Associate Director

Celebree School of Pike Creek; Pike Creek (DE); On-site; USD 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hiring bonus

Job summary

Celebree School of Pike Creek is seeking an energetic educational leader to partner with the School Director, oversee daily operations, educational quality, compliance, talent development, enrollment, family engagement, and financial performance.

The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, and skilled in planning, coaching, communication, project management, and turning ideas into measurable results, with 3–5 years in early childhood leadership.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in an early childhood setting is required.
• 3–5 years in early childhood education and 1–2+ years in leadership roles.
• Experience leading a 100+ enrollment center is preferred.
• Demonstrated success in coaching and developing staff.
• Strong planning, execution, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, hire, onboard, coach, evaluate, develop, recognize, and retain educators with a culture of accountability.
• Oversee daily operations, staffing, payroll, budgeting, records, and compliance with licensing and Celebree standards.
• Plan and execute projects, initiatives, events, and priorities with timelines and measurable outcomes.
• Conduct classroom observations, provide coaching, and develop growth plans for staff.
• Build relationships with families and partners to support enrollment and engagement.
• Monitor KPIs and drive enrollment, retention, staffing, payroll, and budget goals.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Project management

Planning

Employee development

Education

Early Childcare Director license (or out-of-state equivalent)

Tools

Outlook

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

SharePoint

CapCut

Job description

Hiring Bonus: Up to $3000 (apply for program details)

*Grow Into Leadership*

Join our leadership growth track with a path toward becoming a School Director at Celebree!

At Celebree School of Pike Creek, exceptional schools are built by exceptional people. As an independently owned and operated Celebree School, our mission is to protect, educate, and nurture every child while living our philosophy: We Grow People Big and Small. We seek an energetic, results-driven educational leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, leads people, executes initiatives, drives operational excellence, and builds a high-performing culture.

Position Summary: Partner and collaborate with the School Director to oversee daily operations, educational quality, compliance, talent development, enrollment, family engagement, and financial performance. The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, and skilled in planning, coaching, communication, project management, and turning ideas into measurable results.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Recruit, hire, onboard, coach, evaluate, develop, recognize, and retain exceptional educators while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, integrity, and professional growth.
• Oversee daily operations, staffing, payroll, budgeting, records, and compliance with Delaware licensing, DOE, Delaware First, accreditation, and Celebree standards while maintaining safe, organized, and brand-consistent learning environments.
• Plan, prioritize, manage, and execute multiple projects, school initiatives, events, and operational priorities using project management tools to achieve timelines, deliverables, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct classroom observations, provide actionable coaching, develop individualized growth plans, support onboarding and professional development, and identify future leaders through succession planning.
• Build strong relationships with families and community partners, represent the school professionally, coordinate enrollment and family engagement events, and support enrollment growth through exceptional customer service.
• Support achievement of enrollment, retention, staffing, payroll, labor, budget, and financial goals while monitoring KPIs and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Success Looks Like: Lead with energy, integrity, accountability and professionalism; a high performer leading by example, takes initiative, inspires and cultivates team members, execute initiatives with excellence, maintain strong organizational systems and create an engaging culture where employees, families, and children thrive.

Qualifications: Early Childcare Director license (or out-of-state equivalent); 3–5 years in early childhood education; 1-2+ years of leadership experience in a 100+ enrollment center; demonstrated success leading teams, developing employees, managing projects!

Technical Skills: Proficiency with Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, CapCut or similar platforms; excellent communication, organizational, analytical, and project management skills; ability to manage competing priorities, interpret performance metrics, and translate information into effective action plans.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring a high-energy, self-starting professional who leads from the front. The Associate Director sets the standard for urgency, professionalism, accountability, and execution through visible leadership, classroom support, staff coaching, family engagement, enrollment efforts, and operational excellence. Success requires initiative, sound judgment, follow-through, and the ability to inspire others through action. The role includes frequent standing, walking, bending, lifting up to 50 pounds, a valid driver's license for community outreach, and flexibility to alternate opening (6:30 a.m.) and closing (6:30 p.m.) shifts while driving measurable results in school performance.