Job Description

Little Neighbors Preschool is a thriving, Christian, early childhood education center located on the campus of The Neighborhood Church in Bentonville, Arkansas. We currently serve approximately 114 children across seven classrooms, from 6 weeks to Pre-K, in a full-inclusion environment where every child belongs, and every family feels supported.

The Director provides leadership and oversight for all aspects of Little Neighbors Preschool, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and developmentally supportive environment for children; a positive, collaborative culture for staff; and strong communication with families.

Educational Requirements

Education requirements are one of the following, as outlined in the AR DHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education Childcare Licensing Unit.

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Early Childhood or Child Development.
• Bachelor's Degree in an unrelated field and 4 years of early childhood experience.
• 6 years of Business experience, preferably in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
• 6 years of Management experience, preferably in Early Childhood Education or a related field.

Additionally, qualified training, necessary certifications, continuous improvement, and professional development hours will be ongoing requirements.

What you will do…

The Preschool Director provides steady, relational leadership for children, families, and staff while ensuring the school operates smoothly each day. This role combines people-centered leadership with strong administrative oversight. The Director maintains compliance with all state licensing requirements, supports teachers through coaching and collaboration, communicates clearly with families, and oversees enrollment, staffing, safety, and daily school rhythms. The Director helps shape and strengthen the culture of Little Neighbors, ensuring it remains warm, inclusive, and supportive for every child and team member.

• Leadership & Culture:

Leads the school with warmth and clarity, supports teachers through ongoing coaching, and strengthens an inclusive, team-centered culture.

• Family Partnership:

Builds trusting relationships with families through clear communication, presence, and responsiveness to individual needs.

• Operations & Administration:

Oversees daily operations, licensing compliance, Brightwheel systems, enrollment, scheduling, documentation, and school-wide rhythms.

• Staff Support & Development:

Recruits, trains, mentors, and evaluates teachers while creating a positive and collaborative work environment.

• Safety & Compliance:

Maintains health, hygiene, supervision, and emergency procedures to ensure a safe and predictable environment for children and staff.

We are excited to talk to you if…

Many people have incredible qualities and experience, we feel this list below helps to identify the traits, skills, and abilities that are valued and specifically apply to the Director Role.

• You excel under pressure and bring strong initiative, integrity, and follow-through to your work.
• You communicate with clarity and confidence, building strong relationships with staff, families, leadership, and board members.
• You are highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities and projects with consistency and attention to detail.
• You are a visionary leader who loves building systems, creating structure, and implementing clear, effective processes.
• You hold high expectations for yourself and your team, leading with urgency, accountability, and purpose.
• You demonstrate emotional intelligence—managing your own emotions well and responding compassionately and thoughtfully to others.
• You bring meaningful Early Childhood Education experience, ideally within Arkansas and especially in Northwest Arkansas.
• You instill a Christian foundation of love, compassion, and neighborliness within the school, while honoring an interfaith awareness that welcomes and respects all families.

Upcoming Initiatives (2026)

Little Neighbors Preschool is entering an exciting season of growth, and the Director will play a key leadership role in two major initiatives planned for 2026:

• Implementation of a fully inclusive preschool playground (Spring 2026) | Our inclusive playground will support children of all abilities with accessible, sensory-rich, and developmentally appropriate play experiences. The Director will collaborate with staff, families, and external partners to ensure a smooth rollout and the seamless integration of inclusive play into our daily routines and culture.

• Expansion of Our Summer Program for Elementary-Aged Children (Summer 2026) | After last year’s successful pilot program serving 5–10 students, our Summer Program will be expanded in 2026 to serve 15–25 elementary-aged children . This program builds on strong family interest and provides a safe, creative, and relational summer experience for older siblings and members of our school community.The Director will guide the continued development of this program, including curriculum planning, staffing, enrollment, scheduling, and ensuring the summer experience reflects our values of belonging, exploration, and play-based learning.

• Better Beginnings Certification | Progress toward achieving Arkansas’ Better Beginnings quality rating, which includes strengthening curriculum practices, staff training systems, documentation, and family engagement to meet state-recognized benchmarks of excellence.

• CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) Compliance & Implementation | Continued participation in the CACFP program to ensure nutritious meals and snacks, proper documentation, and compliance with state and federal food program standards—supporting equitable access to healthy meals for all students.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs