Director, Wolk Children’s Center

DIRECTOR OF WOLK CHILDREN’S CENTER 

STATUS: Full-Time  

COMPENSATION: $68,000 to $70,000 

PROGRAM AGES: Infants through School Age

LICENSED CAPACITY: 286 Children

A MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY

The Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester is more than an institution. It is a living, breathing reflection of what community can be—diverse, vibrant, welcoming, and resilient. It is a place where a child takes their first steps, a teen finds their voice, an adult discovers new purpose, and Jewish life, culture, and connection to Israel flourish across generations. It is a place to learn, connect, celebrate, and, most importantly, belong.

OUR VALUES

Kehillah | Community 

We are stronger together. We nurture meaningful relationships.

Hachnasat Orchim | Welcoming and Belonging 

Every person who walks through our doors belongs. 

Chesed | Compassion 

We lead with kindness, empathy, and care for one another. 

Kavod | Honor and Respect 

We have each individual’s dignity and unique journey.

Shmirat HaGuf | Being our Best Selves 

We care for body, mind, and spirit – for ourselves and others. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Wolk Children’s Center is a vibrant and welcoming community where children are encouraged to explore, build relationships, develop confidence, and grow into who they are. Guided by Jewish values and open to families of all backgrounds, the Center creates meaningful opportunities for children to experience kindness, community, tradition, and a strong sense of belonging.

The Director serves as the primary leader of the Wolk Children’s Center and is responsible for the overall quality and performance of comprehensive Early Childhood and School Age programs. This is a highly visible leadership position for someone who enjoys being present in classrooms, connecting with families, developing employees, and creating an environment where children feel safe, supported, challenged, and excited to be here.

With a licensed capacity of 286 children, the Director must be a strong organizational leader who can successfully manage a large team and complex daily operation. The Director is accountable for program quality, staff leadership, family experience, licensing and compliance, enrollment, financial performance, and the overall operation of the Center.

HOW I WILL CONTRIBUTE

Program Quality & Child Development

• Provide leadership and oversight for infant, toddler, preschool, and school age programs.
• Establish and maintain standards for curriculum, classroom environments, teacher and child interactions, and developmentally appropriate practice.
• Maintain a consistent presence in classrooms and conduct regular observations to assess program quality and support teaching teams.
• Coach employees in promoting children’s social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development.
• Guide employees in using positive, developmentally appropriate behavior support practices.
• Ensure children’s progress and developmental milestones are observed, documented, and communicated with families.
• Coordinate appropriate resources and support when developmental, behavioral, social emotional, or educational concerns are identified.
• Ensure Jewish values, traditions, holidays, and cultural experiences are thoughtfully incorporated into programming in ways that are meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and welcoming to families of all backgrounds.
• Use classroom observations, developmental information, family feedback, and program data to guide continuous improvement.

Staff Leadership & Development

• Recruit, hire, onboard, supervise, evaluate, and retain qualified employees.
• Establish clear roles, performance expectations, and accountability across the Center team.
• Develop supervisors and lead teachers to effectively guide and support their teams.
• Maintain a visible and accessible presence while providing timely coaching, recognition, and performance feedback.
• Develop staffing schedules that meet enrollment needs, required ratios, program expectations, and budget parameters.
• Monitor vacancies, attendance, call outs, coverage, overtime, and staffing trends.
• Ensure employee qualifications, clearances, certifications, training, and professional development remain current.
• Plan and facilitate staff meetings, training, and professional development opportunities.
• Address performance and conduct concerns promptly, fairly, and consistently.
• Foster a professional culture in which employees feel supported, accountable, and committed to providing high quality care.

Family Experience

• Serve as a visible, accessible, and welcoming leader for Center families.
• Build positive relationships with families and ensure communication is timely, accurate, and professional.
• Respond promptly and appropriately to questions, concerns, and escalated situations.
• Meet with families regarding developmental, behavioral, classroom, or program concerns as needed.
• Ensure parent teacher conferences and developmental updates are provided consistently.
• Support employees in building strong, respectful, and professional relationships with families.
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Monitor family feedback and retention trends to identify opportunities to strengthen the family experience.

