Education Director

The Education Director provides visionary leadership for all educational programs, initiatives, and experiences at The Children’s Museum of the East End. This senior leader is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive educational framework that aligns with the museum's mission, advances best practices in informal learning, and serves a diverse community of children and families. The Education Director collaborates with Development, Marketing, and Community Partnerships teams, and represents the museum's educational mission with external stakeholders, school districts, and community organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Educational Program Leadership

-Design, implement, and evaluate educational programs for children ages 0–10, including school field trips, family programs, camps, workshops, and community outreach, and a robust summer season calendar.

-Ensure all programming reflects developmentally appropriate practice, culturally responsive pedagogy, and universal design for learning principles.

-Stay current with trends, research, and innovations in informal education, early childhood development, and museum learning.

Staff Supervision & Team Development

-Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and evaluate education department staff, including program educators, outreach coordinators, and volunteers.

-Foster a collaborative, mission-driven team culture built on continuous learning, equity, and excellence.

Exhibit Integration & Development

-Partner with the Exhibits team to ensure educational content is embedded into exhibit design, interpretation, and visitor experiences.

-Provide input on new exhibit development from an educational perspective, including learning goals, interactivity, and accessibility.

-Develop educator guides, activity kits, and interpretive materials that extend exhibit learning.

Community Engagement & Outreach

-Develop and maintain partnerships with schools, libraries, early childhood programs, community organizations, and underserved populations to expand access and impact.

-Lead off-site outreach programming to bring the museum's mission beyond its walls.

-Serve as a community liaison and advocate for children's learning and the museum's educational mission.

Budgeting & Fundraising

-Develop and manage the annual education department budget; monitor expenditures and report to leadership.

-Assist in cultivating donor relationships and stewarding funders with a demonstrated interest in education and community programs.

Strategic Planning & Evaluation

-Lead the development of the education department's strategic plan in alignment with the museum's overall strategic direction.

-Establish program evaluation frameworks; collect, analyze, and report on data to measure educational impact and visitor outcomes.

-Represent the museum in professional networks including the Association of Children's Museums (ACM).

Qualifications

-Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, Museum Education, Museum Studies, Child Development, or a related field.

-Minimum of 5 years of experience in museum education, informal learning, or a related field, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or management role.

-Demonstrated experience designing and implementing educational programs for children and families in a museum, school, or informal learning environment.

-Strong knowledge of child development theory, age-appropriate pedagogy, and best practices in play-based and inquiry-based learning.

-Proven ability to lead and inspire a team, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.

-Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to diverse audiences including staff, board members, funders, educators, and families.

-Experience with budget development and management.

-Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and standard database/program management tools.

-Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in programming and workplace culture.

-Ability to pass a background check and fingerprinting (required for all staff).

The Children’s Museum of the East End offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, professional development support, and paid maternity leave.

Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred.