Executive Educational Director

Description:

Founded in 1978, Brooklyn Free Space is a community-based organization in every aspect of its operation and educational philosophy. BFS is run by a combination of committed member families, professional and collaborative teachers, talented administrators and a volunteer Board of Trustees. These entities work together to create a warm, diverse and responsive environment for BFS children.

BFS is at a moment of transformation, both strategically and logistically, and seeks an Executive Educational Director to guide the school to its next evolution.

The Executive Educational Director is responsible for the overall operation of the school, maintaining a cohesive educational vision, developing and promoting the warm and welcoming culture of BFS, ensuring full enrollment, driving fundraising support for the school’s priorities, and serving as the ambassador of the school to the community. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is deeply committed to early childhood education and also thrives in an advocacy role.

The ideal candidate will be invigorated by the challenge of working with the Board of Trustees and BFS Leadership Council on a vision for the future while also meeting the current demands of running the school. This is an opportunity to provide expert leadership to promote the BFS mission and approach to learning and teaching while strategically developing relationships with community partners, potential funders, and elected and appointed officials to ensure its continued future success.

Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities include the following:

Vision and Long-term Planning

• Set and lead the long term vision for BFS regarding the school’s positioning and logistics, working with the Board of Trustees and the BFS Leadership to guide implementation of these goals.

• Set and lead the long-term educational vision for the school and the teaching staff.

• In partnership with the Operations Director, and with input from the Board of Trustees, develop and manage an annual operating budget that can be supported by the anticipated enrollment, tuition scale and fundraising efforts.

• Prepare and deliver regular reports to the Board of Trustees.

• In conjunction with the BFS Leadership, set yearly fundraising goals and identify potential fundraising opportunities.

Curriculum and Educational Philosophy

• Support the teachers in creating a classroom curriculum that reflects our educational philosophy and adheres to developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in Early Childhood Education (ECE).

• Prioritize learning through play and hands-on exploration and building on the core foundation of social and emotional development.

• Stay abreast of current literature and philosophies in the field of ECE and model continual learning for the BFS teaching staff and community.

• With the Assistant Educational Director, ensure educational consistency across classrooms – set expectations for curricular approach, classroom environment, documentation and meetings/communication with families.

School Administration

• Oversee Operations Director, Assistant Educational Director and teaching staff. Be responsible for hiring, contracts, salaries and ongoing staff evaluation.

• Meet weekly with Operations Director and Assistant Educational Director to address whole school needs, including educational issues and overall budgetary health/status.

• With the Operations Director, set annual tuition and service rates. Approve the agenda for monthly and annual budget review with BFS Leadership Council and the Board of Trustees.

• Support the Director-administered admissions lottery, consulting on diversity slots and financial aid decisions as well as setting specific classroom placements.

• Meet weekly with teaching teams to discuss classroom needs, children and curriculum.

• Spend time in all of the classrooms to build meaningful relationships with the children, and a deep understanding of each classroom experience (curriculum, approach to discipline, social and emotional classroom tone)

• Develop a comprehensive professional development program for educational staff, and support each teacher’s growth and development in their practice

• Support the teachers in assessing and addressing the developmental needs of all children.

• Troubleshoot teacher and classroom needs on a daily basis, or help with a child who needs support, having a child stay in the office when ill or needing a break.

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Licenses and Contracts

• Ensure that the program meets all requirements for licensure from the Department of Health Bureau of Child Care and Article 47.

• Meet all programmatic requirements of the school’s Pre-K for All contract, including a monthly meeting with the DOE assigned Instructional Coordinator (IC) monthly.

Build and Maintain Internal and External BFS Community Relationships

• Build positive relationships and maintain open communication with BFS families and caregivers.

• Support the health of the BFS community and parent volunteer network.

• Support families through the Committee for Special Preschool Education (CPSE) referral and evaluation process.

• Provide support and resources for kindergarten choice and admissions.

• Support families with an understanding of early childhood development and behaviors.

• Maintain positive relationships and communication with BFS alumni families.

• Maintain positive connections with other preschool directors in the area, and the ECE community at large, to share resources and support.

Qualifications: