Position Summary

Provide accountability, leadership and stewardship to staff, children/families and Tribal and Department administrations for the Early Childhood Development Programs.  This includes the day-to-day management of a high-quality, comprehensive program for children birth to six years of age; the development and implementation of short and long-term goal development, curriculum development, assessment and evaluation for the program and the reporting requirements of funding sources and the integration of this program into the overall Pueblo of Sandia Education Department goals and vision. Further, it provides the leadership and management to ensure that health and safety issues/needs are forefront in decision-making and implementation.

Our philosophy is built on the principles of integrity, fairness, collaboration, communication, and recognition for performance excellence. Meeting all performance standards leads to attracting and retaining a qualified workforce, provides opportunities for qualified team members, and contributes towards the ongoing success of the Pueblo of Sandia today and in the future.  

 Essential Duties And Responsibilities

1. Ensures, monitors, assesses and plans the health, safety and education of children 6 weeks to 6 years of age for up to 10 hours of care, full year. This includes in part the inspection of the facility, equipment/materials, and meal service delivery.Implements and monitors the health and safety codes with policies and procedures that protect, prevent and intervene for the well-being of young children, staff and community members at the Programs.
2. Implements and maintains the tracking tools to inspect and conduct follow-ups for the well-being of young children, staff and community members.
3. Develops schedules of staff to ensure that they have appropriate coverage for the health and safety of children and staff.
4. Assesses equipment and material needs of programs to ensure health and safety codes and policies and procedures.
5. Implements and monitors the health requirements for children and staff to provide healthy and safe environments for them.
6. Implements and maintains the emergency response systems to protect, prevent and intervene for the well-being of children and staff.
7. Ensures the delivery of high-quality instruction and a wide range of developmental milestones for children 6 weeks to 6 years of age daily, with an overall comprehensive developmental plan for each child.
8. Develops, updates and implements Infant, Toddler and Preschool applications for care and required documentation, securing necessary signatures and approvals.
9. Maintains appropriate levels of enrollment in each center program.
10. Develops and updates Parent Handbook for Program participants.
11. Monitors and updates the curriculum for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children that support a variety of critical elements of appropriate developmental practices.
12. Implements and maintains the tracking, monitoring and assessment tools to measure and plan for the growth of individual children while in care.
13. Develops and implements transitional plans, in coordination with the Scholarship Program, for children moving from early childhood to preschool to kindergarten programs.
14. Develops and implements screening, assessments, and evaluations for children 6 weeks to 6 years in care.
15. Develops and implements communication procedures between staff, families, and Department of Education for the tracking and monitoring of children in care.
16. Coordinates with Language Immersion Project staff to integrate Tiwa language into Infant, Toddler and Preschool Programs daily experiences in meaningful ways for children and staff to learn the language and culture.
17. Ensuring the training and certification of staff to meet a variety of requirements for working with young children.
18. Develops and implements a tool that tracks and monitors staff required trainings within a schedule of due dates.
19. Develops and implements training opportunities and professional development to meet requirements of staff positions.
20. Monitors job positions and salary schedules annually to ensure that it accurately reflects the responsibilities, duties, training and supervision of staff positions.
21. Develops work schedules to ensure the appropriate coverage of children by staff.
22. Develops relationships with higher education institutions to provide opportunities for staff and parents to earn degrees in Early Childhood Education or other related classes to fulfill their Career Plan.   
23. Maintains relations with the State of NM Early Childhood Development team to ensure that best practices are consistently implemented.
24. Develops, monitors and evaluates the program’s short and long-range goals for providing high quality services to children, families and staff.
25. Develops a program vision and mission, with Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Programs staff, that is reviewed annually.
26. Develops and implements a yearly schedule for the planning, assessment and evaluation of program needs, program delivery of services, community needs and resource opportunities for a narrative annual program self-assessment.
27. Works with Director of Education to create a 3–5-year strategic plan to address the growing needs of the center.
28. Develops and implements a planning and tracking tool to ensure the success of the strategic plan by assessment and evaluation of target projects and their goals/objectives/activities.
29. Develops, implements, and monitors program systems that support the health and safety of staff and children; oversees the communication between program staff, between program and coordinating agencies, between program and families, and between program and funding sources.
30. Develops and implements communication systems across all department and programs levels that determine clear lines of authority and action, methods and accountability for the delivery of services to children, families, program and department staff.
31. Develops and implements programmatic systems across all department and programs levels that determine clear lines of authority and action, methods and accountability for the delivery of services to children, families, program and department staff.
32. Develops and implements governance systems across Tribal, Department and Programs levels that determine clear lines of authority and action, methods and accountability of the strategic plans, and grants administration for reporting to Tribal Administration.
33. Management and monitoring of financial status of funding sources.
34. Develops and implements procedures for the monthly reconciliation between Finance Office and Programs.
35. Develops and implements a system for requesting, ordering and inventorying of materials and equipment needed to operate a high-quality early childhood development program.
36. Oversees grant budgets; finds and applies for additional grant funding as it becomes available.
37. Develops and implements a system to ensure the timely submission of fiscal requirements from funding sources.
38. Develops and implements a procedure for the timely development of annual budget submissions to funding sources.
39. Becomes familiar with tribal accounting principal manual and recommend changes to it based on grant requirements.
40. Develops and implements a tracking/monitoring tool that provides current information on payment status of participants that are charged a fee for services. 
41. Develops and implements a system for the notification and collection of co-payment charges to parents, Department of Education and as appropriate to Tribal Administration.
42. Developments of a fee schedule to meet the unique needs of the Sandia community.
43. Develops and implements an annual assessment of how the programs succeeded in the collection of co-payments from participants.
44. Develops and implements a system of accountability for the record keeping of the programs and the assessment and evaluation of them annually to be part of the strategic planning for next year’s applications and implementation.
45. Assists Team Cooks in providing high-quality, cost-effective meals to children that reflect the community’s traditional foods and reflect the health issues facing the community and young children.
46. Supports Team Cooks in designing and implementing nutritional training opportunities for families and children in the programs.
47. Punctual and regular attendance is an essential responsibility for all team members and are expected to report to work based upon the assigned scheduled each day in accordance with the Attendance Policy for Pueblo Sandia.

 Additional Responsibilities

1. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
2. Strives to achieve performance excellence through job knowledge, experience, and focus on continued learning to gain expertise with all job requirements. 
3. Adapts to changing circumstances and demonstrates willingness to support management with all business initiatives.
4. Builds strong interpersonal skills by building a cohesive working relationship with co-workers and internal/external contacts, through collaboration and teamwork. 
5. Demonstrates a professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and an approachable demeanor.

 Key Performance Indicators

This position has Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) identified as a measurement of success.  KPI’s will be shared with all team members who work in this job title and feedback will be provided regarding the successful completion of the KPI’s as part of the performance review process.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

1. Knowledge of Health and Safety Codes and Policies/Procedures for children in out of home care, birth to six years of age.
2. Knowledge of curriculum development for children birth to six years of age.
3. Knowledge of comprehensive community-based service delivery, model-team driven service delivery.
4. Knowledge of coordination with variety of agencies and providers for the comprehensive services to children and their families, birth to 6 years of age.
5. Knowledge of special needs services for children birth to six years of age.
6. Knowledge of fiscal accounting principles.
7. Knowledge of goal setting and implementation, assessment and evaluation.
8. Knowledge of strategic planning.
9. Knowledge of professional development best practices.
10. Knowledge of monitoring/tracking of projects and children’s files.
11. Knowledge of supervision of individuals that are highly independent within their jobs to keep them focused on program goals and program systems.
12. Knowledge of systems development to tie the pieces together for a comprehensive service model.
13. Knowledge of working within tribal communities.
14. Ability to supporting staff use their skills in creative and unique ways-teachers are very independent and each sees ways to reach a child that another will not.
15. Ability to work independently and on your own much of the time-self-motivated.
16. Have the skills to organize time within schedules and timetables, follow-up on delegations and be time-sensitive to tasks and responsibilities.
17. Flexibility to change plans in a heartbeat when emergencies arise.
18. Experience working with families and extended families in a positive, respectful manner.

   Education And Experience

Required

1. Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or closely related field from an accredited college or university.
2. Five (5) years managing an Early Childhood Education Center or similar education facility.
3. Three (3) years of teaching experience in elementary education or early childhood program.

Preferred

1. Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or closely related field

License/Certifications/Registrations

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

The following selected physical activities are required to perform the essential functions of this position

Physical Requirement

Description

Balancing

Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling and walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. This factor is important if the amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

Climbing

Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized. This factor is important if the amount and kind of climbing required exceeds that required for ordinary locomotion.

Crawling

Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.

Crouching

Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

Feeling

Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

Finger Dexterity

Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

Grasping

Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

Hearing

Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.

Kneeling

Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

Lifting

Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

Must be able to lift at least 30 lbs.

Pulling

Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, haul, or tug objects in a sustained motion.

Pushing

Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward, or outward.

Reaching

Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

Seeing

The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye.

Walking

Job requirements include, in the performance of duties, walking throughout the work area, on various work surfaces throughout internal or external locations.

Seeing

The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye.

Sitting

Particularly for sustained periods of time.

Standing

Particularly for sustained periods of time.

Stooping

Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.

Talking

Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Working Conditions Required:

1. Observing staff and children requires standing, sitting on the floor or small equipment, stooping to pick up children, kneeling to react eye-level with children, crouching and crawling with infants/toddlers a lot and with preschoolers for observing and discussing with them. 
2. Carrying infants and toddlers for comfort and securing, and other related activities of feeding, changing and napping.
3. Daily cleaning with approved chemicals for sanitation and disinfection of Center equipment and facilities.
4. Inspection of facilities, inside and out weekly and monthly
5. Working in conditions that expose oneself to communicable diseases, bloodborne fluids and hitting, kicking and biting incidents.

The Content Of This Job Description Does Not Restrict Management’s Right To Assign Or Reassign Duties And Responsibilities To This Job At Any Time.

The Job Description Reflects The Assignment Of The Essential Functions Of The Current Position But Does Not Prescribe Or Restrict Tasks That May Be Assigned. The Essential Functions Are Specified But Are Subject To Change At Any Time For Various Reasons, Including Management Discretion.

The Pueblo Of Sandia Reserves The Right To Make Changes To The Job Description Whenever Necessary.

Selected Candidates Must Submit To And Pass A Pre Employment Drug And Alcohol Screening As Part Of The Pre Employment Process.  Drug And Alcohol Screening Will Continue Through Post Hire Testing To Be Conducted By A Third Party Random Number Generator.  Selected Candidates Must Submit To And Pass A Criminal Background Screening As Part Of The Pre Employment Process.

The Pueblo Of Sandia Is An Equal Opportunity Employer (Eoe). Qualified Applicants Are Considered For Employment Without Regard To Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National Origin, Age, Marital Status, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Or Any Other Characteristic Protected By State Or Federal Law.