How to hire an early childhood services director

How to hire an early childhood services director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step early childhood services director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an early childhood services director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new early childhood services director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an early childhood services director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An early childhood services director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, early childhood services directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of early childhood services director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Early Childhood Services Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Early Childhood Services Director	Preschool and childcare center directors supervise and lead staffs, oversee daily activities, design curriculums, and prepare budgets. They are responsible for all aspects of their center’s program.	$15-48
   Parent Educator	A parent educator is a professional who specializes in tutoring parents on skills to help them raise children who are healthy and well-rounded. You will help parents learn the skills they may need to raise children who are healthy emotionally, psychologically, and physically... Show more	$13-25
   Test Center Administrator	A test center administrator is responsible for overseeing the daily operations at test centers, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, liaise with external partners such as vendors at suppliers, coordinate staff, monitor the progress of all operations, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$10-14

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Professional Development
   • Curriculum Development
   • Pre-K
   • Education Programs
   • Classroom Management
   • Childhood Program
   • Child Development
   • Staff Development
   • Staff Training
   • Community Agencies
   • ECE
   • Early Intervention
   • Nursery
   • Parent Education

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage daily operation for a family-own business with responsibility for sales, production, and administrative functions including payroll.
   • Implement systems to more collaboratively and effectively develop department and area budgets for staff payroll, operations, and capital projects.
   • Maintain financial records, supervise staff and children, and communicate with families on a regular basis, follow DPW regulations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your early childhood services director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An early childhood services director can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, early childhood services directors' average salary in montana is 49% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level early childhood services directors 67% less than senior-level early childhood services directors.
   • Certifications. An early childhood services director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an early childhood services director's salary.

   Average early childhood services director salary

   $58,450yearly

   $28.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level early childhood services director salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 26, 2026

4. Writing an early childhood services director job description

   An early childhood services director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an early childhood services director job description:

   Early childhood services director job description example

   Our mission is to create and sustain a strong, effective community that acknowledges and responds to the potential, achievements and interdependence of its diverse members. Rooted in and primarily focused on the Chelsea neighborhood, we seek to empower all individuals and families to achieve their highest potential, while maintaining a priority on those in economic need.
   
   Serving the Chelsea Community for over 100 years, Hudson Guild is seeking our newest addition to the Early Childhood Education Department to lead a dedicated team of staff serving 300 students across multiple sites along the west side of Manhattan! As part of the Management Team, the Director of Early Childhood Services will lead the development of policy that will enable Hudson Guild to deliver accessible, high quality, and equitable early childhood education. We are looking for a leader who will cultivate and maintain a safe and enjoyable culture across sites while facing post pandemic challenges.
   
   Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director, the Director of Early Childhood Services is responsible for the overall design, management, supervision and evaluation of the Early Childhood Department. The Director of Early Childhood Services is also responsible for assessing the community needs of out services and developing responses to those needs. This position will work collaboratively to lead and nurture members of the staff, and communicate effectively with parents, members of the community, and colleagues in other districts and schools.
   REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field Knowledge of NYC Department of Education (DOE), DOE Birth to 5, 3K for all and Head Start Experience in program planning, administration, developing training, monitoring and evaluation Experience in developing and managing budgets
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience in a community based organization
   RESPONSIBILITIES: Hire, train, supervise and evaluate staff across multiple sites Provide direct oversight of all ECE services programs including education, family and community engagement, health and disabilities and operations Implement monitoring plans ensuring documentation standards are consistently met in accordance with NYCDOE, NYCDOH and Head Start policies and standards Monitor and manage program recruitment & enrollment Manage the Department budget, to ensure fiscally responsible spending by analyzing and maximizing funding to create a fiscally viable education system Collaborate with Evaluation & Quality dept. to analyze program data to ensure needs of children, families and the community are being met Assist with the review of program practices and update program plans, policies and procedures Oversee all parent committees and councils ensuring family needs are met Promote cultural competency initiatives and ensure programming is responsive to ethnic and cultural diversity of existing and prospective participants Ensure appropriate and accurate tracking, monitoring, evaluation and documentation of services is maintained and in compliance with agency and regulatory guidelines and standards Develop and implement staff meetings and trainings such as in-service trainings Maintain ongoing communication regarding childcare & early education policy and service delivery Perform other related duties as assigned
   Our Early Childhood Education department is a 12 month program.
   As a full time employee at Hudson Guild, you will be eligible for: 24 Vacation Days 1 Floating Holiday 12 Sick Days Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance 403b Plan
   As a NYC contracted agency all positions at Hudson Guild fall under the NYC vaccine mandate. All employees, consultants, volunteers and interns must show proof of vaccination upon hire.
   Hudson Guild is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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5. Post your job

   To find early childhood services directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any early childhood services directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level early childhood services directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your early childhood services director job on Zippia to find and recruit early childhood services director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with early childhood services director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new early childhood services director

   Once you've found the early childhood services director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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