Wilshire Boulevard. Temple
Head of School for the Mann Family and Resnick Family Early Childhood Centers
About Wilshire Boulevard Temple:
One of the country’s most highly respected congregations, Wilshire Boulevard Temple has been responding to the needs of the Los Angeles Jewish community since its founding in 1862 as Congregation B’nai B’rith. Today, Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s members, over 2,700 families, are deeply involved in the civic life of Los Angeles. The Temple provides worship, adult programs, life cycle events, volunteer and social action opportunities, early childhood, elementary, and religious schools, sleep-away camps, as well as cultural and educational events on its three campuses: the historic Erika J Glazer Family Campus in Wilshire Center/Koreatown, the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Campus in West Los Angeles, and the Resnick Family Campus in Brentwood. Our schools are pillars in the Los Angeles education community: The Erika J Glazer, Mann Family, and Resnick Family Early Childhood Centers, Brawerman Elementary School East and West, and Elaine and Bram Goldsmith, Gloria and Peter S. Gold, and Edgar F. Magnin Religious Schools. They serve a diverse, committed, and energized population of children and youth who carry strong academic skills and Jewish values with them into the world.
We take seriously the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself," and we work hard to fulfill it throughout the Los Angeles community. The Karsh Center at the Glazer Campus and Karsh West at the Resnick Family Campus provide widely needed services to our neighbors of all faiths and Jewish inspiration and resources to the Jews of Los Angeles.
Opportunity Statement
Wilshire Boulevard Temple is seeking a dynamic, visionary, and collaborative educational leader for the position of Head of School for the Mann Family Early Childhood Center (Irmas Campus) and the Resnick Family Early Childhood Center (Resnick Campus). The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead one of the best-regarded centers for the education of young children in Los Angeles and in the Jewish community.
The Mann and Resnick ECC is guided by a team of over 90 educators and staff over two campuses, with an enrollment of approximately 350 children, 18 months to five/six years old, and a thriving Parenting Center for babies and their caregivers. The Head of School is responsible for the educational vision and successful operation of the centers and for promoting a welcoming, warm, and nurturing environment, infused with the love of learning and Jewish values.
The Wilshire Boulevard Temple ECC serves as the gateway to the Jewish community and to the educational and Jewish journey for hundreds of young families every year. As such, the Head of School serves as a professional resource to families, providing expertise and guidance during this vital stage of their lives. The ECC Head of School is also responsible for supporting families through the application process into elementary school including to Wilshire Boulevard Temple schools (Brawerman Elementary School or Religious School), as well as to other independent or public schools.
The ECC Head of School reports directly to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Executive Director of Education and is a member of the Schools Leadership Team. The ECC Head of School works closely with the Education and School Governance Committee of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Board of Trustees and is part of the senior staff of the Temple. As such the ECC Head of School is expected to work collaboratively with others to uphold and fulfill the Temple’s mission.
ECC Head of School Roles and Responsibilities:
Strategy and Vision:
- Partner with the Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Executive Director of Education, Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s clergy, and other senior Temple leaders to contribute to and execute a dynamic strategic vision of the Mann and Resnick ECC and Parenting Centers, consistent with the Temple’s mission, values, and goals and within the constellation of all the Temple’s educational offerings.
Educational Philosophy and Learning Environment:
- Set the ECC overall educational philosophy and oversee the curriculum design in accordance with Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s mission and core values, and with current educational best practices.
- Create and maintain an educational environment that supports children's learning and growth consistently in all classrooms.
- Oversee the process of identifying students whose learning, social, emotional, and behavioral needs are not currently met; partner with parents to provide information, initiate appropriate evaluations, and coordinate services as needed to help every child grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
- Ensure alignment and compliance with California state licensing standards and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
- Partner with Temple clergy to infuse Jewish values, holiday celebrations, and Jewish practice into the ECC curriculum, in full alignment with the Temple’s mission and core values and practices.
- Stay current with research and innovation in the early education field, and initiate and implement periodic review of all curricula, programs, and projects to ensure they are aligned with the educational philosophy and current pedagogical thinking.
- Manage all California Community Care licensing requirements and implement government, educational, and safety standards.
Leadership and Management of Faculty and Staff:
- Manage the recruitment, hiring, mentoring, professional development, and supervision of all Mann and Resnick ECC faculty and administration. Ensure consistency in training and orientation.
- Oversee the hiring process—determine staffing levels and needs, ensure appropriate recruitment and hiring practices, and ensure we have the appropriate documentation for new hires. Work collaboratively with HR to create and distribute all employment agreements and timely onboarding of all ECC employees.
