions not requiring higher approval as-needed and submit others as a recommendation to the Director and HR.
• Educate staff on and ensure staff compliance with Registry, State Licensing, OHS and Accreditation standards.

• Assist staff in enhancing their development of a classroom team: staff communications, roles and responsibilities and problem solving.
• With staff, plan strategies for improvement and set goals to achieve them.
• Recognize staff accomplishments.
• Provide staff with support, resources and recognition of individual career and training goals.
• Approve staff timecards and manage PTO requests

Initiate necessary procedures to ensure effective communication for maintaining standard compliance:

• Work with the Director of Early Education & Care and Family Engagement Manager to develop a monthly newsletter and calendar for the families of Penfield Children's Center.
• Provide tours, orientations and enrollment information to families interested in services.
• Communicate with parents and family members on a regular basis.
• Maintain a positive customer relation’s image for the agency.
• Assist the Director in the facilitation of staff meetings and bi-annual conferences between families and teaching staff.
• Participate in quarterly department VTO's to set, plan for and monitor program goals
• Provide support to new and current staff members on their understanding of Head Start, State licensing and Accreditation requirements.
• Assist in maintaining Federal and State regulations of the center at all times.

Coordinate a variety of office functions including child care billing, maintaining child and staff files, tracking of required paperwork and data entry by teaching team members, and other administrative needs:

• Manage child care billing including tracking of monthly authorization, EBT and tuition payments, processing payments, creating payment plans, and account adjustments as needed.
• Oversee the extended day program
• Maintain a State compliant file for each child and staff member.
• Provide child information to classrooms and other departments.
• Maintain supply and equipment inventory.
• Purchasing and tracking of supplies and equipment

Oversee the day-to-day operations of the program.

• Maintain an awareness of child to staff ratios in each room at all times.
• Assist in the classrooms to maintain the required ratios whenever needed.
• Assist in maintaining all State regulations of the child care center at all times.
• Coordinate with Health Services and Family Engagement to oversee enrollment for all EED&C programs, including Respite, EHS/HS and Childcare

Represent the agency in professional organizations, committees, and groups, which promote best practices, quality inclusive child care, and promote the services of Penfield Children's Center within the community:

• Represent the child care program at agency meetings for the purpose of improving staff communication and compliance with policies and procedures as needed
• Attend and participate in community meetings, professional organizations, committees, and groups, which enhance and promote the overall efforts of the organization in relation to child care programming.
• Actively participate in OHS, State and NAEYC community, including meetings, mandated training, committee meetings, and other program wide functions as needed. This may include evenings and weekends.

Assist the agency as needed:

• Respond to inquiries from families and staff
• Participate as a member of the Late Stay manager rotation, ensure all children have been picked up and problem solve if needed
• Perform all other duties as assigned
• Encouraged to volunteer 4 hours of time per year to a Penfield activity

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field, preferred.
• Classroom experience required.
• Supervisory and management experience preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of child development, early childhood best practices, developmentally appropriate programming and State licensing and Accreditation standards.
• Knowledge of systems for improving efficiency, communication, and data tracking.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills – written and oral.
• Computer literacy required: efficiency in Microsoft office. Ability to learn new programs.
• High level of confidentiality and ethics.
• Actively demonstrates a commitment to understanding and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
• Understands, exhibits and promotes the Penfield Core Values.
• Ability to work well independently or as a member of a team.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds on a daily basis.
• Must have sufficient mobility to move- including bend, stoop, reach, lift and grasp.
• Meeting vaccine standards as outlined in Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure control plan

Core Values

• Lead with Love - We welcome everyone with compassion and empathy; patience and kindness. To lead with love, we look for the best in our co-workers, our families, and ourselves.
• Grow with Us - We celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes. We believe there is always a better way of asking questions that challenge the status quo, improve our process and make our work easier. Growing with us allows us to focus on how we can improve ourselves and, in the process, better serve the children and families in our care.
• Better Together - Together, we can do amazing things. Children and families trust us and depend on us to work as a team to meet their needs. We are better together when we maximize our strengths, the gifts of our colleagues and the commitment of our amazing partners.
• Do What it Takes - We are determined, motivated and adaptable. We solve problems. We own our work, our actions and our behaviors. We step up to help our co-workers, partners and our families. We do what it takes to get the job done right and done well.
• Be Present - We bring our best genuine self to everything we do. Being present allows us to bring our passion and commitment to our work to ensure the best possible outcomes for Penfield.

What we Do

• We communicate effectively, give feedback honestly and receive it with an open mind
• We use data and processes to drive decisions
• We celebrate success and learn from our mistakes
• We work to find balance in our personal and professional life
• We provide the same care and compassion to our colleagues and ourselves that we share everyday with the people we serve