Assistant Director - Creative Steps Program

University Settlement is one of New York City's most dynamic social justice institutions, with an impressive legacy as the first settlement house in the nation. For over 135 years, University Settlement has been an anchor in the low-income and immigrant communities where we work, offering pioneering programs in early childhood care and education, youth development, eviction prevention, literacy, theater and visual arts, older adults services, and mental health. Each year, we engage over 40,000 New Yorkers through our network of 30 sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Our mission is to empower residents by building on their strengths through comprehensive, quality services that meet the current needs of the community; innovation that anticipates future needs; and advocacy to bring justice to the community as a whole.

We work with New Yorkers of all ages. We infuse a commitment to civic engagement, equity, and communal action into each of our programs, which include early childhood education, mental health and wellness, benefits assistance and eviction prevention, adult literacy and education, healthy aging, community and recreation centers, performing and visual arts, and youth development.

Responsibilities:

• Supervise the work of teaching staff in developing and maintaining a high-quality child-development program including classroom strategies and responding to the social and emotional needs of children
• Oversee classroom staffing, paperwork and curriculum to ensure proper coverage and compliance per licensing regulations
• Supervise all classrooms to ensure compliance with Creative Steps practices, DOHMH and DOE standards and regulations
• Provide strengths-based coaching and mentorship to teaching staff to meet professional development goals, including professional development, observations and feedback
• Responsible for coordinating yearly in-service trainings and staff evaluations
• Supervise the afterschool and early drop off programming, ensuring that all classrooms are adequately staffed and meet ratio requirements
• Assist with the preparation of final documents including editing and final review of classroom newsletters, emails, and students’ end of year portfolios
• Oversee and maintain the implementation of high-quality programming with evidence-based curricular and child outcomes
• Oversee trackers and documentation kept by Program Coordinator ensuring all student medicals are up to date by entering data into the health & immunization tracking database
• Coordinate teacher schedules, and staffing coverage, including maintaining attendance logs and active supervision checks in classrooms and on playground
• Review lesson plans and curriculum development for school day and afterschool programs.
• Assist with the review of program practices and update program licenses, plans, policies, and procedures
• Help manage the facility including securing maintenance and IT technical support, maintain a professional appearance, and helping to ensure and maintain a safe and healthy environment for the children, parents, and staff
• Complete other relevant duties as requested by Director
• Responsible for overseeing all program duties in absence of the Program Director

Admission Operations & Family Partnership

• Support the admission/enrollment of new and continuing students
• Collaborate in the preparation of materials for parent communication and tours and admission operations including the development of promotional and communication materials, and meeting and greeting families and conducting tours
• Develop consistent, stable and supportive relationships with families and children including assessing their scheduling needs and opportunities for adjustments
• Work with Director, mental health clinician and staff members to implement and review developmental screenings for all children, and formal assessment tools
• Actively participate in and assist with the coordination and delivery of parent engagement, outreach and community-building
• Develop and execute parent engagement and fundraising activities throughout the year

Qualifications:

• BA/BS in Education (Early Childhood) Infant/Toddler Development, Developmental Psychology or related field with
• Permanent/Professional NYS Teaching Certificate Preferred
• 5 years experience as a teacher and/or early childhood administrator/supervisor
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills
• Experience assisting families and children with transition to public and private kindergarten program preferred
• Must have proficient computer skills with knowledge of MS Office

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday, 35 hours a week

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community. We support a broadly diverse team who will contribute to our organization. We are an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.