Applications Open for Director of Education

Beth David Reform Congregation, nestled in the woodlands of historic Gladwyne, Pennsylvania just a few miles outside Center City Philadelphia, is a diverse, engaged, and joyful congregation of over 300 member families. We are seeking a new Director of Education for our community. “There’s no place like Beth David,” we often hear – and we hope that as our new Director of Education, you’ll fall in love with our synagogue the same way so many of us have. We are a community with a deep commitment to social justice, a love of music and nature, and an intellectual bent. We are ambitious in our commitment to build innovative and inspiring models of Jewish life. Our culture is informal and playful, but we are passionate about our values and our mission to Learn. Seek. Do.

There are over 100 students in our religious school, and we are in an exciting moment as we prepare to break ground on our new playground this spring, and open our new preschool this fall. We have a growing demand for additional out-of-school opportunities to foster community – our members love being part of the Beth David community! All of us – members, clergy, and staff – will be committed to partnering alongside you to help you thrive as our Education Director, and to welcome you to the Beth David family.

You’d Be A Great Match If You:

    • Have experience in blending a welcoming, joyful environment with a program that provides engaging and age-appropriate learning in Judaics and Hebrew for the students.
    • Have a vision for implementing innovative ideas to make Jewish traditions, texts, and values come alive for young people and families in a contemporary world.
    • Have a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education or Education (preferred).
  • Have a minimum of three years of related experience in relevant leadership/teaching positions in Jewish or other education settings, as well as demonstrated knowledge of Reform Judaism and Jewish life and culture.
  • Have the organizational and management skill set to develop and implement curricula and educational programming based on knowledge of best practices and pedagogy in religious school education.
  • Have the ability to develop metrics and track progress against religious school goals to drive measurable outcomes.
  • Are detail-oriented and comfortable with technology; experience using Google Docs and ShulCloud preferred
  • Enjoy actively building and nurturing relationships with students, parents, and faculty with warmth, caring, and menschlekeit.
  • Thrive in a collaborative work environment with multiple stakeholder groups, such as students, parents, clergy, staff, and board members.
  • Are passionate about fostering and modeling an inclusive learning environment for diverse student populations, including variations in gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical ability, religious background, and learning differences.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Religious School Oversight

  • Thoughtfully evaluate, develop, update, and deliver curriculum in partnership with teachers and families.
  • Oversee all aspects of hiring, training, supporting, supervising and evaluating teachers and other educational personnel. Currently, this includes 12 faculty members.
  • Determine what is needed to provide the most inclusive and safe learning environment for all students, with special consideration for those with additional needs. Establish an atmosphere of acceptance and respect for all staff, students, and congregants.
  • Create metrics that will enable the ability to track progress against religious school goals to drive measurable outcomes.
  • Support the launch and establishment of the new Preschool – The Harmony School – working in concert with Beth David’s Director of Early Childhood Programs as they manage The Harmony School.
  • Oversee youth group programming, create robust teen programs and build relationships with teens to retain students beyond b-mitzvah.
  • Teach electives, special programs, and classes as time allows; and coordinate school assemblies and special programs.
  • Be an active and visible participant in congregational events, especially programs involving families and children.
  • Correspond and meet with prospective families to introduce them to the Religious School and the congregation.

Communications

  • Provide regular communications about school curriculum, learning goals, school activities, school policies and student progress to students, Board, and families.
  • Promote educational programs to congregants through multiple communication channels.

Administration

  • Create class assignments for religious school students and staff; coordinate scheduling of educational programs in alignment with the congregation’s overall calendar.
  • Acquire appropriate learning materials for religious school with ample lead time for teacher preparation.
  • In consultation with Congregation leadership and within the financial limits set by the Board of Trustees, create and adhere to the religious school budget.
  • Ensure Pennsylvania state standards are met as applicable, including maintaining teacher and volunteer clearances and other required files, and implement health and safety protocols.
  • Carry out standard administrative functions according to current congregation policies and practices.

Leading Innovation

  • Partner with clergy and lay leadership team to create a vision for the next era of our community’s religious school that will make Jewish life accessible, inspiring, and transformative for the next generation.
  • Participate in local and national organizations to enhance professional development and support ongoing innovation.
  • Expand outreach efforts and expand our programming beyond Religious School to create multiple doorways into Jewish life.

Job Structure:

  • This position is full time. There is some flexibility in the schedule, but the week will, include Sunday mornings, frequent Friday night and/or Saturday morning Shabbat attendance, and occasional evenings. Most hours will be in person, but some remote work each week is possible.
  • Our Director of Education is supported by an administrative assistant working 15 hours per week.
  • This position reports to the Rabbi.

