Director of Early Childhood Education

Director of Early Childhood Education

Health Partners of Western Ohio

Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:30 pm

About Us

Health Partners of Western Ohio is an independent, non-profit and community-directed organization. We serve low-income areas and places without access to care. We're led by a volunteer Board of Directors. Most of our board members are also patients.

Our Mission is to eliminate gaps in health outcomes for all members of our community by providing access to quality, affordable, preventive and primary health care.

Join our team!

The Director of Early Education leads a new, innovative childcare center opening in February 2027. This role serves 100-120 children from birth to age five, with one classroom dedicated to children diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions. The center integrates high-quality school readiness with arts, mindfulness, and child/family wellness. The Director will collaborate with local early childhood community programs to create a holistic wellness ecosystem.

BENEFITS OFFERED:

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Insurance (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
• Paid Holidays
• 403b Retirement with up to 8% match (starts at 3% and increases with time of service at HPWO)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Free Access to the Headspace App
• Training Opportunities
• Eligible to apply for the Emerging Leaders Program after 1 year of Employment
• Annual Raises/Bonuses

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree Required: Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field.
• Advanced Degree Preferred: Master's degree in Education, or Human Services.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE: Successful completion of in-house training.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Leadership Experience: Minimum of 3 years managing a high-capacity licensed childcare center or preschool (100+ children preferred) or comparable programs.
• Compliance Expertise: Proven track record with Ohio childcare licensing and SUTQ accreditation systems.
• Launch Experience: Prior experience opening a new facility or managing large-scale community partnerships is highly desirable.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Holistic Philosophy: Strong understanding of mindfulness practices and nature-based pedagogy.
• Arts Appreciation: Passion for integrating visual arts, dance, and music into daily learning.
• Nature Lover: Embrace nature as the best place for children learning.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND BASIC DUTIES:

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Community Partnerships

• Launch Execution: Direct all operational, staffing, and marketing timelines leading up to the February 2027 grand opening of children center.
• Integrate Healthcare: Collaborate with the on-site pediatric team to seamlessly blend student services including OT/PT, speech & language therapy, behavioral health counseling, and medical services, with daily education.
• Build Community Alliances: Network and partner with local early childhood programs to share resources and maximize community impact.

Program & Curriculum Management

• Blend Curriculum Elements: Fuse school-readiness academics with arts, music, dance, and mindfulness practices.
• Drive Nature-Based Learning: Optimize daily schedules to ensure children spend a large portion of the day interacting with nature.
• Support Family Wellness: Implement health, nutrition, and wellness programming for children and their families.
• Enhanced Services: Coordinate care for children who will benefit from additional therapies.

Compliance & Operations

• Secure Licensing: Navigate Ohio childcare licensing rules to achieve full operational compliance before launch.
• Establish Standards: Guide the new center through Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rating processes.
• Manage Staff: Recruit, hire, train, and mentor a team of early childhood educators equipped for a 120-child capacity center.
• Oversee Budgeting: Maintain fiscal responsibility for staffing, supplies, and enrollment revenue.
• Lead Accreditation: Achieve NAEYC Accreditation + rating by 2029

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is primarily sedentary, demanding sitting, walking, lifting, and bending. Those physical movements and the degree of mobility, manual dexterity, and hand-eye coordination commonly associated with duties in an office setting will be performed repetitively. This also includes bending, twisting, reaching, lifting, pulling, pushing, and walking. The ability to distinguish letters and symbols and utilize telephones, computer terminals, fax machines, and copiers is required. The work environment characteristics described here represent those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Working under stressful conditions, as well as irregular hours, may be required