Fitness Center Director jobs in Newark, NJ

About Us

La Casa de Don Pedro, Inc. (LCDP) was founded in 1972 by a group of local activists seeking to establisheducational and charitable programs to meet the needs of Newark’s Puerto Rican community.

Named in honor of Don Pedro Albizu Campos, LCDP has since evolved to become the largest Latinx-led organization in the state of New Jersey, serving 50,000 Newark and Essex County residents annually under three central pillars: Early Childhood (Prenatal, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-K); Healthy Homes (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Weatherization, Lead Remediation/Abatement); and Community Empowerment (Women & Family Center, Immigration, Workforce Readiness, Youth Enrichment, Housing & Home Ownership Support, and Community Organizing). For more information, please visit www.lacasanwk.organd be sure to follow @lacasanwk on all social media platforms.

Position Summary

La Casa de Don Pedro seeks a Center Director who will support the Education Coordinator and Managing Director in assisting with the day-to-day administration and operations of the Early Childhood pillar. To be successful in this role, the Center Director is responsible for managing, leading, and monitoring the daily operations of the assigned center, be knowledgeable in the Head Start performance standards, and ensure high quality preschool services are provided to the children and their families. The Center Director will serve as an integral member of the Early Childhood team and will contribute to the overall efficiency of La Casa de Don Pedro by providing personalized and timely support.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership and Policies and Procedures

· Train all instructional staff in Early Childhood Curriculum, inclusive of its philosophy, principles, policies procedures and documentation, so as to provide guidance, monitor, assess and support learning as well as conduct a review of children files to identify needs and ensure discernable application and progress.

· Assess the professional development needs of the staff, develop, obtain and/or conduct on-going in-service training to support staff as needed.

· Provides leadership and direction in planning for the training, development, and mentorship of all staff to meet or exceed requirements, and as a means of ensuring quality experiences for infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.

· Contribute and participate in the successful implementation of all programs designed and add value or provide accreditation for La Casa’s early childhood work, such as Grow NJ Kids, and NAEYC.

· Create a safe and healthy environment that promotes high quality comprehensive services to children and families.

· Interview, hire, train, mentor/coach, monitor, provide feedback and evaluate staff performance with input from content area Deputy Directors.

· Promote staff development by using reflective supervision and performance appraisal system to assess staff skills and interest, establishing professional development goals and plan, and monitor progress at least 1-2 times a year.

· Maintain cooperative, diplomatic working relationships with co-workers, supervisors and families; work as part of a team and collaborate with colleagues & maintain a positive work ethic.

· Monitor adherence to all licensing, reporting policies, procedures, and documentation by all center staff.

· Administer and observe the organization’s office operations, policies, and procedures as well as those of the Newark Public Schools, the NJ Department of Education, NJ Department of Licensing, NAEYC, Head Start Performance Standard, and other jurisdictional authorities.

· Establish, monitor, and maintain all required data and records, to ensure reporting (inclusive of classroom attendance reports, meal tallies, petty cash reports, staff attendance/payroll requirements, incident reports, etc.) is accurate and submitted in a timely matter to Managing Director and appropriate coordinators as required.

· Ensure that all staff follow protocols when communicating with staff, families, policy council, parent committee and community members.

· Employ a culturally competent and flexible approach when working with various cultures by acknowledging, accepting, and accommodating differences.

· Promote a collaborative, multicultural productive working environment by following established protocols, clearly articulating expectations, outcomes, and timelines, and using conflict resolutions and negotiations skills when needed.

· Establish and maintain external professional relationships by participating as a member of community, state or national professional organizations.

· Maintain inventories of all supplies and equipment, assessing the need, use and generate purchase requisition or work ordered accordingly.

· Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs.

Family and Community Engagement

· Encourage family’s engagement in program decision making by ensuring that families are informed about decision-making opportunities and by supporting them as the first educator of their children through the use of home-school connection activities.

· Plan and oversee the recruitment and enrollment of children and families for the center based on the program’s requirements and the division strategy.

· Plan, schedule, attend, participate, monitor and assess parent meetings and activities, such as center meetings, case conferences, in-service trainings, orientations, workshops, home visits, field trips, and seminars.

· Respond promptly and appropriately to any incident and/or parent concerns, involving the school environment, the actions or performance of the instructional, program, or support and administrator staff and external personnel as well with any incident or interaction between program participants, visitors, or others.

· Adhering to policies and procedures related to the enrollment of children and families in compliance with the Head Start Performance Standard and Newark Public Schools to ensure 100% enrollment by, planning and providing appropriate and on-going recruitment activities throughout the year to ensure full or maximum enrollment, inclusive of maintaining and monitoring the center waiting list.

· Conduct recruitment activities utilizing community resources, partnering with parents and engaging Family Workers.

· Monitor daily attendance and ensure policies and procedures related to absences are followed, with particular attention to chronic or excessive absences.

· Responsible for community building and outreach efforts with the goal of increasing awareness in the community of La Casa’s program and increasing participant numbers.

Educational & Experience Requirements:

· Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with minimum one year of direct supervisory experience working in a preschool setting required.

· Experience in the Head Start program and working with children ages 0-5 preferred.

· One year of experience working with developmentally disabled/delayed or behaviorally challenged children including supporting Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and/or Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) using social-emotional curriculum and inclusion methods is required.

· Bilingual in either Spanish, Portuguese, or Creole and English with ability to effectively communicate both orally and in writing strongly preferred.

· Hold a valid First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certificate upon hire or within 30 days of hire.

· Possess sound, accurate, timely, and effective decision-making skills while being able to include appropriate people in the decision-making process.

· Ability to prioritize and plan work on multiple activities (strong multi-tasker), uses time efficiently, plan for additional resources, and develop realistic action plans.

Physical Requirements:

· Must be able to carry a child up to 40 lbs.

· Be able to carry classroom supplies and/or office supplies equipment as needed.

*The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Compensation, Schedule, and Other Information:

· Employment type: Full-Time

· FLSA status: Exempt

· SOC code: 11-9031

· Reports to: Education Coordinator and/or Managing Director

· Schedule:Monday – Friday; 8:15 am – 4:15pm (schedule may vary accordingly to meet team’s needs)

· Compensation:Salary range for this position is $60,000 - $65,000

· Fringe Benefits: Health, employee assistance program, vision, dental, life insurance, paid time off, paid sick leave, and 401k retirement plan offered.

To Apply

· Please send a resume along with a thoughtful cover letter .

· No telephone calls. Only candidates considered for an interview will be contacted.

La Casa de Don Pedro, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy), status as a parent, national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), protected genetic information, political affiliation, military service, non-merit based factors, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Do you have experience in the Head Start program and working with children ages 0-5?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Language:

• Spanish, Portugese, or Creole (Preferred)

Work Location: In person