Director of Education

Director of Education | Helen Walton Children’s Enrichment Center

Northwest Arkansas | Full-Time Leadership Position

Salary: $60,000–$65,000 annually

The Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center is a nonprofit organization in Northwest Arkansas providing high-quality early childhood education for children from six weeks to pre-kindergarten. The Center offers a nurturing, healthy, research-based environment that emphasizes intentional play, exploration, and family well-being to support lifelong learning. Its campus is the first early childhood program in the nation designed and constructed with a toxic-free focus, using only the safest building materials.

Classrooms are staffed with experienced, degreed teachers and maintain low teacher/child ratios. The Center also offers comprehensive family support services, including scholarship, food, coat, diaper, holiday assistance, and ongoing family engagement.

Helen Walton Children’s Enrichment Center (HWCEC) is seeking an experienced and passionate early childhood education professional to serve as our Director of Education, a newly created leadership position dedicated to advancing educational excellence across our programs.

The Director of Education will serve as the instructional leader of HWCEC, working collaboratively with organizational leadership and teaching teams to strengthen curriculum implementation, instructional practices, teacher development, child outcomes, school readiness, and educational quality.

• Provide leadership and direction for educational programs and instructional quality
• Ensure consistent and effective curriculum implementation across classrooms
• Conduct classroom observations and provide meaningful coaching, feedback, and instructional support to teachers
• Oversee child assessment practices and use assessment data to identify trends and opportunities for program improvement
• Monitor school readiness and educational outcomes
• Lead educational components of accreditation and continuous quality improvement efforts
• Identify professional development needs and facilitate educational training and learning opportunities
• Collaborate with organizational leadership on strategic initiatives and program goals
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and educational excellence

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Elementary Education, or Birth–Kindergarten Education, with demonstrated knowledge and experience in early childhood education required;
  Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of five years of professional experience in early childhood, elementary education, or a related educational setting, with demonstrated experience supporting teaching, curriculum, or instructional practices
• Extensive knowledge of child development, curriculum implementation, assessment practices, and accreditation standards
• Strong communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to successfully complete all required background checks

Eperience in educational coaching is preferred.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a leader who understands that educational excellence is built through strong relationships, thoughtful coaching, high-quality instructional practices, and a commitment to the growth of both children and educators.

The ideal candidate will be collaborative, knowledgeable, organized, and comfortable serving as an educational resource and coach while maintaining high expectations for instructional quality and accountability.

Put Children First in Everything You Do!