Director of Early Education and Care

Job Goal:  The Director of Early Education and Care plays a critical leadership role in advancing Somerville’s vision for a comprehensive, inclusive, and high-quality early education system. This position is responsible for overseeing the implementation of a cohesive, mixed-delivery model that ensures all young children are prepared to meet and exceed Kindergarten readiness benchmarks. Success in this role requires strong collaboration and clear communication with District and City departments, community partners, families, and peer communities across the state. The Director is also a key member of Somerville’s First Five early childhood cross-sector steering committee working closely with the City of Somerville’s SomerPromise Department and the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC) of the Somerville Public Schools.

Job Functions and Responsibilities:

SPS Staff Supervision

• Supervise and support SPS prekindergarten and kindergarten educators in collaboration with school principals
• Supervise and support a team of instructional coaches, specialists and clinicians who provide a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for children across the mixed-delivery system
• Supervise and support the Somerville Childcare Center Director
• Supervise and support the Early Childhood Grant Administrative Project Coordinator who oversees Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) state grant .

mplementation and Alignment of Early Childhood mixed-delivery system in Somerville

Oversee and steward the implementation of the multi-year strategic plan for a Somerville early care and education system to align with with the CPPI grant guidelines and the Superintendent’s Strategic Plan, with a focus on each of the key service areas:

Access

• Ensure equitable access to high quality Early Childhood programs for all Somerville families
• Quality Alignment
• Develop curriculum, based on SEE Every Child, to meet the Core Curriculum Content Standards;
• Visit, support, and monitor Somerville Partnership for Young Children (SPYC) programs on a regular basis and oversee continuous quality improvement plans

Special Education and Inclusion

• Work closely with the SPS Director of Special Education to oversee and expand SPYC’s Early Childhood multi-tiered system of supports
• Collaborate with partner programs to support early identification of additional needs

Family Engagement and transitions

• Collaborate with SFLC to implement best practices in family engagement and transitions throughout the early childhood system
• Provide leadership for a summer transition program for children entering Kindergarten
• Work closely with SFLC on the Kindergarten transition plan, and on support and resources for families

Workforce Development

• Provide regular, high quality development opportunities for the Somerville Early Childhood workforce including, workshops, conferences, visitations, demonstration lessons and peer led in which the staff shares successful practices and strategies
• Work in partnership with CTE staff at Somerville High School to promote the early education pipeline from SHS to area colleges.
• Collaborate with the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences (SCALE) to institutionalize and promote Early Childhood workforce development program

Cross-Sector Collaboration and Communication  

Work closely and collaboratively with:

• Local agencies and cross-sector groups including the Somerville Partnership for Young Children (SPYC), the Somerville Children’s Cabinet, the Somerville Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC), the First Five Steering Committee and pertinent working groups
• State Officials, local universities, and colleagues in peer communities
• Report education-related data, trends, and emerging needs within the community
• Be prepared to present aspects of the Somerville Early Childhood ecosystem, trends, and emerging needs in a variety of public settings including regular attendance at School Committee
• Support local and state level advocacy efforts  

Assessment and Evaluation

• Use data to identify student and instructional needs, including analysis of assessments to improve instruction;
• Evaluate programs and services on a regular basis to encourage the use of a variety of instructional strategies and materials consistent with research on early childhood learning and child growth and development.
• Assist in the development and implementation of the assessment system the early childhood (K and PK) population.
• Assist with the communication and reporting of results to center directors, district program directors and early childhood staff, principals/vice principals, and parents.
• Visit, support, and monitor partner programs on a regular basis, including the oversight of continuous quality improvement plans, and advising on compliance with all state Health and education requirements for early education facilities

Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated familiarity with specialized instruction and multilingual education practices
• Proven experience in writing, securing, and managing large-scale grants
• Possession of, or active progress toward, a valid Massachusetts Administrator’s License (Principal or other applicable license)
• Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field required
• Experience in the supervision and evaluation of educators
• Recognized expertise in early childhood education within a public setting; experience with private or community-based providers is a plus
• Minimum of five years of successful classroom teaching experience, with at least three years in a leadership role involving program development and/or management
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively
• In-depth knowledge of early childhood curriculum development, program evaluation, child growth and development, instructional best practices, classroom management, learning assessment, and relevant educational research
• Demonstrated enthusiasm, motivational, team building and interpersonal skills necessary to build strong relationships with students, staff, families, administration, and community partners
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• The Superintendent may consider and approve other qualifications as appropriate and acceptable

Terms of Employment:

Full Year

Non Union

Full Benefits Eligible

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or [email protected].

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union.
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.