Assistant Director – Operations & Family Relations

Job Description

Giggle Grove Academy is seeking a highly experienced, organized, proactive, and people-focused Assistant Director – Operations & Family Relations to join our leadership team.

This is not simply an administrative position. We are looking for a seasoned childcare professional who can become a trusted right hand to the Director, independently manage day-to-day operations, build strong relationships with families and staff, solve problems promptly, improve processes, and ensure important matters are followed through to completion.

IMPORTANT EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

Please apply only if you have previously worked in an Assistant Director, Center Director, Program Director, or comparable childcare leadership role and have a minimum of 10 years of relevant early childhood education/childcare experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

School Operations & Staffing

• Oversee daily operations including staffing, classroom coverage, breaks, schedules, ratios, arrivals, dismissals, and transitions.
• Respond effectively to staff call-outs, schedule changes, and unexpected operational issues.
• Monitor classrooms for supervision, engagement, safety, and operational concerns.
• Step into classrooms when needed while maintaining leadership oversight.
• Identify problems early, take ownership, and follow issues through to completion.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for current and prospective families.
• Build strong, professional relationships with parents and handle concerns calmly, respectfully, and with appropriate follow-through.
• Communicate school policies clearly while remaining warm and firm when necessary.
• Prepare professional Brightwheel messages, emails, announcements, and family communications.
• Respond to enrollment inquiries, provide program and tuition information, conduct or support tours, and follow up with prospective families.
• Manage enrollment documentation, waiting lists, classroom availability, trial days, start dates, re-enrollment, transitions, and withdrawals.
• Maintain confidentiality and recognize when sensitive matters require Director involvement.

• Support, coach, and guide teachers while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.
• Coordinate staff schedules, breaks, classroom coverage, and daily staffing adjustments.
• Address concerns involving attendance, professionalism, classroom engagement, supervision, personal phone use, and adherence to school procedures.
• Support onboarding and training of new employees and track required staff documentation and training.
• Promote teamwork and a positive professional culture.
• Be comfortable having respectful but difficult conversations when expectations are not being met.

• Assist with child illnesses, injuries, incidents, behavior concerns, classroom transitions, and adjustment challenges.
• Ensure incidents are documented accurately, objectively, and promptly and families are appropriately informed.
• Maintain organized child, employee, classroom, facility, health, safety, and training records.
• Track required forms, signatures, certifications, deadlines, and expiration dates.
• Support licensing visits and inspections and maintain Oregon Registry Online documentation.
• Communicate professionally with regulatory agencies when assigned.
• Verify licensing requirements rather than guessing and escalate when uncertain.
• Prior experience with Oregon childcare licensing is strongly preferred.

• Support routine tuition and fee follow-up, billing questions, registration/material fees, deposits, and payment documentation.
• Review vendor invoices and coordinate vendors, repairs, maintenance, estimates, appointments, and facility needs.
• Follow open items through completion rather than simply forwarding them to the Director.
• Escalate significant financial, contractual, vendor, or policy exceptions appropriately.

• Identify repetitive work, delays, missed follow-ups, unclear responsibilities, and inefficient processes.
• Recommend and implement practical improvements that make work simpler, faster, more reliable, and easier to follow.
• Create and maintain SOPs, checklists, templates, workflows, and operational documentation.
• Ensure important knowledge is documented rather than dependent on one person's memory.
• Identify opportunities to use technology, automation, digital forms, software, or other tools to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Recommend new tools, system enhancements, or requirements for Brightwheel, scheduling, enrollment, communication, and other administrative systems.
• Help test, implement, document, and train staff on approved tools and processes.
• Address root causes of recurring problems rather than repeatedly fixing the same issue manually.

• Maintain an active, professional, and engaging school social media presence.
• Create and schedule content highlighting learning, events, celebrations, and community involvement while following privacy and photo-consent requirements.
• Develop a monthly social media and family-engagement calendar.
• Proactively bring forward ideas for weekly activities and monthly school events.
• Plan and coordinate family events, theme days, open houses, celebrations, community visits, graduations, and other school-wide experiences.
• Coordinate event communication, RSVPs, vendors, staffing, supplies, setup, and follow-up.
• Create or support flyers, invitations, announcements, and promotional materials.
• Build community partnerships that enrich children's experiences.
• Look for creative ways to strengthen family engagement, enrollment interest, and the overall image of Giggle Grove Academy.

• Ownership – Solve problems and follow them through to completion.
• Judgment – Know what can be handled independently and what requires escalation.
• Leadership – Guide staff, set expectations, coach professionally, and handle difficult conversations.
• Calm Under Pressure – Remain composed when several urgent situations occur at once.
• Warm but Firm Communication – Be caring and approachable while confidently enforcing expectations.
• Organization & Follow-Through – Manage multiple priorities without repeated reminders.
• Emotional Maturity – Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, objectivity, and avoid workplace drama.
• Creative Thinking – Bring forward ideas that improve the school experience.
• Continuous Improvement – Look for better, simpler, and more efficient ways of operating.
• Attention to Detail – Accuracy in records, ratios, payments, deadlines, and regulatory requirements matters.
• Strong Communication – Excellent written and verbal English communication skills are required.
• Technology Comfort – Be comfortable with childcare software, office tools, digital forms, social media, Canva or similar tools, and online regulatory systems.

• Minimum 10 years of relevant early childhood education/childcare experience.
• Previous experience as an Assistant Director, Center Director, Program Director, or comparable childcare leader.
• Experience managing childcare center operations, parent relationships, staff supervision, and difficult conversations.
• Knowledge of childcare licensing and regulatory requirements.
• Strong organizational, communication, documentation, problem-solving, and technology skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving childcare environment.
• Experience with Oregon childcare licensing, Oregon Registry Online, Brightwheel, social media, enrollment, event planning, and process improvement is highly desirable.

• Families receive timely communication and concerns are resolved appropriately.
• Staffing, enrollment, compliance, vendors, and administrative follow-ups are managed consistently.
• Teachers receive support and accountability.
• Processes are documented and improved, with useful tools and automation introduced where appropriate.
• Routine problems are handled independently, while serious matters reach the Director quickly.