- Cultivate a positive, collaborative, growth-oriented, and professional working environment that attracts and retains a highly skilled and motivated faculty and staff.
- Promote a culture of learning, modeling continuous professional growth and creating opportunities for professional learning and ownership for faculty and staff.
- Create opportunities for leadership development for the ECC administration team, and cultivate leadership dispositions among faculty members.
- Partner with the Site Directors in making decisions regarding faculty assignments, class composition, and the distribution of responsibility among the ECC administrative team.
Admissions and Outplacement:
- Oversee the recruitment and admissions process to achieve optimum enrollment—with an eye toward overall enrollment management across campuses and within the Temple context.
- Partner with Brawerman’s and Religious School’s heads to develop, actively promote, and execute retention strategies, ensuring the continuation of ECC students into Brawerman kindergarten or Wilshire Boulevard Temple Religious School. Oversee the placement of all graduating children into elementary schools that fit the families’ needs and the learning profile of the students.
Parent Relations:
- Build relationships and maintain consistent communication with parents of current and prospective students.
- Assist and provide guidance and support to ECC administrators and faculty in working effectively with parents.
- Oversee and coordinate a robust offering of parent education programs, including child development and current best practices in parenting and Jewish living, in partnership with other Temple resources.
- Speak with authority and experience on matters of child development and parenting.
Wilshire Boulevard Temple Senior Leadership:
- Be an active member of the Schools Leadership Team; prepare for and attend all meetings, contribute ideas, and implement the decisions and policies.
- Partner with the Executive Director of Education and the CFO to set and adhere to a realistic budget; provide enrollment projections, staffing needs, and desired capital improvements to inform the budgetary process.
- Provide input and recommendations for tuition setting and compensation strategy.
- Monitor monthly expenditures and course-correct as needed.
- Provide input for the creation of HR protocols, communications strategies, and operational procedures to the Temple leadership; implement all policies and procedures as established.
- Work collaboratively with the Irmas and Resnick Campus Teams to promote campus-based strategies; coordinate use of space, facility needs, calendar, security, and programs with other Temple business units.
- Create and maintain a strong partnership with the Wilshire Schools East (Glazer ECC and Brawerman East) to find and sustain synergy and collaboration across town.
- Partner with the Director of Advancement for the Schools to promote the Annual Giving Campaign and other development programs for the ECC and the Temple.
- Participate in Wilshire Boulevard Temple events, serving as an ambassador for the ECC and the Temple, within and outside of the community.
- Actively participate in relevant professional development and networking opportunities with organizations including, but not limited to, Builders of Jewish Education (BJE) and the Early Childhood Heads of School Network, upholding the reputation and presence of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple across local and national landscapes, and sharing ideas across institutions.
Skills and Dispositions:
- Demonstrate commitment to and love for the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual health and growth of children
- Uphold a deep respect for children and their families
- Understand children’s developmental needs and individual strengths, areas for growth, and unique personalities
- Embody a strong Jewish sensibility, knowledge, and appreciation of traditions, customs, and values
- Communicate transparently, thoughtfully, and directly, orally and in writing
- Possess exceptional executive functioning skills including time management, organization, and planning, goal-setting, and execution
- Demonstrate and embrace collaborative leadership skills
- Possess the ability and willingness to create trusted relationships with a variety of constituencies and stakeholders across the organization
- Maintain both a practical and creative growth mindset; be willing to take risks and experiment with new ideas, and value these traits in others
- Embody reflective practice learning from both successes and failures, demonstrate an active commitment to personal and professional growth, and seek to develop these practices for others in the organization
- Proficient in Google Suite and possess an aptitude for technology and software applicable for schools and organizations (HR, payroll, licensing, etc.)
Qualifications & Job Requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field required; Master’s Degree preferred
- Minimum of 5 years of professional experience leading a school or educational program
- Experience being part of and collaborating with a leadership team
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Availability to be physically present when school is in session, and at Temple-wide and special events (including some evening and weekend programs)
- Strong ties to the Jewish community and relationships with other independent schools preferred
Compensation/Benefits:
Wilshire Blvd. Temple offers a competitive salary and benefits package. More specific information related to salary and benefits will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Salary is commensurate with experience, degrees awarded, and certification(s)
Employment begins July 1, 2024
Application Process:
Interested applicants should send a resume, cover letter, and a brief summary of their overall educational philosophy to [email protected]. Please direct any inquiries and questions to this email.
Duration/Status: Full-time; Exempt administrator
Location: Wilshire Boulevard Temple Irmas and Resnick Campuses
The position will remain open until filled.
Wilshire Boulevard Temple is an equal-opportunity employer and complies with all applicable state and federal laws.