Position Title: Center Director & Family Services Coordinator

Position Structure: Specialist – Exempt

Employee Type: Full-Time Regular

Supervisor Title: Education Manager

Division: United States Programs

Child Safety: Frequent Contact

Staff whose work requires or potentially could require any in-person interaction with Save the Children colleagues, partners, or beneficiaries must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless otherwise required by law. Save the Children complies with federal, state, and local laws regarding accommodations related to this policy.

Summary

The position is responsible for the general and day-to-day operations of a Head Start/Early Head Start center or cluster of outlying centers. You will be responsible for providing coverage to multiple classrooms, assuring regulatory and legal compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, communicating with parents to learn about and use community resources, working with parents on goal setting; encouraging parent involvement and participation in their child’s education. You will also assist families as they identify and meet their own goals through case management model developing and carrying out program’s Family Partnership Agreements, assisting with the completion of the child health requirements and other required screenings and assessments.

As a front-line representative of Save the Children, the Center Director & Family Services Coordinator is required to ensure the safety and security of Head Start children and families that the individual encounters and adhering to the agency’s values of Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, and Integrity.

As a Save the Children employee who will encounter children on a routine basis, the position is expected to prevent child abuse in every situation by striving, through mental awareness, good practice and training to minimize risk to children. The position must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern and report, respond to any instance of child abuse, and promote training and awareness around all child-safeguarding obligations.

Responsibilities and Impact

• Supervise and coach staff; facilitate resolution of conflicts; encourage and support professional development opportunities; develop and monitor center and staff schedules.
• Conduct regular staff meetings, support staff training, and monitor/provide ongoing feedback for performance improvement and appraisals. Submitting accurate information in a timely manner, including written documentation, scheduled reports, and mandated reports.
• Work with all center staff to ensure quality teaching and learning environments.
• Track and monitor staff attendance, including verification of timesheets as well as employee on-site record keeping. Responsible for monthly reports, safety checks, annual safety inspections, and completion of licensing requirements.
• Assist in the identification, purchase and annual inventory of center supplies and equipment.
• Arrange for family and staff workdays for center improvement, plan and implement all center parent meetings, successful collaboration in maintain children/family files and privacy.
• Work with the managers/specialists/coordinators to ensure that all tracking and data entry related to ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance), health, education, mental health, disabilities and child and family needs is maintained as well as full attendance with a 72-hour turn around to fill vacancies.
• Ensure regular communication with families regarding screening, assessments, and surveys to provide needed information regarding medical, nutritional, educational, and social services as needed to ensure that all requirements are met according to Head Start Performance Standards while maintain strict confidentiality.
• Ensure the reporting of all children, staff, family, and other center related incidents. Assist in the monitoring and reporting of family related services to appropriate Head Start superiors.
• Attending case coordination meetings with appropriate staff, to fully integrate services.
• Maintain up to date and participate in individualized continuing education plan including CPR and First Aid certifications.
• Ability to effectively demonstrate sound judgement, using discretion as it relates to individual cases.
• Monitor and support child, family, providers, and vendor interactions on the facility premise.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Background and Experience, Skills, and Behaviors

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development or a related field, or equivalent experience, plus at least two years of relevant experience
• Proven work experience in a position that relates to the implementation and monitoring of program operations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of program planning and practices in infant/toddler and preschool center-based programs’ thorough knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards and best practices related to early childhood education.
• Proven knowledge of general business practices including supervision, accounts payable, inventory control and risk management.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with individuals and teams at all levels, whether internal or external
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, children and parents, and outside agencies.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Demonstrated ability to successfully oversee and operate the day-to-day program in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations.
• Demonstrated successful time management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to successfully communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams at all levels—whether internal or external—in the provision of high-quality services to children and families
• Demonstrated successful interpersonal, communication and organizational skills; great problem solving and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to follow established and communicated directions and take initiative
• Demonstrated knowledge of the purpose of the Head Start/Early Head Start program.??
• Proven ability to relate sensitively with children.
• Proven ability to keep all required information strictly confidential.
• Must participate in professional development training including basic first aid and pediatric CPR certification as required by state licensing and HSPPS.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging

Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding, and computer use.

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.?

This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job. ?The incumbent should maintain a valid driver’s license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Preferred Qualifications

Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish or English and other languages used by children and families).

If in North Carolina, holding a Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) Licensure preferred.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.