ECE Program Director

Rewa; Washington (Washington County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

Retirement benefits

Generous paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) seeks an experienced Early Learning Center Site Director to lead a diverse Seattle area center, supporting children, families, and staff. You will guide operations, enrollment, budgeting, and compliance while fostering an inclusive, multilingual learning environment.

Strong leadership, collaboration with families, and commitment to equity are essential. This onsite role offers full-time stability with meaningful community impact.

Qualifications

• Meet Washington State DCYF licensing requirements for an Early Learning Center Director.
• Bachelor's degree or higher meeting DCYF licensing requirements or a BA in another field with qualifying ECE coursework verified in MERIT.
• Experience leading staff within an early childhood education program.
• Experience managing center operations, compliance, staffing, enrollment, and quality improvement.
• Ability to meet all licensing, SPP, ECEAP, background check, and funding requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations of an Early Learning Center.
• Oversee enrollment, staffing, scheduling, purchasing, and operational planning.
• Monitor budgets and support financial sustainability.
• Ensure compliance with licensing and funding requirements.
• Lead licensing visits, audits, and monitoring activities.
• Support goals and positive experiences for children, families, and staff.
• Champion high-quality teaching and learning.
• Coach curriculum implementation and quality improvement.
• Promote culturally responsive and dual language education.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard staff; supervise a multidisciplinary team.
• Build an inclusive workplace culture with professional development.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Communication

Problem solving

Bilingual/multilingual desirable

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher meeting DCYF licensing requirements

MERIT coursework verified for ECE

Tools

MERIT

Teaching Strategies GOLD

ChildPlus

WA Compass

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Early Learning Center Site Director

Full-time Regular

Salary Range: $80,000.00 To $115,000.00 Annually

Are you an experienced early childhood leader who is passionate about developing teams, supporting families, and creating high quality learning environments where children can thrive?

Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) is seeking an Early Learning Center Site Director to lead one of our culturally and linguistically diverse early learning centers in the Seattle area. This is an opportunity to lead a mission driven team while serving children and families representing more than 70 countries, where every classroom intentionally supports dual language learning and multilingual development.

At ReWA, every classroom incorporates a second language as part of children's daily learning experience. We welcome leaders who value multilingualism and culturally responsive education.

Bilingual or multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply, although proficiency in another language is not required.

• Pay:$80,000-$115,000 annually, depending on qualifications and experience
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement benefits, generous paid time off, and professional development opportunities
• Location: South Seattle, WA. ReWA is currently hiring Early Learning Center Site Directors for our South Seattle locations, including MLK/Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill. These centers serve children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and offer a mix of preschool and, in some locations, infant and toddler programming. Placement will be based on organizational needs and candidate preference whenever possible.
• Schedule: Full time, onsite leadership position supporting children, families, and staff. Early Learning Centers currently operate Monday through Friday, generally between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Site Director schedules are aligned with center operations and program needs.

Who we are: For more than 40 years, Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) has empowered refugee and immigrant families through culturally and linguistically responsive services. While our early learning programs provide high quality education for young children, ReWA also supports families through workforce development, employment services, behavioral health, youth programs, housing stabilization, domestic violence advocacy, legal services, interpretation and translation, and family support services. Our early learning centers are part of a much larger network of support designed to help entire families achieve long term stability and success.

Want to learn more? Check us out at: rewa.org

Who You Are: You're a collaborative and mission driven early childhood leader who believes every child deserves access to a high quality learning environment where their language, culture, and identity are celebrated.

You enjoy building strong teams, supporting educator growth, creating meaningful relationships with families, and balancing operational responsibilities with educational excellence. You are adaptable, solutions oriented, and excited by the opportunity to support educators, strengthen teams, and create positive outcomes for children and families.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Meet Washington State DCYF licensing requirements for an Early Learning Center Director.
• Bachelor's degree or higher that meets Washington State licensing requirements and the educational qualifications for one or more publicly funded early learning programs, including Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) and/or Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP); OR a bachelor's degree in another field with qualifying ECE coursework verified in MERIT, as applicable.
• Experience leading staff within an early childhood education program.
• Experience managing center operations, compliance, staffing, enrollment, and quality improvement.
• Ability to meet all applicable Washington State licensing, SPP, ECEAP, background check, and funding requirements.

Preferred:

• Experience with SPP, ECEAP, Early ECEAP, Head Start, and/or Early Head Start.
• Experience serving immigrant, refugee, and multicultural communities.
• Experience leading dual language or multilingual learning environments.
• Bilingual or multilingual proficiency strongly preferred.
• Experience with MERIT, Teaching Strategies GOLD, ChildPlus, WA Compass, or similar systems.

Additional Qualifications:

• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills
• Excellent communication and relationship building abilities
• Strong organizational, problem solving, and decision making skills
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with day to day operational needs
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices

  What You'll Do: As an Early Learning Center Site Director, you'll play a key role in creating an environment where children, families, and educators feel supported, engaged, and empowered to succeed.

  Center Leadership & Operations:

  • Lead all day to day operations of an Early Learning Center
  • Oversee enrollment, staffing, scheduling, purchasing, and operational planning
  • Monitor center budgets and support financial sustainability
  • Ensure compliance with DCYF licensing, SPP, ECEAP, and other funding requirements.
  • Lead licensing visits, audits, and monitoring activities.
  • Support center goals, operational performance, while ensuring a positive experience for children, families, and staff

  Educational Excellence:

  • Champion high quality teaching and learning
  • Support curriculum implementation, classroom coaching, and continuous quality improvement.
  • Promote culturally responsive and dual language education.
  • Monitor child assessment and school readiness outcomes.
  • Recruit, hire, and onboard new staff members
  • Supervise and support a multidisciplinary team that includes Lead Teachers, Assistant Teachers, administrative staff, cooks, and other support personnel
  • Build a collaborative, accountable, and inclusive workplace culture
  • Provide coaching, mentoring, performance feedback, and professional development support
  • Help strengthen employee engagement, retention, and team effectiveness

  Family & Community Partnerships:

  • Build trusted relationships with families representing diverse cultures and languages.
  • Connect families with ReWA's broader network of support services whenever appropriate.
  • Strengthen partnerships with schools, community organizations, and funding partners.

  Strategic Leadership & Collaboration:

  • Partner with organizational leadership and fellow Site Directors to strengthen programs and services
  • Contribute ideas and feedback as part of a collaborative leadership team
  • Support organizational initiatives and collaborate with leadership to advance program goals
  • Help advance ReWA's commitment to equity, belonging, and culturally responsive education

  Not sure whether your education meets SPP or ECEAP qualifications? We encourage you to apply. Our team can help review educational qualifications through the MERIT system during the hiring process.

  ReWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

  ReWA is committed to building a diverse, inclusive workforce and workplace. Women, people of color, immigrants, refugees, multilingual candidates, and members of historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.