Destination Education Learning Center

Childcare Center Director

Location: Multiple Opportunities (3 Positions Available)

Build a Legacy. Lead with Excellence. Transform Lives.

We are not looking for a traditional childcare director.

We are searching for three visionary, high-performing leaders who are passionate about early childhood education, operational excellence, team development, and business growth. This is an opportunity to lead a thriving childcare center as if it were your own business.

Our Center Directors are culture builders, enrollment strategists, operational leaders, community ambassadors, and coaches who inspire teams to perform at the highest level while creating exceptional experiences for children, families, and employees.

If you are someone who sees opportunities where others see obstacles, enjoys building winning teams, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and believes excellence is a daily standard—not an occasional achievement—we want to meet you.

Position Summary

The Center Director is responsible for the overall leadership, growth, and success of one childcare center. This role owns every aspect of center performance, including operations, licensing compliance, enrollment growth, staff development, quality improvement, customer experience, financial performance, and community engagement.

The Director operates with a high level of independence, making sound business decisions while aligning with the company's mission, vision, values, and operating standards. This leader does not wait for the owner to solve problems—they anticipate challenges, develop solutions, and execute with excellence.

What You'll Own

Leadership & Culture

• Build and maintain a positive, engaging, high-performance workplace culture.
• Lead with integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
• Inspire, motivate, and develop a team that delivers exceptional care every day.
• Create an environment where employees feel valued, challenged, and supported.
• Address conflict quickly, professionally, and constructively.
• Develop future leaders through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.

Enrollment Growth & Business Development

• Drive consistent enrollment growth through strategic marketing and community partnerships.
• Conduct engaging center tours that convert prospective families into enrollments.
• Develop creative enrollment campaigns and retention strategies.
• Build strong relationships with local schools, businesses, and community organizations.
• Monitor enrollment trends and proactively identify opportunities for growth.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee all daily center operations.
• Ensure classrooms are fully staffed and licensing ratios are maintained.
• Build systems that improve efficiency, consistency, and accountability.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure the center consistently operates at the highest standard of excellence.

Licensing, Accreditation & Quality

• Maintain full compliance with all state licensing regulations.
• Prepare the center for successful licensing inspections.
• Lead initiatives to achieve and maintain Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) recognition.
• Develop and execute accreditation plans for nationally recognized early childhood accreditation.
• Ensure classrooms consistently exceed health, safety, and educational standards.

Team Development

• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and retain exceptional educators.
• Create ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Coach employees toward continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance evaluations and hold team members accountable.
• Build a stable, engaged, and high-performing workforce.

Parent & Family Experience

• Create an exceptional customer experience from enrollment through graduation.
• Build trusting relationships with families.
• Resolve concerns with professionalism and urgency.
• Develop creative family engagement opportunities.
• Increase parent satisfaction, retention, and referrals.

Child Experience

• Ensure every child learns in a safe, nurturing, engaging, and developmentally appropriate environment.
• Monitor curriculum implementation and classroom quality.
• Support teachers in creating joyful learning experiences.

Innovation & Systems

We are looking for leaders who think differently.

You'll be expected to:

• Improve systems—not simply follow them.
• Build new processes that increase efficiency.
• Use technology to improve communication and operations.
• Introduce innovative ideas that strengthen the center.
• Stay current on childcare trends and best practices.

Marketing & Community Engagement

• Represent the center professionally in the community.
• Create engaging events for families and prospective families.
• Support social media initiatives by capturing center highlights, celebrating staff and children (following company policies), and helping showcase the center's culture.
• Collaborate on marketing strategies that increase visibility and enrollment.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Center Director will:

• Grow enrollment.
• Build an outstanding team.
• Maintain excellent staff retention.
• Achieve strong family satisfaction.
• Maintain full licensing compliance.
• Earn and maintain quality ratings.
• Lead accreditation efforts.
• Build efficient systems.
• Strengthen company culture.
• Solve problems independently.
• Improve financial performance.
• Develop future leaders.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of childcare leadership experience.
• Experience managing a licensed childcare center.
• Strong understanding of state licensing regulations.
• Demonstrated success growing enrollment.
• Experience hiring, coaching, and developing teams.
• Knowledge of quality rating systems and accreditation processes is strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills.
• Comfortable using technology and childcare management software.
• Social media and community marketing experience is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Business, Education, or a related field preferred.

The Leader We're Looking For

You are:

• A builder—not a maintainer.
• A leader—not simply a manager.
• Innovative and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable making decisions independently.
• Highly organized and accountable.
• Passionate about developing people.
• Business-minded and growth-oriented.
• Confident with technology.
• Creative in solving problems.
• Energetic, engaging, and fun.
• Committed to creating extraordinary experiences for children, families, and employees.
• Someone who takes ownership and treats the center like it's your own.

Performance Expectations (Key Performance Indicators)

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Enrollment growth and occupancy
• Staff retention
• Employee engagement
• Parent satisfaction
• Licensing compliance
• QRIS/Quality Rating achievement
• Accreditation progress and completion
• Financial performance
• Classroom quality
• Community partnerships
• SOP implementation and continuous improvement
• Team development and internal promotions

Why Join Us?

We're building more than childcare centers—we're building places where children thrive, families feel supported, employees grow into leaders, and excellence is the standard.

If you're ready to lead with purpose, build something meaningful, and make a lasting impact, we'd love to meet you.