Licensing, Compliance & Safety

• Maintain current knowledge of New York State Office of Children and Family Services regulations and licensing requirements.
• Ensure the Center operates in compliance with applicable regulations, licensing requirements, and JCC policies.
• Maintain the Center’s license and all required regulatory documentation.
• Serve as the primary contact for OCFS and manage inspections, visits, inquiries, corrective actions, and follow up.
• Ensure child, personnel, medical, attendance, training, safety, and licensing records are complete, accurate, and current.
• Verify that employees meet all applicable qualification, clearance, medical, certification, and training requirements.
• Monitor licensed capacity, classroom groupings, staffing, supervision, and required child to staff ratios.
• Oversee health care, medication administration, illness, injury, emergency, evacuation, and safety procedures.
• Complete required regulatory reporting and address compliance concerns within established timeframes.

Center Operations

• Direct the daily operation of the Early Childhood and School Age programs.
• Ensure appropriate leadership, staffing, supervision, and coverage throughout all operating hours.
• Maintain effective systems for attendance, arrival and dismissal, staffing, communication, documentation, and classroom transitions.
• Ensure classrooms and program spaces are safe, organized, appropriately equipped, and prepared for children.
• Respond effectively to staffing shortages, facility concerns, health situations, behavioral incidents, and other operational needs.
• Ensure required emergency procedures and drills are completed and documented.
• Maintain accurate administrative records and meet organizational and regulatory deadlines.
• Evaluate Center procedures and implement improvements that strengthen consistency, efficiency, safety, and program quality.
• Keep JCC leadership informed of significant operational needs, trends, risks, and concerns.

Enrollment & Financial Management

• Monitor enrollment, classroom utilization, waitlists, available capacity, tuition revenue, and family retention.
• Establish and track goals for enrollment, staffing, revenue, expenses, and overall financial performance.
• Develop enrollment projections to support staffing, budgeting, and program planning.
• Align staffing levels, scheduled hours, and overtime with enrollment, required ratios, program quality, and financial sustainability.
• Oversee tours, registration, classroom placements, enrollment, and waitlist management.
• Manage purchasing and program expenditures within the approved budget.
• Use financial, enrollment, staffing, and program data to guide operational decisions and long term planning.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen enrollment, manage expenses responsibly, and support sustainable program growth.

Jewish Life, Marketing & JCC Engagement

• Collaborate with the Jewish Life team and other JCC departments to enrich programming and connect families with the broader JCC community.
• Partner with JCC Marketing to promote programs, support enrollment, and strengthen community awareness.
• Share program highlights, stories, photos, and milestones for organizational and marketing communications.
• Represent the Center at tours, open houses, family programs, holiday celebrations, and other JCC events.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Education, Human Services, or a related field, including coursework necessary to meet New York State OCFS Director qualifications.
• Minimum of one year teaching and one year of supervisory experience in a childcare or early childhood setting.
• Strong knowledge of child development, developmentally appropriate practice, and social-emotional development.
• Working knowledge of New York State OCFS childcare regulations and licensing requirements.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Full-time, in-person position with regular and reliable attendance required.
• Consistent presence throughout the Wolk Children’s Center is an essential function of the position.
• Flexibility based on staffing, family, regulatory, and operational needs.
• Occasional early morning, evening, or weekend availability for meetings, training, family programs, emergencies, or JCC events.
• Ability to move regularly throughout classrooms, playgrounds, hallways, and other indoor and outdoor program spaces.
• Must successfully complete and maintain all required background checks, clearances, health requirements, certifications, training, and professional development.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

The Jewish Community Center of Rochester is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse identities, backgrounds, and perspectives and are committed to building an inclusive culture in which staff, members, and community partners can thrive.