Substitute Coordinator

The Central Indiana Child Care Alliance ("the Alliance"), in partnership with the United Way of Central Indiana, is a regional initiative supporting licensed family child care home programs across Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, and Putnam counties. Through this collaborative model, a necessary shared resource is a sustainable system for substitute professionals in child care programs. Reliable staffing is one of the most pressing needs;

when a professional is out, a program's ability to stay open, stay in ratio, and serve families depends on having a trusted substitute ready to step in.

The substitute coordinator builds and leads the Alliance's shared substitute pool. This role is responsible for growing a dependable network of qualified, well-prepared substitute professionals and developing those substitutes over time so every placement strengthens the program it serves. The coordinator listens closely to child care professionals across all auspices to understand program routines, expectations, and staffing challenges. They then use what they learn to make thoughtful matches and continuously improve the service.

Working alongside the shared services director, business coaches, and other Alliance staff, and in partnership with the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and other outside entities, the coordinator ensures every substitute meets all compliance requirements before and throughout their placements. The coordinator also develops, shares, and upholds clear policies and procedures for the substitute pool and ensures substitutes are prepared to follow each program's policies.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Child Care Answers will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Builds, develops, and sustains the substitute pool
  • Designs and carries out a recruitment strategy to grow a pool of qualified substitute professionals that reflects the communities, languages, and locations of participating child care programs
  • Screens, interviews, and onboards new substitutes, ensuring they understand expectations, child care settings, and their role in supporting children and other child care professionals
  • Develops substitutes' skills and readiness through orientation, ongoing training, check-ins, and connections to professional development and credentialing pathways
  • Builds a sense of belonging and appreciation among substitutes to strengthen retention
  • Regularly assesses the size, availability, and qualifications of the pool against demand from participating child care programs and identifies strategies to close gaps
• Listens to and partners with participating child care programs to understand and meet staffing needs
  • Learns program routines, schedules, policies, and preferences through intake conversations, site visits, and regular check-ins
  • Gathers feedback from child care programs after placements and uses it to improve matching, substitute preparation, and overall service
  • Responds to concerns from participating child care programs in a prompt, respectful, and solutions-focused approach
  • Shares insights from participating programs and substitutes with Alliance staff to inform shared services and future supports
• Coordinates substitute coverage
  • Manages the Alliance's substitute management platform, using it to receive requests for planned absences, call-offs, vacations, and emergencies, including same-day needs
  • Uses the platform to match substitutes to programs based on qualifications, availability, location, and program fit, and confirms placements with both parties
  • Supports participating child care programs and substitutes in learning and using the platform
  • Prepares substitutes for each assignment with program-specific information on schedules, expectations, and policies
  • Follows up on open requests until coverage is secured and resolves scheduling issues, cancellations, and no-shows
• Ensures compliance in partnership with outside entities
  • Works with state licensing and other entities to verify that every substitute meets all requirements before they place them
  • Tracks credentials, background checks, required trainings, and renewal dates in the substitute management platform and acts on upcoming expirations before they affect a placement
  • Stays current on child care licensing regulations and staffing requirements, and communicates…