Compensation and Benefits:

  • Base compensation: $75,000 – $100,000
  • Percentage of pension in addition to salary: 15%
  • Medical and dental insurance
  • Paid vacation
  • Additional benefits including funds for professional development

Applicants may not be a member or employee of Beth David Reform Congregation

It is an exciting time to join Beth David and assume this pivotal role while being a central part of our synagogue community. Your vision, creativity and leadership will be critical in developing a meaningful learning curriculum that inspires our youth, embodies our values, ensures an inclusive learning environment and grows our community.

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter and resume to:

EducatorSearch@bdavid.org

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Contract to begin on July 1, 2026.

Applications Open for Co-Director / Lead Teacher of The Harmony School at Beth David

At The Harmony School, childhood is a time of delight, wonder, and discovery. Nestled in the woods with sunlit classrooms and a nature playground, our intimate, play-based preschool offers an emergent curriculum rich with art, music, movement, storytelling, and hands-on exploration. Rooted in Jewish values and culture while celebrating diverse stories and identities, we cultivate a joyful community grounded in connection, compassion, and belonging—embracing who children are and making space for who they’re becoming. The Harmony School will open in Fall 2026 with one mixed-age class (ages 2–5).

Beth David Reform Congregation is a long-established hub for inclusive values, diversity, and welcoming families and young children. Now we are expanding our educational offerings to open a preschool! This Jewish synagogue in Gladwyne, PA is a space of close-knit community and care, dedicated to recognizing everyone as contributors and learners. Our members come from diverse backgrounds, including multicultural and interfaith families, and we embrace multiple pathways to engaging with Jewish tradition and spirituality.

General Position Description

The Preschool Co-Director / Lead Teacher is a senior leadership position within the Harmony School, with half of each day spent in the classroom as the lead teacher, and the other half as the co-director of the school. This position reports to and collaborates closely with the Director of Early Childhood Programs, who is full-time and will be responsible for many of the traditional Director responsibilities.

We are seeking someone with start-up energy to be the first to fill this role. This person should be a creative thinker and problem solver with desire and drive to be on the ground floor of creating this new school; your voice and knowledge will play a large role in developing the shape of this preschool. Throughout this spring and early summer, work will be part time with some scheduling flexibility and will involve helping with compliance and generating policies and procedures, helping devise and host events to connect with the community, and collaborating with the Director of Early Childhood Education to create a warm, creative, inclusive, and responsive environment for staff and families. We welcome new ideas and innovative thinking!

Beginning in August, this role will be full time, and as The Harmony School reaches two full classes and beyond over the next couple years, we will have capacity for both a full-time Co-Director (without a daily teaching component), and a full-time Lead Teacher. The person first filling this half/half role will be able to move to the position best suited to them as we hire more staff.

Foundations of Our Work Culture

  • We foster a sense of belonging and care, including all staff, families, and children.
  • We integrate social justice, especially around race, gender, and disability, into our work and working relationships.
  • We prioritize Jewish values including joy, curiosity, and kindness into our work and workplace culture.
  • We create and maintain a responsive environment, adapting to emergent needs of all staff and the community while grounded in our values.
  • We represent and model the philosophy, language, and practices of The Harmony School in all interactions with staff, parents, and children.
  • We know breaks, collaboration, and planning time are essential in early childhood education.

  • A healthy environment will inherently have conflict. Our commitment is to handle any questions or disagreements in a spirit of dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect.

Key Administrative Responsibilities

After mornings in the classroom, afternoons will primarily be focused on administrative aspects of the position. In the future, the Co-Director will be responsible for the full set of administrative responsibilities listed below. During the first one to two years, while splitting time between teaching and administration, these responsibilities will be shared with the Director of Early Childhood Programming. While we are looking for someone who has experience with all of these areas, we are open to hiring someone who is interested in developing some of these skills as their administrative responsibilities grow. Or who wants to be Lead Teacher once this is expanded to two staff positions, but has the skills to be a strong administrative support person and school-creation collaborator in the first couple years.

