Head Start Center Director

Head Start Center Director

Salary

$63,828.00 - $91,944.00 Annually

Location

Boulder County, CO

Job Type

Full-time

Job Number

6901(HS7)

Department

Community Services

Division

CSD HeadStart

Opening Date

10/01/2026

Closing Date

10/15/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

FLSA

Exempt

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

Boulder County Head Start is seeking to hire a Head Start Center Director. The Head Start Center Director is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Head Start early childhood education center and is required to be on-site each day. This role ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and promotes a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment for children and families. The Director leads, coaches, and supports a team of educators and staff, manages budgets and resources, coordinates with community partners, and ensures that all program goals related to child development, family engagement, and health services are met. Proficiency in technology and Microsoft platforms is essential for data management, communication, reporting, and administrative tasks.

Oversight and management of:

1. Cross Cutting Approaches - culture and language diversity, program professional development, and school readiness

2. Education and Development - child screening and assessments, disability services, curriculum, curriculum, learning environments, teaching practices, and transitions

3. Family & Community - family engagement, community engagement, family support & wellbeing

4. Health - mental health, oral health, physical health, nutrition, safety practices

5. Program Management - recruitment, registration, facilities, fiscal management, human resources, organizational leadership, program planning, transportation

6. Federal Administrative Procedures - federal monitoring, grant application, designation renewal system

This is a full-time, grant funded, benefited position that will work 7:45am to 4:15pm, Monday - Friday in Boulder, CO. Under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, this position is exempt.

Hiring Salary Range: $63,828.00 - $77,886.00 Annually

Tentative Hiring Timeline:

• Phone Screening: Week of October 19th
• First Round Interviews: Week of October 19th
• Second Round Interviews: Week of October 26th
• Reference Check: Week of October 26th

Examples of Duties

• Demonstrates sound ethical judgment and professional decision-making
• Communicates clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing, with diverse audiences
• Proficient in aggregating and analyzing data, and using data-driven insights to inform program planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Effectively utilizes agency resources, and state and federal guidelines to provide accurate information and support to staff and families
• Capable of designing and delivering engaging training sessions and presentations to both large and small audiences
• Collaborates effectively with community partners and possesses a strong understanding of local resources related to education and professional development
• Works efficiently both independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Monitor and supervise 2-4 classrooms to ensure effective curriculum implementation and compliance with Head Start Performance Standards and Head Start Act
• Oversee implementation of Teaching Strategies GOLD child assessment system
• Monitor and supervise teaching teams completion of anecdotal observations and Child Progress Checkpoints
• Use reporting functions to support effective curriculum implementation by teaching teams
• Monitor and ensure teaching staff maintain developmentally appropriate learning environments
• Conduct classroom observations and use assessments (such as CLASS, ECERS, ELLCO) to enhance teaching practices and develop goals with and for teaching teams
• Review and engage in weekly classroom lesson planning and observe teacher practices to support teaching teams in carrying out curriculum and applying developmentally appropriate and effective teaching practices. Coach and mentor on-site staff, as needed
• Coordinate services for children with challenging behaviors (ISPs, parent meetings) and provide direct and/or emergent classroom support, as needed
• Conducts performance appraisals, counsels employees concerning performance and recommends personnel actions in the areas of hiring, termination and discipline
• Performs related work, as required
• May be reassigned during emergency situations

Required Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: When completing your application describe all relevant education and experience, as applications are assessed based on the required qualifications listed. Resumes and other attachments are not accepted in lieu of completed applications and will not be reviewed in the initial screening process. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your attachments will then be shared with the hiring team.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Boulder County is looking for well qualified candidates to fill our positions. Any combination of relevant education and experience is encouraged. In this position, we are looking for a minimum of

• Three (3) years of lead teaching experience in a preschool setting. Two (2) years of supervisory experience.

AND

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood education/special education, family studies, or related field or a bachelor's degree and 30 credits in early childhood education with early education teaching experience.

Additional related education may count towards required experience.

