POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR ASISTANT DIRECTOR
Position Title: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Classification: Exempt (Salaried)
Reports To: Director
Chair of Board of Trustees
Personnel Director of the Board of Trustees
Board of Directors, The Jewish Agency dba the Lil Goldman Early Learning Center
Work Location: 4050 S. Hulen Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76109,
BACKGROUND OF CENTER: The Jewish Education Agency (JEA) of Fort Worth, Texas seeks a warm, energetic, hands-on Assistant Director of Lil Goldman Early Learning Center. Lil Goldman is a year-round school, summer day camp, and daycare program that currently serves 66 students ranging in age from newborn to pre-kindergarten. Founded in 1952, Lil Goldman is a fixture in the Fort Worth Jewish community and beyond. It provides a loving academic and exploratory preschool environment. Led by many long-term teachers and staff, Lil Goldman is devoted to fostering academic excellence, the love of learning, the transmission of Jewish values, and the affirmation of each individual’s worth through developmentally appropriate play. Although a Jewish school, Lil Goldman is, and always has been, open to children of all faith traditions. Lil Goldman is located in the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. Tarrant County has about 2.3 million residents, and Fort Worth is the eleventh largest city in the United States. A diverse and growing community, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area has substantial cultural endowments, including world-class museums, excellent institutions of higher education, and world-class performing arts and sports facilities, blending the Old West with cutting-edge modernity.
SALARY: Salary commensurate with experience.
HOURS: The typical workweek shall be forty (40) hours a week.
POSITION SUMMARY: The Assistant Director will have the dual role of (i) managing all social media, grant, donor relations, and outreach activities to drive engagement, enhance enrollment, and obtain grants, and (ii) of supporting the Director and the Center in providing overall leadership, administration, compliance, and performance; ensuring a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for children; maintaining strict compliance with all applicable Texas childcare licensing laws; managing staff; overseeing enrollment and financial performance; and protecting the organization from regulatory and liability risks.
When the Director is physically absent from the Center, the Assistant Director is the first designated person in charge of daily operations and is accountable for ensuring the Center operates in full compliance at all times. You will be required to oversee opening and closing, and ensure minimum staff-to-teacher ratios are always met.
REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE. The successful candidate must meet one or more of the following combinations of education and experience:
- A bachelor’s degree with 12 college credit hours in early childdevelopment, management, social media, and/or marketing.
- Experience in Judaic traditions, culture, and teachings, in order to conduct outreach and establish partnerships with other Jewish organizations, synagogues, associations, and interfaith groups, creating a community of supporters and referrals.
- Further, candidate must possess knowledge of good business practices, administration, and child development are essential for managing a childcare center. The Assistant Director must be willing to learn and be mentored by the Director.
- Experience working in a Jewish education environment and familiarity with Jewish customs, rituals, and culture
- Proficiency in technology, including, but not limited to, email, smartphone applications, and Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to lead and communicate effectively, compassionately, confidently, and clearly - with personnel, parents, children, board members, and other community dependencies - to advocate for the Center, resolve misunderstandings and conflicts, interact with regulatory authorities, and inspire and empower personnel
- Expert proficiency in tools and strategies of social media marketing
- Ability to create regular postings, promotional materials, and grant applications to promote the Center
- Regularly report to the Director and the Board liaison on all social media postings, which should be shared with the Director and/or Board Chair, as directed for advance approval
- Complete the City of Fort Worth’s Online Childcare Center Training Course (managed by the Environmental Services Department of Consumer Health.
- Meet testing requirement for Tuberculosis.
- Satisfactory completion of background check.
- S. Citizen or permit to work in the U.S.
- Fully conversant in the English language.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Willingness to attain working knowledge of Texas Minimum Standards, to eventually qualify under DHHS as a childcare center director
- Experience in education, early child development, nonprofit management, and/or Jewish Studies
- Promote and support Center’s Jewish values, ethics (middot), and cultural traditions
- Bachelor’s degree in early child development, education, or Jewish studies
- Demonstrated leadership, organizational, and communication skills
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain compliance under pressure
- Successful grant writing experience, and ability to successfully fundraise
- Experience in guiding a school through the accreditation process
- Ability to create and manage monthly newsletter publication, using approved tools, such as, Canva and MS Office Suite
- Knowledge and skills to update website, social media pages, and parent portals
- Demonstrated ability to strategically network to obtain donations, support, and augmented interest in enrollment Initiative to develop metrics to demonstrate strategic, long-term efforts to strengthen Center’s bonds with the Fort Worth community
- Initiate development of additional metrics to demonstrate strategic, long-term efforts and mission success in strengthening the Center’s bonds with the Tarrant County Jewish community, as well as the general grantor/donor community
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Your duties will be fifty percent (50%) devoted to the Center as an Assistant Director, supporting and learning from the Director, on how to manage the Center in compliance with the Minimum Standards (Assistant Director Role”). The other fifty percent (50%) will be devoted to social media marketing, newsletter development, community outreach, grant research and application, and efforts to grow enrollment (“Ambassador Role”). When feasible and practicable, you will work in the mornings and late afternoons, or at other times, to ensure proper Center coverage in the absence of the Director.
