Job Recommendation- Director of School

Sausalito Nursery School is looking for a passionate and engaging Director of School to lead our cooperative play-based preschool.

Our Director guides the school; managing the teachers and curriculum, cultivating our school’s spirit of community and working closely with parents to run both daily operations and long term development initiatives.

We believe education is best served when teachers, parents, children and families work together. We strive to provide a secure, comfortable and responsive environment, and respect, accept and encourage each child’s independence and autonomy. We value kindness and inclusion above all, and reinforce those values allowing our children to learn prosocial behavior, responsibility, community engagement and compassion. Our new Director should embody these values, contribute to growing them and serve as a role model for teachers, students and families alike.

ABOUT SAUSALITO NURSERY SCHOOL

Founded in 1939, Sausalito Nursery School is one of the oldest cooperative nursery schools in the country. As a parent cooperative, Sausalito Nursery School affords parents and children the opportunity to participate together in the excitement and joy of the first years of learning. The students enjoy the best of both worlds: parent participation and professional guidance by a full teaching staff.

Sausalito Nursery School maintains an environment free of racial, religious or sex role bias, stereotypes or prejudice.

Check out our Instagram to get a feel for daily life at SNS: @sausalitonurseryschool

GENERAL OVERALL DESCRIPTION

The Director’s role is that of a team member who works with the Sausalito Nursery School (“SNS”) Steering Committee and the other SNS committees toward the effective implementation of the overall philosophy and objectives of Sausalito Nursery School. The Director is responsible for long-range and short-range planning as well as numerous organizational and administrative duties. Among other things, the Director bears the responsibility for leadership and supervision of the teachers, other staff, students and co-oping parents. The Director is responsible to the Steering Committee for the overall day-to-day operation of Sausalito Nursery School, including compliance with the fiscal budget.

The Director shall participate in all SNS activities and shall appear in a timely fashion for the daily school program, meetings, conferences, workshops, fundraising events and all other SNS functions and events.

The Director is required to communicate effectively with parents and the community. The Director must have a sound understanding of child development and psychology with a certification in Early Childhood Education or comparable teaching and administrative experience as stated by the California Department of Social Services. See “Director’s Specific Duties” below for more detail.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree from accredited university in ECE or child development
• Must meet certification requirements per the CDSS Child Development Permit Matrix
• 5 years classroom experience teaching ages 2-5 in a preschool or other early learning center
• 2 years experience managing or mentoring other teachers/ teaching aides/ teaching assistants
• Experience with a cooperative preschool, non-profit preschool or knowledge of and interest in working in a not for profit cooperative preschool environment
• Energy, enthusiasm and passion for teaching and building community

COMPENSATION

• Competitive Salary, base $65k/year and up, commensurate with education and experience
• Generous paid time off for sick days, school vacations and holidays
• $250/month health insurance stipend
• Optional retirement contributions through CalSavers
• At SNS we value continued learning and self-improvement and invest our teachers’ career growth by reimbursing them for relevant continuing ed coursework, seminars and conference attendance

TO APPLY

Please provide:

Professional C/V or Resume

Cover letter

2 Professional References

DIRECTOR’S SPECIFIC DUTIES

1.) PROGRAM AND CURRICULUM

The Director is responsible for the overall development, quality and implementation of the SNS curriculum, the daily SNS program (early morning and morning), and the afternoon enrichment program.

The Director is responsible for coordination and quality of any vacation and/or summer SNS program if required by the membership and requested by the Steering Committee.

The Director is responsible for ensuring the curriculum conforms to and supports the SNS philosophy.

The Director is responsible for preparation of weekly program evaluations.

The Director is responsible for organization and implementation of field trips, including providing necessary notifications and forms to parents as required by collecting all necessary fees and completed forms prior to each field trip.

2.) TEACHER SUPERVISION, TRAINING AND ADMINISTRATION

The Director is responsible for supervision of SNS teachers on a daily basis.

The Director is responsible for interviewing potential teachers, making hiring and personnel recommendations to the Steering Committee, training teachers and preparing a yearly written performance review to be submitted to the Steering Committee.

The Director is responsible for maintenance of a SNS substitute teacher list approved by the Steering Committee at the beginning of each school year (as well as when changes are necessary).

3.) TEACHING

In addition to performing the Director’s administrative duties, the Director is responsible for performing all additional duties required of a teacher (which duties are described in the separate Teacher Job Description provided during the interview process).

4.) GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY RELATIONS

The Director is responsible for liaison with all federal, state and local governmental agencies which regulate and relate to the operations of the Sausalito Nursery School. The Director shall maintain up to date knowledge of and be responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable governmental requirements and regulations (California Department of Education, California Department of Social Services, Marin Health and Human Services, etc.) . These administrative duties include but are not limited to: complying with licensing requirements, updating licensing forms, updating school documents and policies in collaboration with the Steering Committee.

