Child Care Director

Job Summary

The Director of Smith Memorial Childcare Center will provide dynamic leadership and oversight for all daily operations of Smith Memorial Childcare Center to ensure children have a safe, nurturing, and fun environment in which to grow and experience God’s love.

In this role, you will oversee daily operations, ensure compliance with safety and educational standards, and foster a nurturing environment where children can thrive. Your leadership will inspire staff, engage families, and promote best practices in childhood development, creating a positive and enriching experience for every child in our care.

Smith Memorial Childcare Center is Kalispell's oldest and longest-running licensed childcare provider and a ministry of Epworth United Methodist Church. As a ministry of the church, we are able to provide the highest level of care at a lowered cost to families. Our church culture is welcoming, inclusive, and open to all people.

This position is written as a full time position; however, for the right candidates we may be willing to restructure the job to accommodate highly qualified part-time applicants.

Essential Functions

• Ensure compliance with state childcare licensing and employment requirements.
• Develop, support, and supervise a team of gifted teachers and support staff to meet center needs, ensuring compliance with all state requirements and SMCC Board mandates.
• Develop, evaluate, and support programming and curricula alongside teaching staff to promote the flourishing of children in our care, meet family expectations, and support the missions of Smith Memorial Childcare Center and Epworth United Methodist Church.
• Manage facilities to ensure the premises are safe, well-stocked, and serve the needs of the Center.
• Establish an annual operating budget in collaboration with the Center’s Board of Directors and manage the center’s finances.
• Promote sustainable enrollment numbers through creative marketing & networking within our service areas, working to maintain positive relationships with the families we serve, and dynamically adapting to childcare needs within the community.
• Communicate effectively with Center staff, parents & families, SMCC Board, Church staff, and Church members to maintain positive relationships, promote a safe, stable & effective work environment, and support creative collaboration between stakeholders.

Other Responsibilities

• Participate in twice-monthly check-ins with Pastor/Supervisor.
• Prepare and present a monthly report on operations for the SMCC Board of Directors.
• Attend and participate in church ministry events where they are aligned with SMCC mission or needs.

Core Competencies

• Mission Ownership: Demonstrates understanding and full support of the mission, vision, values, and beliefs of Smith Memorial Childcare Center and Epworth United Methodist Church. Can teach those values to others. Leads her/his team to creatively serve and support these missions.
• Technical Expertise: Demonstrates strong knowledge of early childhood development, education, and best practices for maintaining Center operations. Understands which skills or knowledge are lacking and seeks to develop self, continuing to work toward mastery of needed knowledge and skills.
• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates ability to lead others effectively. Demonstrates skills of active listening and openly accepts criticism. Productively engages and resolves interpersonal conflict. Holds others accountable in a spirit of love. Engages people positively, with a demeanor of optimism and abundance.
• Team Building Skills: Guides center staff in sharing best practices, identifying, and solving common problems. Works with others to regularly assess for healthy group dynamics. Recognizes dysfunctional team behavior and redirects it into functional behavior. Creates and communicates vision, direction, and goals for the team.
• Management Skills: Demonstrates commitment and flexibility in scheduling regular coaching sessions with those in her/his span of care. Understands her/his own leadership style and temperament type and adapts leadership behaviors to meet the needs of the situation. Delegates, empowers, and holds others accountable. Employs resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done.
• Attention to Detail: Consistently attends to many small pieces which must be assembled into an organized whole; follows up on missing or out of balance items, resolves unanswered questions needed to address a problem, keeps the larger picture in mind while attending to the smallest details.

Qualifications

• Current member on Montana's Early Childhood Practitioner Registry with the appropriate combination of experience and education to be designated as director qualified, or, with equivalent credentials in another state to be able to become qualified in Montana upon hiring.
• Proven experience working with children across various age groups including toddlers, preschoolers, and children with special needs
• Strong background in early childhood education, child development instruction, classroom management, and daycare center operations
• Certification in first aid and CPR along with knowledge of mandated reporting laws
• Completion of state fingerprint and background check per licensing regulations
• Prior experience in daycare or childcare center management is highly desirable

Physical Requirements

• Safely ascend and descend stairs multiple times a day
• Safely sit, stand, climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• Frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Pay: $49,012.48 - $59,025.79 per year

Benefits:

• Childcare
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $49,012 - $59,026