Career Center

The Gordon School is a racially diverse nursery through eighth grade coeducational independent school in East Providence, Rhode Island. Child by child, the Gordon School community cultivates successful students by inspiring joyful learning, encouraging intellectual leadership, fostering an empathic spirit and stimulating a drive for positive societal impact. 

OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT 

EARLY CHILDHOOD DIRECTOR

Start date: July 1, 2022 

Overview

Founded in 1910 as the Open Air School by pediatrician Dr. Helen West Cooke, Gordon was Rhode Island’s first non-public, all-gender school. In 1963, the school moved to its current twelve-acre site in East Providence and remains true to its progressive roots, instilling “the true spirit of joyous work” and holding fast to the belief that “mind and heart should be educated with equal care.” 

Today, Gordon is a racially and socio-economically diverse nursery through eighth grade independent school with an enrollment of 382 students, renowned nationally for a multicultural curriculum and a commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice. The mission is embraced by all members of the community and is championed in all aspects of school life, inspiring and informing daily decisions as well as long-term strategy. 

Gordon’s nursery to eighth grade model best serves the educational, social, and emotional needs of children by allowing students to connect across grade levels, promoting a school-wide sense of community, cultivating leadership in children of all ages, and making key social skills like courage and compassion essential elements of the day-to-day experience. 

Our curriculum focuses on developing intellectual leadership by leveraging a child’s natural imagination, creativity and inquisitive nature. Students are challenged and inspired to be active participants in their own education, and faculty and staff strive to develop deep and meaningful relationships with each child and family.

Over the past two years, Gordon School has taken head-on the challenge of delivering a progressive educational experience in the midst of a global pandemic. While the school’s flexibility and adaptability have been crucial elements of its response, ultimately, Gordon has been successful meeting this unprecedented moment by remaining true to its mission and committed to its empathetic approach to teaching and learning.

The opportunity 

With enrollment growing, parent enthusiasm strong, a firm financial foundation, and experienced leadership, faculty, and staff in place, Gordon is excited to launch a search for an Early Childhood Director. Grounded in a progressive philosophy and play-based approach to curriculum and instruction, the Early Childhood division serves as the entry point for the majority of Gordon families and a critical foundation for a dynamic educational program focused on cultivating courageous learners and compassionate leaders.

Gordon is seeking a warm, enthusiastic, culturally competent visionary to lead the Early Childhood division, overseeing all day-to-day operations, including curricular and co­-curricular programs, faculty supervision and mentoring, student growth and wellbeing, and family guidance and support. The ideal candidate will build and sustain a climate of trust, candor, belonging and joy, take pleasure in the dynamic ways in which this age group engages with school-based learning, and have deep respect for the diversity of personalities, identities, perspectives, and backgrounds that defines Gordon’s Early Childhood community. 

With approximately ninety students in Nursery (three years old) to Kindergarten, the Early Childhood division is led by the director with the support of an Early Childhood and Lower School Assistant, a full-time counselor (N-8), a part-time consulting psychologist, a learning specialist (K-2), and a curriculum coordinator. The person in this role manages a faculty consisting of four teaching teams: Nursery, Preschool, Young Kindergarten, and Kindergarten. Along with the Lower School and Middle School Directors, the Early Childhood Director reports to the Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning and is a member of the school's Leadership Team.

A day in the life of the Early Childhood Director

The Early Childhood Director position presents an exciting opportunity for a creative leader and lifelong learner to touch and impact every aspect of school life. 

On any given day, you might find the Early Childhood Director... 

