Director of Early Childhood

Greenwich Academy’s Cowan Center

Job Summary:

Greenwich Academy is seeking a passionate and collaborative Director of Early Childhood at its Cowan Center.  The director is responsible for promoting a safe, healthy, nurturing and loving environment for each child enrolled in the program as well as supporting a home/school connection through parent partnership. The director is responsible for upholding the program mission and philosophy as well as ensuring that the program runs on a sound fiscal, legal and practical basis. The director reports to the Head of Lower School for programmatic issues and the Chief Financial Officer for administrative issues (licensing, budgets, and contracts). 

About the Cowan Center: 

Founded in 1991, the mission of the Cowan Center is to provide the children of Greenwich Academy faculty, staff, and affiliated families a safe and nurturing environment to grow and develop. Located at 96 Maple Avenue and within walking distance of the Greenwich Academy main campus, the Cowan Center welcomes children and families into its warm, home-like setting. In partnership with families, the Cowan Center offers an inclusive community that maintains shared goals to best support the children.  The center serves 50 children ages 6 weeks through 6 months and operates during the school year (mid-August through mid-June).  

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Lead the Cowan Center team in realizing the center’s educational vision and mission.
• Oversee recruitment of teachers.
• Provide orientation, training and support to the Cowan faculty. Utilize outside resources as needed or requested. Conduct faculty meetings.
• Support center faculty by making expectations clear, following through to see that expectations are met and utilizing staff input and abilities.
• Maintain consistency in established policies and procedures.
• Conduct ongoing staff evaluations. Meet regularly with each staff member. 
• Establish meaningful methods of communication between Cowan faculty and parents.
• Maintain the reputation of the school by expecting professionalism from each staff member.
• Be an example of professional behavior and appropriate communication at all times.
• Attend senior administrative team meetings twice per month.

Responsibilities to Program

• Support a planned and intentional curriculum based on the CT Early Learning and Development Standards. 
• Observe the health and development of each child. Manage illness, emergency care, accident prevention, maintain health records and keep staff informed of safety and health precautions.  Communicate health advisories with faculty and parents as needed.
•  Serve on GA’s Health and Wellness Team
•  Serve on Local Preschool Directors Group
• Familiar with Greenwich Public Schools Resources
• Create and maintain volunteer opportunities with GA students
• Familiar with CT OEC Licensing requirements and guidance

Responsibilities to Parents

• Promote parent partnerships and school/home connections.
• Support daily classroom communications with parents as well as with Remini app.
• Provide resources and support to parents and children.
• Provide a handbook for parent information.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Maintain Best Practices and compliance with state and local regulatory agencies.
• Be responsible for seeing that the facility is safe, clean, and organized. Manage income and expenditures within the budget. Develop a budget each year for review by the Head of School and the business office.
• Maintain all records that pertain to the administration of the program.
• Conduct tours/parent interviews for annual enrollment.
• Manage the admissions and enrollment process.
• Be familiar with and carry out as necessary, the policies set forth in the Greenwich Academy Employee Handbook.

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Must be passionate about working with young children and families
• Ability to develop & nurture partnerships with parents
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills 
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills
• Leadership & supervisory skills
• Proficient with Google Drive or related software.

Physical Requirements: 

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds as needed.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.

About Greenwich Academy

Greenwich Academy is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls and young women that seeks to foster excellence. Its mission is to provide a challenging, comprehensive educational experience grounded in a rigorous liberal arts curriculum within an inclusive, diverse community. The school’s objective is to develop girls and young women of exceptional character and achievement who demonstrate independence, resilience, courage, integrity, and compassion. As a community, we strive above all to honor our motto, “Toward the Building of Character.”

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