Center Manager

JOIN THE ECS4Kids TEAM

ECS4Kids (formerly Episcopal Children’s Services) is a 2026 Top Workplace that honors young children’s immense potential by helping them enter school ready to learn. We cultivate lifelong learners by immersing children in enriching guided experiences and discovery-oriented approaches. Through programs like Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), Head Start, School Readiness, Child Care Resource & Referral (CCRR), and more, our dedicated professionals work with families and caregivers throughout Florida to promote children’s well-being. These enable us to strengthen key areas including motor development, cognitive development, social and emotional development, language and communication skills, and problem-solving skills.

Partner with us to help empower communities to rise above generational poverty with comprehensive early childhood education and holistic family support. We have career opportunities available in several counties throughout Northeast and Central Florida.

ECS4Kids offers a competitive benefit package which includes:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• 403(b) plan with 5% employer match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Long-term & short-term disability insurance
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Paid holidays
• Generous paid time off
• Career development
• Qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Center Manager is responsible for the overall operation of the assigned center and staff members.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitor the EHS/HS site to ensure compliance with the Head Start/Early Head Start Performance Standards, Florida Department of Children & Families, and NAEYC/APPLE Accreditation standards.
• Promote a culturally sensitive educational program that is developmentally appropriate for each child's age and language.
• Ensure classrooms meet the standards for high-quality learning environments.
• Provide leadership and supervision to the teaching staff by providing direct feedback in the areas of performance and professional development.
• Support teachers in curriculum implementation, child observations, and analysis of child data.
• Work cooperatively with the Family Advocate to ensure that in-kind is collected and properly calculated monthly.
• Enroll eligible 4-years-olds into the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program and fill open slots as needed throughout the school year. Submit all required VPK paperwork and reports to the appropriate ECS staff as required.
• Work with Family Advocate to plan parent committee meetings, workshops, trainings, and other parent involvement activities to help generate Non-Federal Match.
• Establish a relationship of mutual trust and two-way communication with parents, providing support to staff in relationship building and parent take-home activities and ensuring that each family has a minimum of two parent-teacher conferences and two home-visits per year.
• Coordinate, develop and provide infant/toddler and/or preschool training and technical assistance as needed to teaching staff.
• Lead and facilitate regular staff meetings with teaching and center staff (according to Center Manager workplan) to review policies, procedures and their implementation that include team building activities, conflict resolution and peer mediation. These meetings should include Family Advocates to ensure that there is regular communication amongst all center staff.
• Provide support to the center in the absence of staff and follow proper procedures to enlist substitutes, adhering to the established budgetary limits.
• Work with the Education Manager, Education Specialist and teaching staff to ensure quality classroom environments with regard for student perspective.
• Model appropriate child guidance techniques that include redirection, positive reinforcement, anticipation of and elimination of potential problems, and verbalization of feelings as needed for teachers to help support challenging behaviors in the classroom.
• Coordinate and schedule meal preparation, service and clean-up that comply with all regulations.
• Create daily schedules that include all HS & APPLE requirements that promote a balance of quiet, child-initiated, teacher directed and age-appropriate activities using Creative Curriculum as a guide.
• Participate in summer screenings and as children enroll throughout the year.
• Work with health support staff to ensure children receive the health, mental health, and/or special needs services that they may be eligible for.

(These essential job functions are not to be construed as a complete statement of duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other related marginal duties as required.)

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP:

This position reports to the Manager of Center Operations.