Program Chair Child Studies/Early Childhood Education (Hybrid)
About the position Post University seeks a collaborative, student-centered academic leader to serve as Program Chair for Child Studies and Early Childhood Education. This position provides academic leadership, curriculum oversight, faculty support, accreditation management, and operational coordination for the Bachelor of Science in Child Studies (BSCHS) and the Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education (ASECE) programs. The Program Chair ensures program quality, regulatory compliance, faculty excellence, and strong student outcomes while advancing continuous improvement aligned with institutional priorities and workforce needs. The role includes a reduced teaching load of up to six to eight courses per calendar year, with instructional reallocation to support leadership and accreditation responsibilities.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership and oversight for Child Studies and Early Childhood Education programs.
- Ensure curricula remain rigorous, current, evidence-based, and aligned with professional and workforce standards.
- Represent programs in school-level and university-wide committees, initiatives, and advisory boards.
- Collaborate with academic leadership and campus partners to support program quality and enrollment goals.
- Oversee curriculum development, implementation, and revision across undergraduate programs.
- Ensure alignment with NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation Standards, Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) requirements, and Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.
- Lead assessment activities and data-informed decision-making for continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with instructional design teams to enhance course delivery and learning outcomes.
- Serve as the Primary Contact for NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation for BSCHS and ASECE programs.
- Lead self-study development, reaccreditation submissions, and site visit preparation.
- Manage ongoing accreditation compliance, reporting, and documentation.
- Coordinate accreditation-related work with faculty and relevant university departments.
- Recruit, onboard, credential, mentor, and evaluate full-time and associate faculty.
- Support faculty use of best practices in teaching, assessment, attendance tracking, and student engagement.
- Facilitate faculty meetings, professional development activities, and accreditation workshops.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing academic culture.
- Maintain oversight of practicum and field-based experiences.
- Ensure alignment of field placements with program outcomes and accreditation expectations.
- Collaborate with practicum coordinators, assistant program chairs, and external partners.
- Monitor student progression, persistence, performance, and academic standing.
- Address academic concerns in partnership with advising, student services, and academic leadership.
- Support retention, graduation, and post-completion success.
- Engage students and alumni to inform program improvement.
- Lead program evaluation initiatives.
- Collect, analyze, and report institutional and accreditation data.
- Use assessment results and stakeholder feedback to drive program enhancement.
- Serve as liaison to state and regional organizations (e.g., OEC, ECHEC).
- Coordinate advisory board meetings and external stakeholder engagement.
- Teach Child Studies and/or Early Childhood Education courses annually.
- Demonstrate effective integration of instructional technologies.
Requirements
- Doctoral degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Studies, or a closely related field
- Minimum of five (5) years of advanced professional experience in early childhood education (birth–age 8)
- Minimum of five (5) years of higher education teaching and curriculum development experience, including online instruction
- Demonstrated experience with NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation
- Demonstrated experience with Assessment and data-informed continuous improvement
- Strong leadership, collaboration, communication, and organizational skills
Nice-to-haves
- Higher education faculty supervisor experience