  • Co-evolve and maintain the school’s mission and strategic plan in alignment with state and local requirements

  • Support staff hiring, training, and evaluation (minimum two annual reviews per staff member
  • Ensure adherence to planned activities, hygiene, safety, illness, and emergency procedures per PA Code
  • Resolve conflicts and provide corrective action when needed to maintain a positive, safe, inclusive environment
  • Manage professional development for staff and yourself, including facilitated PD sessions and ongoing DEI learning
  • Lead staff meetings and maintain accurate records, forms, and files per state/local regulations
  • Communicate regularly with families through conversations, newsletters, and handbooks
  • Support community outreach and positive relationships with local organizations
  • Oversee family programming for the broader community (after-school classes, parent workshops, events)
  • Participate in budget planning and annual review

  • Maintain compliance with regulatory agencies and legal/financial requirements

Key Teaching Responsibilities

Generally, the Co-Director / Lead Teacher will spend mornings in the classroom each day. Time will be provided in the weekly schedule for lesson planning and working with your co-teachers as well. We are open to hiring someone who is excited to grow into some of these skills.

  • Teach mixed-age classroom (ages 2-5) with attention to diverse developmental needs

  • Prepare and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum using The Creative Curriculum, and tuned to children’s emergent interests
  • Integrate social justice concepts around race, gender, and disability in age-appropriate ways into the classroom, culture, and curriculum, and be able to answer questions and provoke thoughtfulness
  • Integrate Jewish and multicultural holidays, customs, and traditions into the curriculum
    • Welcome parents to share family traditions in the classroom
    • Beth David’s clergy and Education Director will be supporting these aspects as well; the Lead Teacher is not required to have prior knowledge of Jewish customs and content, but should be willing to learn.

  • Lead teaching team through modeling, coaching, and collaboration

  • Curate materials and maintain classroom supplies
  • Lead bi-annual parent-teacher conferences
  • Communicate daily with teaching team about child needs and operations
  • Maintain healthy, safe classroom environment including hygiene and security standards
  • Assist with diapering and toileting
  • Maintain accurate records and files for students
  • Participate in professional development and staff meetings including DEI training

Additional Knowledge, Skills and Experience

  • Familiarity with Judaism and Jewish traditions appreciated but not required
  • 3 years of supervisory experience (preferred, not required)
  • 5 years of direct professional experience in an early childhood setting
  • Strong oral and written communication skills and computer skills
  • Steady energy and the ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents) and to foster a team environment
  • A strong understanding of child development.
  • Excellent leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills
  • Enthusiasm for collaboration
  • Infant/child CPR and First Aid certification
  • Fire safety training
  • Must clear full background checks and must pass health screening

Educational Requirements

  • Master’s (preferred) or Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or human services.
  • Alternatively a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in another field with at least 30 credit hours in the above.

Physical Expectations of the Job

  • Ability to take frequent walks and to be actively engaged both indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
  • Ability to use hands and fingers to manipulate objects, tools, or controls.
  • Ability to maintain visual supervision of children at near and far distances.
  • Ability to hear voices at many levels. Ability to communicate amongst many voices or noises.
  • Ability to lift 50 lbs.
  • Accommodations will be provided to the extent possible if needed for any of the above.

Employment Type

  • Full Time position (~40 hours/week), on site minimum 30 hours/week

Compensation and Benefits

  • Salary: $67,600 annually for the first school year
    • Annual increases beyond cost-of-living aligned with school growth while holding this role. Target salary depends on this person transitioning to full-time Lead Teacher or full-time Co-Director. As the school grows, these will be two positions rather than one.
  • $13,000-$16,000 for part-time work during spring & summer 2026
  • Benefit Package includes medical insurance, paid holidays, sick time, personal time, and funding for professional development

To Apply

  • Please submit a resume and cover letter to: preschool@bdavid.org
  • Your cover letter should answer at least one of the following:
    • What appeals to you about starting up a new preschool?
    • What appeals to you about a combined teaching/administrative position?
    • What appeals to you about working in a Jewish preschool?
  • If writing is not where your voice best thrives, you may instead submit a short video “cover letter”

We will be conducting interviews in March, seeking to hire shortly thereafter.

Questions can be addressed to Sarah Gladwin Camp, Director of Early Childhood Programs

    • preschool@bdavid.org
    • 610-896-7485 x150

NOTE: We will be hiring other teaching and staff roles this spring, please feel free to reach out if you are interested in working with us in another capacity!

We are committed to building a staff reflecting the diversity of the Greater Philadelphia region and the Jewish community and encourage applications from those identifying as BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and/or disabled. Beth David Reform Congregation prides itself on being a space of many voices and conversations, making our culture richer. We want you to be part of that, and as such, are an equal opportunity employer selecting the team based on experience, merit, and shared goals. Additionally, we hold our team accountable to fostering an inclusive environment (see “Foundations of Our Work Culture” above for more details) and maintain a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discriminatory behavior or harassment, and will also address bias promptly.

**Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the criteria. We encourage you to break that statistic and apply if this job is appealing to you.**