Director of Early Childhood Education

Susan & Rabbi Harold Loss Early Childhood Center (Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, Michigan)

With a membership of more than 3,000 families, Temple Israel is one of the largest Reform synagogues in North America.
Since our founding in 1941, Temple Israel has developed a reputation as a house of worship that is committed to innovation and staying ahead of the trends in the metropolitan Detroit area and nationally.
We are looking for someone who can help us take the next steps in that journey!
Temple Israel is seeking a new Director of Early Childhood Education to help lead our ECC program. The right candidate for this role will help us adjust and serve an evolving community that is coming out of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new Director of Early Childhood Education will be responsible for the successful leadership and management of the ECC and have the unique opportunity of redefining and implementing a strategy for the program that aligns with the engagement, relationship-driven focus of Temple Israel.

About the Susan & Rabbi Harold Loss Early Childhood Center:

The Temple Israel Early Childhood Center is one of Metro Detroit’s foremost Jewish Schools conveniently located in West Bloomfield and near the neighboring communities of Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, and Birmingham.
The ECC contains roughly 120 students with programs designed for 20 months and above. The ECC also has the ability to grow to serve more than 200 students and their families.
The ECC employs a faculty of more than 30 individuals, many of whom have had long tenures of teaching here.
The administrative team includes the director, a curriculum professional, and an administrative assistant. The FY23-24 budget also features an opportunity to add another position based on the goals and needs, as seen by the new director.
Our state-of-the-art facilities, including a 12,000-square-foot building addition, are located within a safe and secure campus. The recent facility addition includes a greenhouse, children’s kitchen, and indoor play space. Future renovations in the works include a splash pad and a dedicated indoor gym for our ECC.
Thanks to a large endowment gift specific to our ECC program, scholarships are available to member families in need.

Philosophy:

At the Susan and Rabbi Harold Loss Early Childhood Center at Temple Israel, we support a “whole-child” concept of development by meeting each child’s emotional, social, cognitive, physical, spiritual, and emerging cultural needs. We recognize and respect each child’s unique spirit, and that each person develops differently regardless of gender, race, culture, or abilities.
Because children have varied interests and strengths, we provide opportunities for them to gain experiences in many areas at their own pace. We encourage self-discovery by providing daily opportunities for exploration and creativity, and a positive self-esteem by maintaining a nurturing and non-competitive classroom environment. A fundamental belief at the Temple Israel Early Childhood Center is that children have the right to be cared for in a safe, nurturing, respectful, and healthy environment by adults who are well trained in child development principles.
We know that play is how children engage in and make sense of the world. Children learn best when they are mentally active, engaged, and social – all characteristics of play. There is significant research that supports the understanding that children who frequently engage in quality play experiences are likely to develop better memory skills, language abilities, negotiating skills, and can effectively regulate their behavior. Combining purposeful play with an intentionally driven curriculum, young children in our program are exposed to and engage in the concepts that are the foundation of early reading, writing and math.
Our staff is invested in creating a classroom environment that speaks to each child’s social, emotional, moral, cognitive, physical, creative, and spiritual selves. We believe that all families and students should be celebrated, and we are dedicated to creating an environment of inclusion, respect, and understanding of all people. Family partnerships, opportunities for learning, resources and training, are incorporated into an environment intended to nurture acceptance of all; regardless of religion, traditions, gender, ethnicity ability, or family composition.
Judaism (including Jewish Values, holiday celebrations, basic Hebrew and worship) is fully integrated into our curriculum. Temple Israel’s Early Childhood Center focuses daily on creating an awareness and understanding of being kind to all human beings, both inside and outside of our classroom community. Our students are taught by example the importance of giving back to the community (Tzedakah), being kind to others (Chesed), and helping to repair the world (Tikkun Olam). Our hope is to provide our students with the tools and experiences necessary for them to develop a lifelong connection to Judaism, and to become confident and thoughtful members of our community.
Teachers are the links that model and connect children to the world of knowledge and to the experiences of Jewish living. Our teachers are well trained, positive about life and learning, encouraging and enthusiastic. Through their guidance and loving care, you and your child will experience this exciting learning journey together. We welcome families to be involved in the school and the Temple, so that the family/school/community partnership can support our children as they blossom before our eyes.

The Director of Early Childhood Education Position:

We are seeking someone with the following skills:
• Encourages creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.
• Knowledge of Jewish values and culture.
• Strong listening and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proven leadership experience including a demonstrated ability to inspire, be empathetic, motivate and develop a team of educators and administrative staff.
• An ‘ear to the ground’ on current trends and developments in the early childhood and Jewish educational spaces.
• A community builder who is genuinely eager to foster relationships and engagement with families, staff and the Temple Israel community.
• The ability and knowledge to ensure that all state and local regulations necessary for the licensing and accreditation of the school are always met and adhered to.
• Capable of navigating delicate conversations between educators, staff and parents.
• Proven experience in early childhood education.

The Director of ECC Roles & Responsibilities
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the school, including the curriculum, programming, fiscal management and policies that drive the operations of the ECC program.
• Foster warm, personal relationships with each existing, new and prospective family through engaging, proactive and consistent communication.
• Serve as the bridge or liaison to the Temple Israel clergy team and administration.
• Manage scheduling and payroll for the ECC program throughout the year.
• Conduct annual reviews for all members of the ECC faculty and staff.
• Recruit new faculty and staff who uphold the program’s standard of excellence.
• Support professional development programs that will continuously train both new and seasoned faculty and staff.
• Support a vibrant Parent Connection program and organize opportunities for parental engagement, teacher appreciation and further connection by these lay leaders to Temple Israel.
• Serve as a member of the professional director team at Temple Israel
• Be an innovative leader, creating a vision for the school and the direction it is heading into.
• Support the broader Temple Israel community through events and programming for our youngest members and their families, fostering a seamless connection for Temple members between the ECC and greater Temple Israel engagement.
• Be an enthusiastic advocate for children’s learning, growth, and developing their individual identities.

Salary & Benefits
• This is a full-time position with an anticipated salary range of $95k-$110k
• Benefits include paid holidays, PTO (vacation/sick), insurance (health, dental and vision)
• This individual will get funding for professional development which includes membership in ECE-RJ (Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism) and an expectation of attending their annual conference, amongst other opportunities both locally and nationally.