Preschool Site Director

Heritage-Academy-; Mesa (AZ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Liberty Kids Preschool seeks a Site Director to lead daily operations, ensure safety, compliance, and curricular excellence while building strong relationships with families.

You will recruit and manage staff, oversee budgets, monitor enrollment, and guide professional development to support high-quality early childhood education.

This role is the primary on-campus decision-maker, driving program success and reporting to leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• 3-5 years in an early childhood or preschool setting.
• 2 years supervisory or site management experience in childcare or preschool.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Strong knowledge of early childhood development principles, best practices, and licensing requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team and maintain high standards of professionalism, conduct, and instructional quality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders diplomatically and effectively.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification.
• Negative TB Test (within the past 12 months).

Responsibilities

• Lead site operations and uphold the mission, vision, and goals across all site operations.
• Ensure full compliance with organizational policies, procedures, and state licensing requirements.
• Maintain ultimate responsibility for the well-being of each child and foster development.
• Create and sustain a safe, engaging campus environment conducive to instruction and positive behavior.
• Conduct classroom observations to monitor instructional quality and staff performance.
• Lead recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, evaluation, and dismissal of site staff.
• Design and facilitate professional development activities for staff growth.
• Develop and communicate program policies aligned with regulations and standards.
• Manage site budget, ordering, inventory, and minimizing waste.
• Lead development and maintenance of curriculum standards for early education excellence.
• Serve as primary contact for parent/family communications; address concerns promptly.
• Monitor enrollment and maintain state-required child-to-staff ratios.
• Ensure accurate student records and required documentation.
• Coordinate facility maintenance and health/safety standards.
• Train staff on emergency procedures and drills.
• Perform annual evaluations and provide coaching to staff.
• Report and escalate discipline and staffing issues to leadership.
• Perform other duties to support program growth.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Licensing compliance

Communication

Organization

Curriculum oversight

Budget management

Emergency procedures

CPR/First Aid

TB test

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Parent relations

Staff recruitment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education

Graduate degree preferred

Job description

The Preschool Site Director serves as the lead administrator of Liberty Kids Preschool and is responsible for the full oversight and management of daily site operations. This role ensures the delivery of a safe, nurturing, and high-quality early childhood program by leading staff, maintaining compliance, driving curriculum excellence, and building strong relationships with families and the broader community. The Site Director is the primary decision-maker on campus and is accountable for the overall success of the program.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Leads and upholds the mission, vision, and goals of Liberty Kids Preschool across all aspects of site operations.
• Ensures full compliance with all organizational policies, procedures, and state licensing requirements.
• Maintains ultimate responsibility for the well-being of each child - physically, socially, and emotionally - to foster academic excellence and healthy development.
• Creates and sustains a safe, engaging, and well-managed campus environment conducive to effective instruction and positive student behavior.
• Conducts regular classroom observations to monitor instructional quality, curriculum fidelity, and staff performance.
• Leads the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, evaluation, and, when necessary, dismissal of all site staff.
• Designs and facilitates professional development activities to support continuous staff growth and program improvement.
• Develops, implements, and communicates program policies and procedures in alignment with state regulations and organizational standards.
• Manages and oversees the site budget, including ordering and inventorying supplies, snacks, and materials while minimizing waste.
• Leads the development and maintenance of curriculum standards that support early childhood educational excellence.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for all parent and family communications, addressing concerns professionally and promptly.
• Monitors and manages enrollment, maintaining state-required child-to-staff ratios at all times.
• Ensures all student records are accurate and current, including emergency contacts, medical and allergy information, IEPs, and all other state-required documentation.
• Coordinates facility maintenance and cleaning in accordance with state and local health and safety standards.
• Ensures all staff are trained on and adhere to emergency procedures, including lockdown, fire safety, and weather-related protocols.
• Performs annual performance evaluations for all direct reports and provides ongoing coaching and mentorship.
• Reports and escalates student discipline matters, staffing concerns, and other program issues to appropriate leadership.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the continued growth and success of the program.

Qualifications, Competencies & Strengths

Education: Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field required; graduate degree preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in an early childhood or preschool setting. Minimum of 2 years of supervisory or site management experience in a childcare or preschool environment required.

Special Skills:

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Strong knowledge of early childhood development principles, best practices, and state licensing requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team and maintain high standards of professionalism, conduct, and instructional quality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders diplomatically and effectively.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification required.
• Negative TB Test (within the past 12 months).

Type of fingerprint clearance: Shall be fingerprint checked pursuant to A.R.S 15-512

Physical functions: Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, and operate a computer, hand-held learning devices, and other office equipment. Must reach with hands and arms, and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Equipment used: Frequent computer use is expected

Work Environment: A typical classroom environment is expected; occasional exposure to outdoor weather.

This description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not exclude or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.