DIRECTOR, EARLY LEARNING CENTER

Company: Wellspring Family Services
Location: Seattle
Posted on: November 11, 2024

Job Description:

All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description.
Job Description
Title: Director, Early Learning Center (ELC)
Dept: ELC
Reports to: Chief Program Officer
Wage: $91,000/yr.
Type: Full-Time/40 hours per week, Exempt
Location: Seattle, WA
To Apply: Go to: https://wellspringfs.org/about/careers and click on "Career Center" to apply.
Who We Are:
Our Vision: A community in which every child has a safe and stable home.
Our Purpose: To prevent and address homelessness by connecting families and individuals in crisis to the support and resources they need to regain stability.
For over 130 years, Wellspring Family Services has worked to end homelessness by helping families and employees in crisis to access the services they need to regain stability. Wellspring is a non-profit, multi-service agency serving families in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, and asset-limited, income-constrained employees nationwide.
Wellspring has five primary programs. The Housing Services division provides eviction prevention and rehousing services to vulnerable populations. The Early Learning Center delivers trauma-informed early childhood education to children, ages 1 to 5, who have experienced homelessness. The Family Store supplies clothing, toiletries, toys, diapers, and baby equipment to low-income families so they can better afford rent and other basic needs. Our Employee Assistance Program connects employees with the resources they need to address crises, retain housing, and remain employed. Finally, our new Employee Stability Program provides a financial safety-net to asset-limited, income-constrained employees who are struggling to retain or regain housing.
Wellspring Family Services is committed to a diverse and accessible workplace. Everyone is welcome. We strongly encourage applicants from under-represented communities, including BIPOC, non-conforming gender identities & sexual orientation, people with lived experience of homelessness, veterans, immigrants, and people with disabilities.
All applications are reviewed by a real person. To request disability accommodation in the application or interview process, please contact HR@wellspringfs[dot]org.
Position Purpose: The Director of the Early Learning Center (ELC) supports Wellspring's mission by providing leadership and oversight to the program while creating a thriving and nurturing educational community that is of high quality using a Trauma-informed Care approach to provide services to children and families who have experienced homelessness.
Essential Functions:

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• Program Management: Manage the overall administration, budget, and supervision of the program, determines service delivery targets and monitors results.
  
• Program Development and Implementation: Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and contract requirements by developing and implementing policies and procedures. Evaluate the program's effectiveness, identify improvements, and explore new service areas. In collaboration with the Early Childhood Behavioral Health Coach, the Director deepens Trauma-Informed Care practices and works with the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner to meet children's health care needs and contract requirements. Plans and develops new program activities, integrating services with other agency programs when feasible.
  
• Contract Management and Compliance: Negotiate, evaluate, and monitor all ELC contracts to ensure goals are achieved. Meet with funder representatives, including ECEAP, Early ECEAP, HCHN, and CCAP as well as, Early Achievers Coach, and ELC Licensor to adhere to contract and licensing guidelines. Complete semi-annual and annual reports, including narratives for HCHN, ECEAP, Complex Needs, Concrete Goods and other grants as requested.
  
• Budget & Financial Management: Develop and manage an annual budget of $1.5 million, reviewing it throughout the year, addressing any significant deviations, monitoring monthly financial reports, and revising budget projections as needed. Monitor expenditures, manage Visa and petty cash purchases for program supplies and ensure that there is a tracking system for these supplies and purchases.
  
• Billing & Invoicing: Partner with the finance team to ensure development of processes to collect and report billing information. Ensure that invoices are submitted on time for reimbursement from DCYF, WCCC, CCAP, and CACFP.
  
• Donor Engagement: Conduct donor stewardship calls and outreach, including building tours for donors and prospects. Attend donor meetings, review and contribute to ELC funding applications and proposals and assist with grant and funder reporting. Collect client and program stories for development appeals, materials, and campaigns. Support development event planning, organizing, and audience development. Contribute to the creation of the annual ELC fundraising plan and attend development team meetings as needed. Uphold ethical fundraising and industry best practices throughout all activities.
  
• Supervision: Directly supervise Program Supervisor, Family Support Specialists, and Early Childhood Behavioral Health Coach including training, day-to-day coaching and performance management, and time & attendance supervision.
  
• Staff Development: To instill a culture of teamwork and continuous learning to meet the needs of children and families, the Director coordinates learning experiences for ELC staff focused on early child development, Trauma-informed Care, Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Access.
  
  Additional Responsibilities:
  
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• Community Relations: Participate in community, provider, and funder meetings, coalitions and networks, provides information about program services and offers leadership as appropriate. Additionally, respond to requests for community speaking opportunities.
  
• Risk Management: Identify the various risks that accompany the operation of an early learning center and develop strategies and tactics to minimize risk and ensure the safety of children, parents, staff volunteers, and visitors.
  
• Collaboration: The flow of information between ELC staff, other departments, and the Chief Program Officer is facilitated by the Director. Set agendas and facilitate staff meetings.
  
• Other Administrative: Create/or facilitate the creation of closure signs and reminders for families, create email notifications for the Family Support Specialists to distribute to families as needed.
  
• Data: Collaborate with Evaluation staff to ensure that there's accuracy with ELC data and use data to inform program services.
  
• Act as a management representative of the organization with a responsibility to adhere to all communications policies and limits regarding public statements.
  
• Support Wellspring values by acting in a manner consistent with those values.
  
• Additional tasks and projects may be assigned as needed.
  
  Requirements:
  
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• Bachelor's degree in early childhood education or Bachelor's degree in related field plus 45 credits in early childhood education.
  
• 5 years of experience in program development and management of a licensed early learning center, including experience with hiring, selecting and developing staff; budgeting; leadership and community outreach; and responsibility for regulatory compliance.
  
• 2 years classroom teaching experience as a lead teacher with young children ages one through five.
  
• Experience working in a racially, culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and economically diverse early learning program.
  
• Training and experience with Trauma-informed Care.
  
• Capable of effectively supervising others by establishing clear expectations and regularly giving constructive feedback. Knows how to address performance issues clearly and in a timely manner.
  
• Highly developed awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with evolved ability to practice appropriate, relevant and thoughtful strategies for working with diverse populations.
  
  Physical & Mental Requirements:
  
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• Washington State resident at start date
  
• Regular and predictable attendance.
  
• This position requires the ability to lift, carry or move children or equipment up to 40 pounds.
  
• The ability to understand, express and exchange complex ideas in a fast-paced environment.
  
• The ability to communicate detailed or important information to clients and/or co-workers through written documents and emails and through verbal means over the telephone, using virtual meeting platforms, and in person.
  
• The ability to use a computer for long periods of time. Adaptive accommodations may be available as needed.
  
• A moderate amount of moving around in a standard office environment may be needed.
  
  Please note that employees should expect to perform some tasks that are outside the scope of the job description.
  Employee Benefits:
  Choice of 3 Medical Plans --- 30 days paid time off per year, plus 10 paid employee holidays --- Dental --- Life Insurance --- Long-Term Disability --- 403b Retirement Plan --- Flexible Spending Accounts --- Health Savings Account --- Employee Assistance Program --- Employee Resource Groups --- Counseling Session Reimbursement --- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Training
  As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Wellspring employees may use their time with us toward their participation in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).
  
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