Job Description

The Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Center of the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC is a forward-thinking Jewish preschool in SW Houston, serving students who range in age from 6 weeks to 5 years. Welcoming over 200 children and their families, this NAEYC-accredited school is founded on the ethics and values of Judaism and is committed to excellence and innovation. Our collaborative team of professionals, engage in creative, dynamic curriculum development for preschool children and continuously improve the school through ongoing professional development.

Full time position that focuses exclusively on yearlong programs. The focus of this position is the integration and Judaic and secular curriculum and instruction, including supporting diverse learners throughout the building. Broad areas of emphasis are on emergent curriculum and design, inclusive educational practices, and professional development for teachers. The Director for Curriculum and Instruction is a primary point person for staff when it comes to matters of curriculum, teaching strategies, classroom environment, and student support.

The Bertha Alyce and Ellen Boniuk Schools strive to nurture children, embrace families, mentor teachers and create a caring and vibrant Jewish community. We recognize each child’s unique and special abilities and encourage appreciation and acceptance of all. We develop a warm, nurturing relationship with children and their families, which is how we show them that we care deeply about them. We express joy in who they are, helping them to feel safe and secure.

Our educational framework, called Sheva (which is the Hebrew word for the number seven) outlines a vision of excellence in Jewish early childhood education, serving as a guidepost to position JCC early childhood centers of excellence in their communities, binding them together across the continent.

Sheva: Resource Guide for Classroom Educators is an important guidepost for the work of the Educator.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Bertha Alyce and Ellen Boniuk Schools is a key member of center leadership, oversees all aspects of day-to-day administrative operations and must be able to oversee all phases of school operations as the back-up administrator of early childhood care and education for over 150 children.

The Director of Curriculum and Instruction has a lead role in a team that includes a Director, an Assistant Director, various classroom specialists, and approximately 60 classroom educators as well as other JCC colleagues. Along with the Director and Assistant Director, it is his/her responsibility to make sure that this team has shared goals and understandings, is cohesive, and promotes a consistent philosophical approach to educational practice, customer service, professional collaboration, staff supervision and overall center functioning.

The Director of Curriculum and Instruction works closely with the Director to ensure that the Bertha Alyce and Ellen Boniuk Schools remain:

• Nurturing and safe for a wide range of children and their families
• Fully compliant with all state licensing requirements and NAEYC guidelines
• Educationally sound with well-trained staff and excellent curricula
• An admirable starting point for Jewish education for children and their families and 
• A warm and welcome community for all participants.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Responsible for health, safety, growth and development of all the children

2. Complies with Texas licensing requirements and NAEYC standards

3. Creates a responsive environment for parents

4. Collaborates with other staff members of the ERJCC.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Curriculum Emphasis:

• Weekly supervision at Bertha Alyce of teaching teams or lead teachers (YT-PK) with a focus on project work and documentation
• Assisting with grant proposals or development for funding geared toward curriculum and program goals for both schools 
• Parent education initiatives as pertains to BAS and EBES curriculum (ex. Curriculum Night, STEAM festival).

2. Professional Development/Teacher Education:

• Screen, Recruit and Interview (w/Director) new hires
• New Teacher orientation and onboarding
• Plan and execute staff in service training days, including coordinating outside trainers
• Identify learning opportunities for outside professional development, coordinate outside training for staff members (CDA, TXAEYC, Rice SLC, Paradigm, Yom Limmud, etc)
• Develop teacher leaders for age group teams and facilitate professional learning communities
• In class and outside coaching and instructional support for teachers (ex. implementation of Teaching Strategies Gold, classroom management, project based learning, inclusion strategies).

3. Classroom Supervision:

• To supervise faculty and staff at BAS – age groups TBD.
• Observe classrooms and assist and/or support teachers in developing appropriate classroom practices and curriculum at both schools.

AGENCY EXPECTATIONS

1. Support and foster the Jewish and secular goals of the Bertha Alyce School, Ellen Boniuk School, and the ERJCC.

2. Attend monthly staff meetings

3. To develop and maintain relationships with lay leaders

4. Participate in agency-wide in-service training programs

5. Participate in agency-wide Open House/Program Registration days as required 6. Participate in 10 hours of Jewish Learning annually

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s Degree required
2. Master’s Degree Preferred
3. TX Director’s License (or ability to become licensed) required
4. Minimum 3-5 years Classroom Experience
5. 3-5 years Supervisory or Management experience a plus
6. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
7. Excels at communicating to parents, board members and staff the goals of our programs. Able 
to interact professionally with all levels of internal and external personnel.
8. Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment 
9. Demonstrates the ability to work well with people
10. Willingness to be flexible and available to work occasional evenings and weekends as required for 
special events
11. Willingness to perform job tasks not part of immediate job responsibilities but aids in member 
satisfaction and getting the job done