Preschool Director

The Preschool Director is an educator whose leadership skills will guide our Jewish preschool through its second decade and beyond. Our preschool provides the young child with a learning environment rich in Jewish content, social-emotional learning, and autonomy-supporting practices. We emphasize an interactive learning process, where children learn in a play-based setting. Our philosophy is inspired by Reggio Emilia, where children can pretend, practice, and explore to foster inquiry and discover the world around them. We see the child as curious, competent, and able to build theories and discover. Each child is a unique person with an individual timing pattern for their growth and development, and teachers act as thoughtful observers. We respect each child’s varying levels of ability, development, and learning style, and we design our curriculum to reflect these differences. Our curriculum is relevant, emergent, and intertwined with Jewish life and practice. The ideal Director for this position is enthusiastic about working with both children and adults and views the position as a “Director/Teacher” role.

This is a full-time, exempt position.

Essential Job Duties / Responsibilities:

Working with Families and the Community

• Maintain positive, trusting relationships with parents, children, prospective families, and staff in accordance with the Jewish values of the preschool program and the synagogue
• Facilitate proactive communication with parents
• Support the integration of families into the activities of Netivot Shalom Preschool and Congregation Netivot Shalom

Leadership

• Implement the preschool’s vision and mission in conjunction with the synagogue
• Use leadership skills to educate and inspire staff to implement best practices in Jewish early childhood education and maintain a warm and respectful environment
• Plan, facilitate, and promote professional development experiences for teachers in accordance with current research

Administration

• Direct all aspects of the preschool program, including budget/finances, curriculum, supervision, and administration
• Oversee classroom and school management, program growth and development, and compliance with all state and local regulations, including willingness to step into classrooms to supervise, substitute, and observe
• Demonstrate excellent time management, program management, and communication skills

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree preferred; B.A. or A.A. degree in ECE or related field required
• Director qualification, with at least 12 semester units in Early Childhood Education (Child Development; Child, Family, and Community; Preschool Curriculum), 3-6 units in Preschool Administration, and 3 units of Infant/Toddler-specific coursework
• 4+ years of preschool teaching experience
• Supervision or administration experience preferred
• Strong familiarity with current ECE best practices and overall child development

Compensation

$75,000-$82,000 per year

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off, including sick leave and holidays
• Opportunities for professional development and growth

Application Deadline

Friday, February 6, 2026

Application Procedure

Candidates should apply through Idealist. Please provide your resume, a cover letter, and any relevant transcripts that show ECE coursework.

Anticipated Start Date

May-June 2026

Netivot Shalom began in 1989 and grew out of our founding members’ collective commitment to create an egalitarian spiritual home for Conservative/Masorti Jews. Netivot Shalom is based in Berkeley, California, and is allied with the world of Jewish community. This participatory egalitarian community is defined by the values of connectedness; learning; justice; and Jewish ritual. Netivot Shalom welcomes members who are Jewish and not, Jews-by-choice, interfaith families, multiracial, multicultural, married, single, families and individuals, LGBTQI, straight, old, and young. We explicitly recognize and cherish each other as teachers and students. For more information, please visit our website www.netivotshalom.org.

Congregation Netivot Shalom is an Equal Opportunity Employer

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off, including sick leave and holidays
• Opportunities for professional development and growth

Strong proficiency in English, both spoken and written, required