Welcome, Applicant!

Thank you for your interest in a CalWest opening.
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Applying for Position:
Early Childhood Division Head

This opening calls for specific administration qualifications set by the school.

CalWest client school in the greater Seattle Area seeks an Early Childhood Division Head (grades PS, PK, and K) to begin in February 2025.

Qualifications

  • Hold a bachelor’s degree with a master’s degree (or doctorate) in early childhood education or a related field
  • Have a minimum of four to six years of experience working as a teacher in early childhood education
  • Be familiar with the principles and practices of Reggio Emilia 
  • Be familiar with or learn about King County and Washington state licensing requirements for early childhood
  • Have experience with twice exceptional (2E) children is a plus
  • Have a proven track record of effective leadership, including initiating and completing multiple tasks, independently or collaboratively as required, supervising personnel, coaching/mentoring faculty, and managing budgets
  • Exceptional skills as a deep thinker, listener, collaborator, and facilitator, along with a disposition to act and problem-solve
  • Have demonstrated cultural competence skills that allow them to successfully collaborate across diverse cultures and backgrounds; can build relationships and trust with all constituents
  • Communicate effectively and professionally with a diverse community of children and adults internally and externally, both verbally and in writing
  • An accomplished track record of instructional leadership in curriculum development (alignment, assessment, creation), social and emotional learning, student-centered learning, and/or other progressive educational practices, done through a DEI lens
  • Demonstrate an ability to collaborate and empower in their decision-making, but also ensure that progress is made to achieve the stated goal or solve the problem
  • Skill in building professional relations with colleagues; exhibit a professional manner in dealing with others but successful in creating an informal and fun working environment
  • Have a high level of analytical and organizational skills
  • Be open to direction and feedback
  • Be able to keep information in the strictest of confidence
  • Can be depended on to report to work at the scheduled time and is seldom absent from work. Can complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner and is conscientious about assignments and deadlines

Responsibilities

  • Observe, evaluate, supervise, and advise all early childhood faculty, staff, teaching assistants, substitutes, and independent contractors 
  • Evaluate each instructional year’s curriculum initiatives and scope and sequence, with a particular emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion; work collaboratively with the associate head of school and/or primary and upper division heads to advance agreed-upon curricular initiatives
  • Advise the head of school regarding all new instructional hires and conduct some initial interviews for candidates, including substitutes and other auxiliary positions
  • Make recommendations to the head of school regarding any personnel discipline or necessary job action 
  • Coordinate and/or assign faculty duties and responsibilities outside of regular classroom instruction. This includes but is not limited to recess duties, before and after school duties, and school committee memberships
  • Serve as a member of the admissions and financial aid committees so as to directly deliberate on each applicant for the division, which includes some evenings and weekends
  • Assist in the construction and management of division budgets and oversee and approve the acquisition of appropriate instructional materials, advising the Business Office when problems occur
  • Conduct Early Childhood Division meetings and manage agendas  
  • Conduct regular reviews of Early Childhood Division programs for initial adoption, continued application, and effectiveness
  • Manage and maintain King County and Washington state early childhood licensing and ensure that all classrooms and programs are operating in compliance with licensing requirements
  • Oversee and manage professional development of all Early Childhood Division faculty with a specific focus on professional education requirements, continuing education, professional growth, and enhancing instruction
  • Prioritize classroom observations to provide feedback and coaching to EC teachers, supporting them in implementing best practices and effective pedagogy
  • Collaborate with the learning specialist and teachers to create a system for early interventions 
  • Support a high quality of collaboration among teaching teams in a way that values individual talents while clarifying school-wide approaches to curriculum planning, documentation, assessment, and integration
  • Manage an effective and transparent student behavior management system
  • Provide recommendations to the head of school regarding re-enrollment or dismissal of current students
  • Participate, as needed, in parent or parent/child meetings and evening meetings throughout the school year

CalWest and our partner schools are unable to respond to all applicants.

Candidates may be submitted to multiple positions during their time with CalWest. Also, candidates may not be chosen to move forward in the search they initially expressed interest in pursuing.

Our client schools make the final decisions.

Deciding to Apply

At minimum, applicants should have:

About CalWest Educators Placement

CalWest is the “go-to” firm for educators seeking new positions at independent schools on the West Coast. We focus on increased communication and understanding with our candidates, providing reliable and candid advice about the schools they are considering.

If you have questions about the qualifications to apply, please contact us at mysearch@calwesteducators.com.