Early Childhood Associate Director - Infants and Toddlers

JCC MetroWest, West Orange, NJ 07052 - Full Time 40 hours,

Exempt Position Summary:

Shape the earliest learning experiences. Partner with families. Support exceptional teachers. Join a warm, collaborative, and highly professional Early Childhood Center dedicated to helping young children thrive. In this leadership role, you will help create a nurturing, responsive environment for infants and toddlers - one where children and families feel supported, teachers feel inspired, and Jewish values and traditions are meaningfully woven into daily life. You will provide day-to-day leadership for the Infant and Toddler program, with a strong focus on detail, follow-through, and relationship-building. Key responsibilities include supporting and coaching teachers, partnering with parents, communicating clearly and consistently, helping manage staffing and scheduling, and contributing to a high-quality experience for families and staff alongside a supportive administrative team. Lead with vision and compassion. As a collaborative partner, you will help shape and sustain the school's educational philosophy across early learning classrooms that spark curiosity and support schematic, emergent, sensorial, social-emotional, and project-based learning. You will guide staff in creating developmentally appropriate experiences for very young learners while ensuring compliance with licensing requirements, positive guidance practices, and a culture of reflection, responsiveness, and continuous growth. Benefits include health, dental, and vision coverage; paid time off; a retirement savings plan; employee discounts; and a free gym membership.

Essential Duties & Functions:

• Supervise, mentor, and support teachers and assistant teachers in the Infant and Toddler program, ensuring teaching teams follow the ECC's child- and relationship-centered curriculum.
• Support the creation of meaningful learning opportunities and communicate effectively with teachers, ECC team members, and parents.
• Create professional development opportunities throughout the year and formalize teacher feedback, assessment, and supervisory communication.
• Provide classroom coverage and support scheduling as needed; review weekly teaching intentions and provide timely feedback; conduct regular age-group meetings.
• Maintain strong knowledge of licensing policies, identify compliance needs in classrooms, and ensure staff follow all applicable directives.
• Assist staff in obtaining Child Development Associate (CDA) certification and keep the ECC Director informed of program developments and needs.
• Attend select family events outside school hours; maintain daily ratio staffing in classrooms; and monitor posts on the ECC communication app.
• Interview, hire, train, and mentor new staff; participate in Grow NJ Kids and NJCCIS; maintain teacher assessment records; and conduct check-in meetings as needed.
• Assist with organizing the summer program, collaborate on scheduling special events, follow up with prospective families, and attend weekly administrative meetings.
• Demonstrate flexibility to help open and close the ECC (Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.

m.-6:00 p.m.) and be available for some evening and weekend meetings and events.

Other Responsibilities:

• Build positive relationships with children, families, colleagues, and the broader JCC community.
• Communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with other JCC departments.
• Help cultivate an environment grounded in a strong image of children and families, honoring the unique spark each person brings.
• Foster an inclusive, judgment-free environment for people of all backgrounds and experiences, addressing questions and concerns with diplomacy and respect.
• Contribute insight into areas for professional growth for yourself and others and help maintain a positive image of the ECC.
• Serve as a trusted, responsive point of contact for parents and foster open communication.
• Help maintain the preschool environment and office, and assist staff with JCC systems as needed.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability and willingness to actively participate in children's play and care: lift and carry children 5-10 feet; bend, stoop, kneel, regularly sit on floor and return to standing position without assistance; and in response to emergency situations be able to stand from a seated position on the floor unassisted in under 7 seconds.
• Regular/daily use of computer terminal screen; typing

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Knowledge of infant and toddler educational trends, including emergent/co-constructivist, Reggio Emilia, schematic, and project-based curriculum approaches.
• 5+ years of experience in a progressive early childhood program, including at least 3 years in a supervisory role.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to take initiative, plan effectively, and follow through to completion.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, and time management skills.

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Early Childhood Director Leslie Fleischman at lfleischman@jccmetrowest.org. All applicants for employment shall be considered without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.

Agency Information:

JCC MetroWest has been at the center of our community for 149 years, bringing people together while providing educational, social, cultural and fitness programs. Here at the J, we take every precaution to keep our community safe and healthy, as well as warm, inclusive, and welcoming.

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

$55,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insurance Employee discount Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Retirement plan Vision insurance

Education:

Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

supervisory: 5 years (Required) Early childhood education: 5 years (Required)

Work Location:

In person