Ambassador Role – 50%
- Community Outreach Marketing:
- Conduct facility tours to prospective parents
- Create monthly newsletter to drive engagement
- Initiate social media engagement campaign to increase awareness of and appreciation for the Center, among current, past, and prospective parents, community partners, and grantors
- Engage in community outreach and participate in community relation activities, including attending appropriate meetings for professional educators and directors as well as Jewish community events
- Initiate, facilitate, and deliver school awareness campaigns, such as open houses, picnics, pre-kindergarten graduation, and alumni events, and participate in Jewish cultural festivals
- Collaborate and support staff in coordinated social media outreach efforts
- Explore and develop relationships with local councilmembers and community news organizations
- Research and identify targets for grants and support
- Oversee development of newsletter to parents, alumni, prospective clients, supporters, and other organizations, which may be interested in the Center and its news and developments
- Develop strategies and committed relationships to drive enrollment and donor engagement
Compliance Role – 50%
1. Regulatory Compliance & Licensing – Support the Director in the following:
- Support the Director in ensuring full compliance with allminimum standards as prescribed by the aforesaid Minimum Standards on childcare center compliance.
- Maintain in good standing the Center’s childcare license and accreditation
- Health, Safety, Security, Data, and Risk Management – Support the Director in the following:
- Train staff on DHHS compliance and incident reporting to parents
- Record all incidents, illnesses, and medical events accurately
- Regularly provide internet security training and utilize software tools to protect electronic records
- Maintain a safe, secure, and sanitary environment
- Enforce health, sanitation, and illness exclusion policies
- Ensure child-to-staff ratios and active supervision
- Manage emergency plans for fire, weather, lockdown, and evacuation
- Train staff to identify, document, and report incidents and abuse/neglect as required
- Conduct routine safety inspections and threat assessments with law enforcement support
- Set and enforce safety policies per local, state, and federal standards
- Maintain children’s health statements and vaccination requirements per DHHS
- Notify parents or caregivers of emergencies and medical events
3. Staff Leadership & Human Resources – Support the Director in the following:
- Recruit, hire, onboard, and retain qualified staff
- Maintain proper staffing levels at all times
- Keep staff schedules accurate and comply with ratio requirements
- Ensure ongoing training, certifications, and minimum staffing standards are current
- Act quickly to protect the health and safety of children and staff
- Promote a professional, respectful, and accountable culture
4. Classroom, Program Quality, and Curriculum Oversight – Support the Director in the following:
- Integrate Jewish rituals, culture, and learning opportunities for both children and families using best practices in both secular and Judaic education
- Support the implementation of curriculum designed to educate children on Jewish culture, customs, and practices, and Hebrew language curriculum
- Maintain and align curriculum with the objectives of the school
- Monitor child development and school readiness outcomes
5. Enrollment, Retention & Family Relations – Support the Director in the following:
- Initiate and implement strong programs and efforts to grow enrollment within Jewish community
- Implement efforts to create strong retention rates
- Lead tours for prospective parents, and create waitlist protocol
- Be available to students, families, staff, and the broader community
- Build and maintain positive relationships with families
- Address parent concerns promptly, professionally, and effectively
- Ensure confidentiality of all family and child information
6. Financial Management – Support the Director in the following:
- Oversee and manage the collection of tuition/fees, including proper coding of billing and accounts receivable
- Report to the board monthly cash / financial reports, indicating cashflows, account receivables, and accounts payables
- Manage operating budget, payroll oversight, and expenses
- Identify opportunities to increase enrollment and profitability
- Identify target grants and apply for annual allocations and grants from agencies including the Jewish Federation to support programs and innovations in instruction
7. Facility & Operations Management – Support the Director in the following:
- Ensure facility is always secure, clean, organized, and well-maintained
- Coordinate repairs, maintenance, and vendor services
- Ensure compliance with fire, health, security, and safety inspections and requirement, as well as public access and program requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and local building code ordinances
- Maintain inventory of supplies and equipment
8. Administration & Documentation – Support the Director in the following:
- Maintain accurate and complete records for children and staff
- Ensure proper documentation of incidents, attendance, and compliance logs
- Protect confidentiality of all sensitive information
- Accreditation Oversight:
- Proactively interact and work with the Director to ensure that the Center’s accreditation with Cognia and state childcare license is maintained
- Focus on educational and organizational assessments and plans that meet and exceed accreditation requirements
11. Other Duties as Assigned. The Center may modify these duties based on staffing, financial, program, and/or other needs, that it determines in its discretion.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Ability to lift up to 40 pounds
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, sit on and get up from floor, and engage actively with children
- Ability to respond quickly in emergency situations