A child care center director has many duties. He or she is responsible for providing a clean, safe, and educational experience for the children who attend the center. Individuals in this role also hire and train the teachers and other employees and partner with the parents. The director will often be in charge of the finances and the human resource needs of the center.
One of the most important duties for a child care center director is hiring and training staff members that will follow the center's procedures. The director often needs teachers and assistant teachers and is usually in charge of training the teachers to write and teach lessons based on the age of the children. He or she will follow up with teachers to be sure that educational goals are being met in each classroom.
The director will usually need a cook and a cleaning crew as well. He or she will train the cook to make meals that are nutritional and budget-friendly. This person will also have to train the cleaning crew and have all the employees make an effort to keep the center as germ-free as possible. He or she will make sure that all toys are being sanitized and that center furniture is being cleaned on a daily basis.
The child care center director has to know each parent and child at the center. He or she will work with the parents when they are touring the center or when they have questions. The director will attend teacher/parent conferences whenever possible. It is part of the job to maintain a good working relationship with each parent.
Child care centers are usually for-profit businesses. This leaves financial responsibility to the child care center director. He or she will handle the records for each family's monthly payment and the center's expenses. Expenses may include food and toys for the center, employees' salaries, and building maintenance.
Most child care centers do not have a human resources department, so this duty often falls on the director. He or she is in charge of managing all the employees' vacation time, benefits, and expense reports.
The director will create all training documents and personnel policies. He or she will also perform yearly evaluations for each employee and meet with the employee to discuss results. If there is a staff member who is not following the center's policies, the director will be the one to reprimand or terminate that employee.