BACKGROUND CHECK & FINGERPRINTING:

• A job offer is contingent on passing a background?investigation with fingerprinting

Supplemental Information

PREFERRED QUALIFICAITONS:

• Current CLASS Observer Certification or ability to obtain within 1 year of hire

• Current MyTeaching Strategies Inner-Rater Reliability for Preschool, including Dual Language Learners and Children with Disabilities or ability to obtain within 1 month of hire

• Current Directors License from the State of Colorado (Colorado Shines Level III) or ability to obtain within 1 month of hire

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of Head Start regulations and best practices.
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to work in diverse, multidisciplinary teams
• Working knowledge of the professional practices and principles of the assigned service component area
• Skill in communication and grant writing

Boulder County is a workplace dedicated to supporting individuals and families of all types and to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

As well as offering competitive pay and a caring work environment, Boulder County offers employees an array of benefits. For all FTE and Term employees, we provide:

• Outstanding options of comprehensive health plans that include vision and dental coverage. Information can be found HERE.

• Additional Benefits include

• Family-forming benefits- infertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy reimbursements

• 12 weeks Paid Caregiver leave

• Breast feeding friendly-work environment

• Infants-at-work policy

• Access to LifeMart and Benefits Hub discount hub, including discounts on childcare centers, event tickets, travel and more!

• Access to a nationally-recognized wellness program

• Employee Assistance Program

• PERA 401k

• Social Security retirement plans

• Additional Life and Disability Insurance

• Critical Illness and Accidental Insurance

• County-paid tuition assistance

• Eligible for PSLF- Public Service Loan Forgiveness

• Free EcoPass

• Hospital Indemnity

• ID Theft Protection

• Pet Insurance

• 8 Hours of Paid Public Service Leave

• Generous paid time off

• Holidays

• New Years Day

• Martin Luther Kings Birthday January

• Presidents Day

• Memorial Day

• Juneteenth

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Indigenous Peoples Day

• General Election Day November (first Tuesday after the first Monday, even years)

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day November

• Friday after Thanksgiving*

• Christmas Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)

• Christmas Day

• New Year's Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)

• Vacation

• 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire

• Eight hours of vacation per month for the first year of continuous service, then accrue twelve hours of vacation per month after the first year of continuous service.

• Medical

• Eight hours of medical leave for each month employed.

• PERA- The County and all employees pay into both Social Security and PERA

• Employer contribution to Social Security: 7.65% of salary

• Employer contribution to PERA (Local Government Division- most county employees: 15.80%

• The District Attorney's Office observe Francis Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October and omit the Friday after Thanksgiving

Vacation and Medical leave are based off of full time FTE accruals. Part-time FTE/term employees accrue leave based on the percentage of time they work.

01

How do you meet the minimum qualifications of three (3) years of lead teaching experience in a preschool setting. Two (2) years of supervisory experience. and a bachelor's degree in early childhood education/special education, family studies, or related field or a bachelor's degree and 30 credits in early childhood education with early education teaching experience.

02

Please describe your education, training, and/or classroom experience working with young children (birth-5).

03

Head Start programs rely on strong teamwork. Describe a time you worked closely with teachers, colleagues, support staff, specialists, or families to support children's learning or well-being. How did you communicate, problem-solve, or contribute to a positive team environment?

04

Head Start serves families from diverse backgrounds, including low-income, Hispanic/Latinx, and immigrant communities. Please share your experience working with culturally and linguistically diverse families and children. How do you build respectful relationships and support children and families in an inclusive and strengths-based way?

05

Can you share an experience where you utilized data to advocate for a specific change or improvement in your organization? How did you communicate these data insights to your team to ensure alignment and accountability?

06

Describe your experience managing program compliance and oversight with regulatory bodies (such as the Office of Head Start, state licensing agencies, or public school districts). How did you ensure your program was compliant, and how did you address any challenges or findings that arose?

07

One of our guiding values is around Inclusion We value, respect, and support all individuals by being an inclusive, culturally responsive county government. What do you perceive as a challenge when working with a diverse workforce?

08

What kinds of experiences have you had working with others with different backgrounds than your own?

Required Question

Employer Boulder County

Address 2025 14th Street

Boulder, Colorado, 80302

Phone 303-441-3525

Website http://www.bouldercounty.org