Child Care Center Director

Are You a Builder?

Some leaders want to step into something established. Others want the opportunity to build something exceptional from the ground up.

Release is opening a new trauma-informed child care center in North Omaha, and we are looking for a founding Child Care Center Director who wants to help shape it from day one.

You will have the opportunity to build a team, establish a culture, develop systems, shape the family experience, and create an environment where children can thrive.

And the children we hope to serve may need more than traditional child care.

They may need consistency, patience, stability, and adults who understand that difficult behavior can sometimes be communicating fear, stress, trauma, or an unmet need.

Our center is being designed with a particular heart for children and families impacted by foster care, trauma, instability, and other challenging circumstances. We want to create a place where children are safe, known, supported, and given the opportunity to grow.

We are not simply looking for someone to operate a child care center.

We are looking for someone who wants to build a strong team, build a healthy culture, and build a place where children and families can experience exceptional care and support.

If you are an experienced early childhood leader who sees a blank page as an opportunity and believes high-quality child care can make a lasting difference in a child's life, this may be the role for you.

What You Will Do

As Center Director, you will:

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the child care center.
• Recruit, supervise, coach, and develop teachers and child care staff.
• Build a healthy, positive, and supportive staff culture.
• Maintain compliance with Nebraska child care licensing requirements and applicable health and safety standards.
• Oversee enrollment, classroom placement, staffing ratios, schedules, and daily operations.
• Develop strong relationships with parents, foster parents, kinship caregivers, and other family members.
• Help create a trauma-informed environment where children feel safe, connected, and supported.
• Partner with Release's mental health, foster care, and family support programs when appropriate.
• Oversee curriculum implementation and age-appropriate programming.
• Lead staff training and ongoing professional development.
• Assist with budgeting, purchasing, billing, Child Care Subsidy, CACFP, and other administrative responsibilities.
• Help establish policies, procedures, systems, and traditions for a brand-new center.
• Serve as a visible leader who is regularly present with staff, children, and families.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who combines strong early childhood knowledge with strong leadership.

Our ideal candidate:

• Has experience leading or supervising within a daycare, early childhood or child care environment.
• Understands child development and developmentally appropriate practice.
• Can recruit, develop, and retain a strong team.
• Communicates clearly and builds trust with families and staff.
• Can manage both people and operational details.
• Approaches challenging behavior with patience, curiosity, consistency, and appropriate boundaries.
• Values collaboration with foster families, kinship caregivers, mental health professionals, and community partners.
• Is comfortable building systems and solving problems in a new program.
• Is organized, dependable, flexible, and able to make sound decisions in a fast-moving environment.

Required Qualifications

Candidates must meet Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services requirements to serve as the director of a licensed child care center.

Qualifying education and experience may include a degree in early childhood education, education, or child/youth development; a qualifying degree with relevant coursework; a Child Development Associate credential; or an approved combination of education, training, and significant experience working with children.

Candidates must also be able to satisfy all required background checks, health and safety training, and other requirements applicable to licensed Nebraska child care professionals.

Why Release?

Release has served youth and families in the Omaha community for decades through foster care, mental health services, mentoring, and practical family support.

Our new child care center is the next step in that work.

We believe high-quality child care can be much more than supervision. It can provide stability, healthy relationships, early intervention, and a place where children and families are known and supported.

The Center Director will have a unique opportunity to shape the culture, team, systems, and quality of a center from the start.

Benefits include health insurance options, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, paid time off, and additional benefits provided by Release.

Compensation: $63,000 to $71,000

Anticipated Start Date: November 2026

Release Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Pay: $63,000.00 - $71,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Do you currently meet the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) qualifications to serve as the Director of a licensed child care center? Please identify your qualifying education, credentials, training, or professional experience.
• How many years of experience do you have supervising or managing a licensed child care or early childhood education program? Briefly describe your experience with staff supervision, licensing compliance, and daily center operations.
• What experience do you have implementing trauma-informed practices or supporting children who have experienced trauma, foster care involvement, or significant family instability? Briefly describe your approach to creating a safe and supportive learning environment.
• Release is establishing a new child care center that will require building a team, developing operational systems, and establishing a positive organizational culture. What experience do you have starting, expanding, or improving a child care program, and how would you approach this opportunity?

Work Location: In person