5.) SNS PLANT AND EQUIPMENT OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

The Director is responsible for understanding the basic operation of all SNS equipment and facilities, including the emergency alert system.

The Director is responsible for working with the Maintenance Committee to ensure that the SNS building, ground and equipment are maintained in a neat, clean, safe and organized manner which projects a positive image to the public. In that regard, the Director is responsible for making recommendations to the Maintenance Committee on items of general maintenance as well as proposed improvements to the physical plant and equipment needed to meet child care health and safety requirements.

6.) SCHEDULING

The Director is responsible for preparation of monthly and yearly calendars of events which define and list holidays, vacation periods and co-op days. The yearly calendar, including the length of the SNS year and designation of holidays and vacation periods, must be approved by the Steering Committee each August.

The Director is responsible for maintaining the administrative calendar for the Steering Committee.

7.) SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

The Director is responsible for ordering and purchasing necessary supplies, equipment and books consistent with the approved SNS budget.

8.) PARENT COMMUNICATIONS AND MONTHLY WORKSHOPS

The Director is responsible for communicating weekly with the Communications Committee to identify ongoing communication needs and responsibilities.

The Director is responsible for preparing and submitting to the Communications Committee a report for inclusion in the newsletter.

The Director is responsible for development and implementation of workshops held prior to monthly general meetings.

The Director is responsible, with help from the Communications Committee, for preparation and distribution to all the parents of the SNS Handbook. The Director is also responsible for developing and maintaining communication links with parents.

The Director is responsible for scheduling and leading parent-teacher conferences, including at least one parent-teacher conference per student per year. The Director is a also responsible for preparation of student progress reports and year-end reports.

The Director is responsible for maintaining an active role in identifying and recommending support systems for parents and families.

9.) FINANCIAL MATTERS

The Director is responsible for signing late tuition payment notices and performance of late payment collection.

The Director is responsible for understanding, implementing and adhering to the budget approved by the General Membership. The Director is also responsible for participating with the Finance and Steering Committees in preparation of a new fiscal year budget to be adopted by the General Membership each May.

The Director is responsible for maintaining staff payroll records, including attendance, sick days and authorized absences.

The Director is responsible for participation in fundraising activities as directed from time to time by the Steering Committee.

10.) STAFF, VOLUNTEER AND CO-OPER ADMINISTRATION

The Director is responsible for daily supervision of aides, volunteers and co-opers.

The Director is responsible for training all aides and volunteer staff, for conducting weekly staff meetings and for the maintenance of individual staff files containing health, training and personnel information.

The Director is responsible for stimulating staff with new ideas, resources and materials.

11.) STUDENT ADMINISTRATION

The Director is responsible for conducting potential family members on tours of the Sausalito Nursery School. The Director is responsible, in conjunction with the Finance Committee, for maintenance of a student waiting list.

The Director is responsible for enrolling new students, including sending enrollment packets and seeing that all required forms are completed and current.

The Director is responsible for maintenance of student attendance records.

The Director is responsible, with the assistance of the Communications Committee, for maintenance of individual student files containing health records, emergency telephone numbers, personal information and required forms.

The Director is responsible for observation of the health and development of students, handling student illnesses (including notifications to parents of particular illness exposures as required) and maintaining complete health records.

12.) GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

The Director is responsible for developing and implementing accident prevention and emergency procedure programs.

The Director is responsible for attending and participating in all parent teacher conferences, workshops, General Meetings and Steering Committee meetings.

The Director is responsible for understanding the functions and responsibilities of each SNS Committee. If any committee is not meeting its responsibilities and performing its assigned functions in a timely and effective manner, the Director is responsible for bringing such deficiencies to the attention of the relevant committee and the Steering Committee.

The Director is responsible for collection and distribution of SNS mail. [& Email]

The Director is responsible for the organization of SNS picture day.

The Director is responsible for responding to telephone inquiries [& Email] in a timely and appropriate manner.

The Director is responsible for preparing and submitting reports on any workshops attended.

The Director is responsible for performance of whatever additional duties and responsibilities as may be required by the Steering Committee from time to time.

The Director is responsible for preparation and upkeep of the SNS Policy and Procedures Manila, including all changes approved by the Steering Committee.

The Director is responsible for maintaining the contents of the SNS safety deposit box.

The Director is responsible for arranging rentals of the SNS premises (pursuant to SNS rental agreement).

The Director shall have discretion to delegate to other staff members performance of some of the Director’s duties from time to time. Any such delegation should be referenced and described in a monthly Director’s report to the Steering Committee. However, ultimate responsibility for the effective performance of those duties shall remain that of the Director.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Tuition reimbursement

Schedule:

• After school
• Monday to Friday

Supplemental pay types:

• Bonus pay

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Sausalito, CA 94965: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: One location