Director of the ECDC
Rowan University Early Childhood Demonstration Center (ECDC)
The Director of the Early Child Development Center (ECDC or “the Center”) manages the operation of the Center and supervises its programs. The Director establishes and maintains a balanced, approved operating budget, establishes and monitors fee collection, projects staffing needs, and maintains enrollment of children in the programs. The Director recruits, hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates staff, supervises college students in the Center, and ensures compliance with accreditation and licensing requirements. The Director works with families and faculty to create a “best practices” environment, ensures compliance with licensing regulations, monitors dietary requirements and safety standards, and maintains quality and a developmentally appropriate curriculum.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Master’s degree in Child Development or a related field is required. A doctorate is preferred, with at least one of the degrees in Child Development or Early Childhood Education.
Experience: Work experience, which includes supervision of staff and management of budgets in a child development center, is required. Experience working with children from birth through preschool is preferred. Experience successfully managing a child development center in an academic environment is preferred.
Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. Financial management skills and skills in word processing and spreadsheet applications are required. Must be able to obtain and maintain current Infant-Child CPR and First Aid certifications. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.
Other: Must be able to lift 50 pounds and possess physical mobility to bend, stoop, and crawl, and communicate sufficiently to interact with staff and children from infant to preschool in the daily activities of the Center.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensures that students enrolled in Child and Family Development courses have access to laboratory experience with the children in the ECDC by actively maintaining a quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum in the Center and assuring that children enrolled in the laboratory are within age limits of the program.
2. Develops a competent and effective staff by recruiting and selecting qualified staff, supervising staff, students, and volunteers providing orientation, training and monthly updates on center, department and University policies and operations, assigning areas of responsibility based on expertise and qualifications, evaluating work performance, and maintaining detailed records of all personnel-related issues.
3. Ensures continued operation of the ECDC by providing financial management of the Center including establishing an approved budget and fees, monitoring fee collection, keeping families apprised of account status, managing expenditures within budget constraints, seeking grant opportunities and collaborating on grant proposals, and collaborating with University Advancement on donor cultivation and solicitation.
4. Develops and maintains positive relations with members of the University community, families, partners in the greater community, and related public agencies by maintaining a quality child care center, creating and coordinating an advisory council that represents the constituencies of the center, accurately communicating feedback from these constituencies to the Dean in a timely manner, and communicating with ECDC parents on a monthly basis.
5. Assures compliance with local and state rules and regulations by taking responsibility for licensing compliance as director of record for the Center, working with appropriate licensing and child care regulators, responding promptly to any changes needed, reporting the results of all evaluation visits to the Dean immediately, and maintaining detailed records on all regulatory assessments and responses.
6. Provides specific leadership and management of the Infant-Toddler and/or Preschool programs as needed.
7. Attends regular academic department and program meetings as the representative of the ECDC and collaborates with Early Childhood Education faculty to support the development of curricula.
8. Facilitates a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.
9. Maintains competency and professional development through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, and attendance to professional development courses and/or training courses.
10. Builds and maintains a network of professional contacts who are engaged in this work throughout the state.
11. Seeks and applies for grants that will provide funding and research opportunities for the ECDC.
12. Works with University Advancement to cultivate and secure donors for the ECDC.
13. Develops and operationalizes long-term strategic planning to support ECDC programming.
14. Collaborates with the Assistant Dean to ensure compliance with New Jersey policies and procedures, as well the maintenance of NAEYC and other accreditation.
15. Helps to assure the success of the ECDC by performing all other essential duties as assigned.
Note:
- Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US, and the university will not sponsor an applicant for a work visa for this position.
