Program Director, Early Education

About the role

Position:  Director, Program Early Education

Reports to: VP, Children, Family & Community Services 

Department: Children & Family Services

Pay Rate: $125,000- $140,000 year

Position Type: Full time, Exempt


The Program Director, Early Education provides hands-on operational leadership across Community Action Marin's child development programs and is responsible for ensuring that Childcare sites are appropriately staffed, supported, safe, compliant, and operating effectively each day.

This is a highly visible, site-based leadership position responsible for supervising and developing Site/Area Managers (SAMs) and Senior Managers, Early Education (POCs), strengthening management practices, resolving day-to-day operational challenges, and ensuring consistent implementation of agency and program expectations across sites.

The Program Director maintains a strong presence in classrooms and at program sites, working directly with site leaders to address staffing and coverage needs, classroom ratios, employee performance concerns, parent and staff issues, incidents, licensing readiness, facilities concerns, and other operational barriers that affect the delivery of high-quality services to children and families.

The position works closely with CFS leadership and partners across People & Culture, Education/Compliance, Eligibility & Enrollment, Family Well-Being, Facilities, Finance, and Learning & Evaluation to ensure site needs are identified early, escalated appropriately, and resolved timely.

Essential Duties
Site Operations & Daily Program Leadership

• Provide direct operational oversight and support across CAM child development centers, maintaining a consistent and visible presence at program sites.

• Supervise SAMs and POCs and establish clear expectations for site leadership, communication, accountability, documentation, and follow-through.

• Conduct frequent site and classroom walkthroughs to assess staffing, ratios, classroom operations, safety, supervision, staff engagement, facilities conditions, and overall program readiness.

• Serve as an escalation point for operational issues that SAMs and POCs cannot resolve independently.

• Identify emerging site-level concerns and intervene early before issues negatively affect children, families, staff, compliance, or program operations.

• Ensure operational expectations, policies, procedures, and leadership practices are implemented consistently across sites.

• Coordinate rapid response to unexpected staffing shortages, classroom coverage challenges, site disruptions, relocations, closures, emergencies, and other operational needs.

• Maintain regular communication with CFS leadership regarding significant site needs, risks, staffing concerns, and operational trends.

Staffing, Classroom Coverage & Workforce Coordination

• Maintain active oversight of daily staffing and classroom coverage across sites to support required ratios and continuity of services.

• Work with SAMs, POCs, People & Culture, and other designated leaders to anticipate staffing shortages and develop appropriate coverage plans.

• Monitor vacancies, absences, leaves, substitute utilization, staff movement, and other workforce factors affecting classroom operations.

• Support the effective deployment of substitutes, classroom aids, teachers, and other available resources based on program need.

• Partner with People & Culture on recruitment priorities, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, attendance concerns, corrective action, and other workforce matters.

• Help ensure site leaders consistently apply attendance, scheduling, leave, timekeeping, and supervisory expectations.

• Participate in interviewing and selection of site-level leadership and other critical program positions as assigned.

Supervision & Development of Site Leadership

• Provide regular individual supervision to SAMs and POCs, including coaching, problem solving, goal setting, performance feedback, and accountability.

• Construct structured management meetings to review staffing, enrollment, attendance, incidents, compliance issues, employee concerns, facility’s needs, and other operational priorities.

• Build the supervisory capability of SAMs and POCs so that issues are appropriately addressed at the lowest effective management level.

• Coach managers on communication, conflict resolution, employee accountability, documentation, decision-making, and effective classroom leadership.

• Establish clear follow-up mechanisms for assigned actions and ensure commitments and corrective measures are completed timely.

• Partner with People & Culture on performance evaluations, performance improvement, progressive discipline, management training, and leadership development.

Program Compliance, Safety & Licensing Readiness

• Ensure daily site operations align with applicable Head Start Program Performance Standards, Title 5, Title 22, Community Care Licensing requirements, contract requirements, and CAM policies and procedures.

• Work closely with education and compliance leaders to translate regulatory requirements into consistent day-to-day site practices.

• Monitor operational indicators that may create compliance risk, including classroom ratios, staff qualifications, supervision, health and safety practices, required postings, documentation, and facility conditions.

• Ensure SAMs and POCs understand and follow requirements for unusual incident reporting, mandated reporting, injury reporting, licensing notifications, and internal escalation.

• Support preparation for licensing visits, monitoring reviews, audits, and other program reviews.

• Ensure corrective actions related to site operations are assigned, documented, implemented, and followed through to completion.

• Immediately elevate significant health, safety, child supervision, licensing, staffing, or compliance concerns through established reporting channels.

Incident Response & Problem Resolution

• Provide leadership and coordination when significant incidents, parent concerns, employee conflicts, safety concerns, or operational disruptions occur at a site.

• Ensure appropriate internal leaders are notified promptly and that required documentation and reporting processes are followed.

• Partner with People & Culture on employee-related investigations and corrective action while maintaining appropriate role boundaries and confidentiality.

• Identify recurring operational patterns across sites and recommend systemic solutions rather than addressing issues only on a case-by-case basis.

• Support managers in communicating appropriately and timely with employees and families regarding site-level operational matters.

Facilities & Site Readiness

• Partner closely with Facilities and Operations to ensure classrooms and centers are safe, functional, clean, appropriately equipped, and ready to serve children.

• Monitor facilities are concerns that affect licensing, classroom capacity, health and safety, staffing, or continuity of services.

• Coordinate operational planning related to classroom openings, closures, relocations, repairs, emergency response, and site transitions.

• Ensure site leaders promptly report facilities and safety concerns and follow through until issues are resolved.

Cross-Functional Program Coordination