• Greeting students, parents, and caregivers at arrival and dismissal along with other members of the Leadership Team. 
• Facilitating a parent education forum on the developmental characteristics of pre-elementary-aged children and issues relevant to parents and caregivers of students this age.
• Joining an admissions event for prospective families to discuss early childhood pedagogy and practice.
• Making a guest appearance to do a classroom read-aloud.
• Convening the divisional student support team to discuss students of interest, devise learning or behavioral plans, and check on progress toward goals.
• Working with the Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning to create a hiring committee for a teaching opening and conducting preliminary phone interviews with candidates.
• Making impromptu classroom visits and engaging teachers in conversation about their practice.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee the curriculum, programming and atmosphere of the Early Childhood operations, ensuring a joyful, developmentally appropriate learning environment.
• Partner with the Assistant Head of Teaching and Learning and program directors to manage all aspects of staffing for the Early Childhood division including hiring knowledgeable professionals, articulating and evaluating progress towards individual and divisional goals, and providing ongoing evaluation, motivation and feedback.
• Facilitate proactive and consistent communication with all divisional constituencies, oversee divisional student support systems and ensure effective communication between teachers, internal and external service providers, and Early Childhood families.
• Design the agendas for divisional meetings.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Head of Teaching and Learning as well as the Lower School and Middle School Directors to design the divisional schedule, including teaching assignments and duty coverage.
• Manage the Early Childhood faculty as they write bi-annual student progress reports and facilitate preparation for the two family conference days held each year.
• Collaborate with the Advancement Office and admissions team to recruit and retain mission-aligned families, effectively employing programmatic and messaging strategies, and articulating the division’s strengths and attributes to prospective families.
• Plan and manage the divisional budget, approve all purchases and any allocations required to meet the needs of the division, and work with the Business Office to ensure proper facilities provisions.
• Serve on committees relevant to the work and life of the division. This includes acting as an administrative liaison to at least one board committee and, if needed, serving on ad hoc working groups.

Leadership and personal qualities

• A visionary leader with the knowledge, ingenuity, fortitude, passion, and decisiveness necessary to build trusting relationships and advance Gordon’s mission.
• An enthusiastic commitment to Gordon’s multicultural curriculum and progressive pedagogical approach.
• High cultural competency and racial literacy, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• An ability to lead and motivate collaboratively and manage assignments with excellent organization, delivery, creativity, planning, and attention to detail.
• A professional, collaborative, team-oriented style characterized by empathy, flexibility, and grace.
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to manage multiple initiatives.
• A genuine appreciation of and respect for children, and energy and enthusiasm for all aspects of school life.
• Warmth and a good sense of humor, patience and persistence, and a sense of curiosity and a love of learning.
• The desire and ability to work collaboratively, to innovate, and to be part of a team.

Professional qualifications

• A Master’s degree in early childhood education, educational leadership, or a related field required. 
• A minimum of three years of school leadership and supervisory experience, preferably in an early childhood setting, that reflects a track record of cultivating positive relationships with students, families, faculty, and staff. 
• A capacity for strategic thinking with the ability to look to the future, anticipate needs, develop new initiatives, and implement short- and long-term plans.
• A deep understanding of progressive and anti-racist pedagogy, preschool education, multicultural curriculum, and the developmental needs of young learners.
• Prior early childhood or elementary classroom teaching experience; experience teaching children aged three to five strongly preferred.
• Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills and demonstrated skill in communicating and engaging effectively with a wide range of constituencies.
• Demonstrated success inspiring and leading teams, including establishing goals, managing performance, and fostering professional growth.
• Experience working with state or local education and health departments on requirements and practices.

Compensation and benefits

This is a full-time, twelve-month exempt position and reports to the Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning. The salary for this position will be commensurate with experience. Gordon employees enjoy a competitive employee benefits program including medical, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement plan contribution, and voluntary supplemental life insurance and long-term care coverage. 

Gordon School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to apply 

Interested and qualified candidates should submit the following materials by January 14, 2022: 

• A cover letter describing why you are interested in working at Gordon and how your talents and experience are a fit for this position. 
• A current résumé.
• A statement of your leadership philosophy (no longer than one page). 
• A list of three professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without notifying the candidate first).  

Please send your materials electronically in one email and as separate PDF documents to: 

Clare Blackmer, Executive Assistant to the Head of School at cblackmer@gordonschool.org 

No phone calls, please.

We strongly encourage applications from people of color, LGBTQIA+ educators, or educators from communities that are historically underrepresented in independent schools. 

• A Master’s degree in early childhood education, educational leadership, or a related field required. 
• A minimum of three years of school leadership and supervisory experience, preferably in an early childhood setting, that reflects a track record of cultivating positive relationships with students, families, faculty, and staff. 
• A capacity for strategic thinking with the ability to look to the future, anticipate needs, develop new initiatives, and implement short- and long-term plans.
• A deep understanding of progressive and anti-racist pedagogy, preschool education, multicultural curriculum, and the developmental needs of young learners.
• Prior early childhood or elementary classroom teaching experience; experience teaching children aged three to five strongly preferred.
• Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills and demonstrated skill in communicating and engaging effectively with a wide range of constituencies.
• Demonstrated success inspiring and leading teams, including establishing goals, managing performance, and fostering professional growth.
• Experience working with state or local education and health departments on requirements and practices.