Early Childhood Division Head

Location:
The Pembroke Hill School | Kansas City, MO

Start Date: July 1, 2026

Description, Responsibilities, & Duties

Early Childhood School Division Head
Begins July 2026

Job Summary:

Our Early Childhood curriculum is inspired by Italy’s Reggio Emilia “project” approach to early childhood education, which encourages young children and their teachers to explore, question and discover in a stimulating environment. The early childhood division operates in a state-of-the-art building located on the Wornall campus serving 130 children aged two through five years with 24 employees.

The Pembroke Hill School is an independent school with 1,200 students, EY-12 located in the heart of Kansas City, MO and accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). Our mission is Together, cultivating the best in each for the benefit of all. We are dedicated to educational excellence and helping our students achieve their goals while guiding them to become individuals of character who believe that they can and do make a difference in our school community and as global citizens.

The successful candidate will possess a passion for learning and continuous improvement, a commitment to educational excellence, a keen and curious intellect, strong interpersonal and communication skills, a high level of energy with a passion for young children, their families and those who teach them. The EC Division Head reports directly to the Associate Head of School and serves on the school’s administration team.

Key Responsibilities:

Plan, develop, lead, manage and direct the Early Years, Preschool and Prekindergarten programs including academics, curriculum, instructional approaches, student support, activities, events and parent education.
Develop and foster relationships with the EC children to deliver the PHS Promise where every child is known, cared for and valued.
Develop, supervise, grow and retain quality faculty and staff. Conduct classroom observations of teachers and provide feedback (affirming and constructive) and coaching.
Communicate, develop, and foster relationships with the EC families and parent community.
Plan, communicate and collaborate with other school divisions and departments (including administration and faculty).
Interview and assess applicants to EC. Lead the hiring teams for all open EC positions with the support of the Director of HR.
Lead and manage the Early Childhood extended day program.
Develop and maintain the EC operating budget.

Schedule:

This is a year round position. During the school year, there are three school vacations – three days at Thanksgiving, two weeks in December, and two weeks in March – plus paid time off and sick days.

About Pembroke Hill School:

Pembroke Hill School is an independent school in Kansas City, Missouri. Pembroke Hill seeks to fulfill our mission by recognizing that diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion are integral elements of school and community life. Our mission-inspired goal is together, cultivating the best in each, for the benefit of all. Cultivating each to be a global thinker and valuable member of the PHS community poised to acquire the academic and life skills that make a significant difference for all.

We have newer and updated facilities, excellent classroom resources, small class sizes, and a competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package. If you would like to join a highly qualified team who enjoys teaching talented and dedicated students please complete the online application to be considered.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Ability to sit and stand for extended periods. For elementary and lower school, sit on the floor for extended periods of time.
Ability to enter data into a computer, to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids
Ability to hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors, and on the telephone
Ability to speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors, and on the telephone
Physical ability to lift, carry and/or hold up to 25 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height
Ability to occasionally balance, reach, bend, squat, stoop, or kneel
Ability to climb stairs, walk, and occasionally run, if required

Pembroke Hill School participates in E- Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of hire.

Minimum Qualifications/Requirements

Requirements and Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in early or elementary education required, Master’s degree in an education related field is strongly preferred.
Previous school leadership required
Leadership at the early years and preschool level is strongly desired
Commitment to the philosophy of the Reggio Emilia Approach and Project Approach and a commitment to constructivism or progressive/experiential education. Previous experience is a strong plus.

Salary & Benefits

Compensation:

Compensation factors include a candidate’s education and relevant experience. Pembroke Hill School is committed to a competitive market range for this position based on regional and local data as well as internal equity. Transcripts and verification of employment will be required. Benefits include paid time off, health, dental, retirement match (up to 8%), life and disability insurance, professional development opportunities, PHS tuition remission, free lunch, and more!

Application Procedures

The Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, MO, has engaged DovetailED to lead a search for an Early Childhood Division Head to start July 2026. Interested candidates should review the Opportunity Statement and submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references as a consolidated PDF to Zack Lehman, Recruiter at DovetailED Talent Sourcing, at zack@dovetailedsourcing.com

The Pembroke Hill School Opportunity Statement Link: http://bit.ly/pembroke-ecdh

Program Description

The mission of the Pembroke Hill early childhood school is to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities for children to grow cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically to their maximum potential, in an intentionally planned environment that fosters a sense of community and a life-long love of learning.

The Pembroke Hill school day is filled with opportunities for our young students to construct knowledge through exploring, investigating, questioning, experimenting, reflecting, representing and interacting. Learning happens while children are

Playing in our developmentally appropriate classrooms,
Exploring nature outside,
Engaged in the carefully planned routines,
Interacting in small group experiences,
Taking part in large group experiences,
Participating in rich child-centered activities, and
Interacting with their families, teachers, friends and environment.

Contact Info

Zack Lehman, Recruiter at DovetailED Talent Sourcing, at zack@dovetailedsourcing.com

Emily Nagy, Recruiter at Pembroke Hill School, at emily.nagy@pembrokehill.org

Job Opportunity