Site Director, Child and Family Center

Location:
The Acorn School | Nashville, TN

Start Date: June 29, 2026

Description, Responsibilities, & Duties

The Site Director role is part of Vanderbilt Child and Family Center and is a manager responsible for site operations and staff management at a licensed childcare center.

This position implements the policies, procedures and practice that achieve the highest standards for early childhood care and education (ECE) for The Acorn School and creates environments that support child development and safety.

Reporting to the VCFC Executive Director, the Site Director provides childcare center management and ensures compliance with license regulations.

The Site Director serves as the key point of contact with regulatory and licensing agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Human Services and the Metro Nashville Department of Health, for the childcare center.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

The Site Director works with campus partners to ensure Vanderbilt policies, procedures, and licensing regulation is well in place to ensure safe and appropriate childcare facilities are clean and in good repair.
The Site Director ensures classroom activities, supply and materials resourcing, trainings, written content (Brightwheel, lesson plans, newsletters, portfolios) and practical application of the play pedagogy, Nature Education, and emergent curriculum is in alignment with The Acorn School Community of Practice.
The Site Director implements professional development structures to reinforce and support the understanding of pedagogical objectives and performance goals (e.g., Culture Amp).
This position maintains positive relationships with Peabody faculty and students and others to support mutually beneficial research in the field of Child Development.
The Site Director initiates proactive communications to enrolled Acorn families and VCFC staff to celebrate accomplishments, socialize program components and services, and receive feedback.
Communications strategies include Brightwheel, vmail, conferences, maintenance of the electronic bulletin board, printed and electronic memos and newsletters, and site events.
The Site Director ensures classroom communications (Brightwheel, lesson plans, monthly newsletter) comply with standards for professional written content and reflect branding formatting provided by the VU Communications team.
Works with the Executive Director to accomplish targeted operating costs, University guidelines and departmental goals, and VCFC’s values and vision for The Acorn School. Accountable to policies and procedures in place for efficient, effective, and financially sound operations.
Working with the Executive Director, Education Director, and the Assistant Director, the Site Director establishes short, medium, and long-range goals and objectives for the childcare center. This position actions, as appropriate, the developed VCFC strategic plan as it pertains to the specific Acorn childcare center and that reflects Vanderbilt’s high standards.

Minimum Qualifications/Requirements

Education and Certifications:

First Aid/CPR certified
Minimum bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree or higher strongly preferred
Must fully meet State of TN DHS/DOE requirements for site director in a licensed childcare center

Experience and Skills:

5-7 years experience working in early childhood education
Minimum 2+ years staff management experience
Child Development
Early Childhood Education
Childcare Administration
Classroom Management
Curriculum Planning
Developmental Disabilities

Parent Communication
Emergency Management
Dietary Restriction Management
First Aid, Sanitation

Salary & Benefits

Health insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
Generous paid time off (PTO)
Employer-paid life insurance, with the option to purchase additional supplemental coverage.
403(b) retirement plan with a voluntary pre-tax and/or Roth after-tax investment option. Eligible employees can also receive up to 6% in fully vested matching contributions.
Short- and long-term disability insurance.
Accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.
Subsidized on-campus child care centers.
Tuition assistance for you, your spouse, and eligible dependent children.
Pet insurance

Application Procedures

Please follow this link to Submit an application:

https://ecsr.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/10008233/?utm_medium=jobboard&utm_source=NAREA

Program Description

The Acorn School provides early childhood care and education to children ages six weeks to six years old. Open to children of Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students, the Acorn School is operated by Vanderbilt University’s Child and Family Center and is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Education.

The Acorn School is a Reggio-inspired early childhood care and education program. Through primary relationships, shared language and concepts become the tools that children use to absorb social practices and construct their understanding of themselves and their community. The Acorn School perceives every child as an artist and scientist, capable and competent. Teachers provide encouragement, nurture, protection, security, stimulation, and supervision to children. The Acorn School is a nature-based program that encourages children’s wonder and discovery as they explore the Vanderbilt arboretum through outdoor play developing physical strength, spatial reasoning, focus and concentration with opportunities for risk and rigor.

The Acorn School’s Emergent Curriculum is featured in the Early Childhood Success video series produced by The Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning & Innovation at Lipscomb University.

About the Work Unit:

Vanderbilt Child and Family Center is a department of approximately 95 employees working within the department of Health, Wellbeing and Belonging under the division of PCB.

Contact Info

Recruiter:
heidi.pinheiro@Vanderbilt.Edu

Job Opportunity