Early Childhood Leadership and Program Management

Angèle Sancho Passe

• Publisher: Redleaf Press
• ISBN:
  9781605547664
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

Leading and managing an early education program is both challenging and rewarding. Early ChildhoodLeadership and Program Management (Quick Guide)gives practical tips on running achild careprogram that boosts the confidence of new directors. It draws on the skills they alreadyhave, proposes strategies that focus on quality for teaching and learning, and organizational planning. It also addresses how to infuse a diversity-rich mindset to create successful environments for all staff, families, and children.

CHAPTER 1THE ROLE OF THE EDUCATION LEADER

Sally was a very competent lead teacher. She was recently promoted to director of a child care center and was excited about her new job. But a little while into it, the joy was gone, replaced by a nagging crisis of self-confidence. Some of the staff openly resisted her ideas for change. She sensed tension in the teachers’ lounge. The new curriculum was not being used. The finances were not as positive as they could be. Sally questioned her ability to manage the program and wondered if she had what it takes. Fortunately, she could find resources. She joined a directors’ group sponsored by her state Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). She took an online class on evaluating and supporting early educators. She reached out to a former director, who pointed out to her that she already had many of the skills she needed to lead and manage, especially from her experience as a successful toddler teacher. She used to call teaching the little ones “organizing chaos”—exactly the situation she was in now. With a new smile on her face and a plan for organizing the present chaos, Sally regained her confidence.

Parallels between Teaching and Leading

In a quality classroom, teachers intentionally arrange the environment to support children in getting along and playing together. They establish routines, have enough toys to share, and remind the children of the rules of behavior. The message is “We’re all in this together.” Education leaders can have the same message for their staff. They do that with caring behavior, fair working conditions, professional resources, positive and constructive feedback, empathetic direction, and clear communication. Their message is “Even though some days are challenging, you can count on me to support you in doing a good job.”

Important Considerations

As a leader, you are accountable for quality in teaching and learning, as well as in the running of the food program, the condition of the space, the budget, and so on. The McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership conducted a study (McCormick Center 2011) to assess how the overall quality of centers fared when directors received mentoring. The results showed that programs improved in all areas, including in the way the teachers interacted with children. It was particularly interesting that the project found an increase in teacher sensitivity and a decrease in harshness. This proves the point of the parallel process: treat the staff well, as we want them to treat children, and they in turn treat the children well.

• Leaders are decision makers. They make thousands of decisions a day; some are routine, and others are emergencies. Sometimes the decision is based on previous experience, such as when they need to find a sub for an absent teacher and they already have a system for handling this situation. Other times it is a new situation, such as when the refrigerator breaks down and the cook has just received the food order for the week.
• Leaders are team builders. They are responsible for creating a community of workers who can get things done. They help their staff resolve conflicts and solve problems. Their job is to facilitate a climate that promotes care, creativity, and competence. They mobilize strangers of varying competencies to coordinate their skills to care for and teach children. They build and coach individual workers into a professional community.
• Leaders are change agents. They have the overall picture for the program that they must share with their team. They introduce new ideas, such as a new curriculum or new materials, or they reassign staff according to their skills or the needs of the center.
• Leaders create and maintain a positive environment. This shines through both with big decisions and with little daily acts, such as smiling and greetings. They affirm their staff’s good work, and they support them during challenging times. As they guide, they cannot be bossy.
• Leaders must have the equivalent of a lesson plan that maps the day, week, and year of their program. They provide direction for all aspects of the program: pedagogy (curriculum, teaching, and family engagement), administration (planning, workplace climate, finances, staffing, and space and equipment), and professionalism (empathy, respect, adaptability, and ethics).

Practical Applications

Apply a Diversity and Equity Lens to the Role of Education Leader

Program leaders are responsible for utilizing the resources listed in the introduction. They set the tone in ensuring that all children, families, and staff members see themselves and others represented in the program. That happens in everyday actions of hiring, purchasing materials, implementing curriculum, designing staff development, and facilitating meetings. They lead a program where differences are managed respectfully and where everyone is welcome, not only in words but in daily experiences. They must be alert, aware, and intentional about diversity at all times. Their compass is the principles found in Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards 2020) and in the position statement Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education (NAEYC 2019).

Strategies for Being an Effective Leader

1. Focus on the staff. This requires intentionality, especially if you have left the classroom recently and are still drawn to the children. Remember that the staff are now your primary responsibility. Their welfare is your main concern, so they are free to do their job of caring for and teaching children.
2. Share your vision for quality with staff and families. That means presenting your ideas and listening to theirs. It can only make the vision stronger.
3. Provide clear direction. As the leader who plans for the program, you have the most knowledge of the future. For example, if you receive a new grant for playground equipment, let your teachers know when and how they will be involved in planning, what will be possible, and what is nonnegotiable. That eliminates the stress of surprises and speculation.
4. Empower your staff through a combination of direction, support, and autonomy. Direction is setting expectations for what needs to happen, such as saying the teacher must read a book at circle time every day. Support is giving the tools to do the task, such as providing a good library of children’s books. Autonomy is letting the teacher choose which book to read. In this example, an experienced teacher might do well with a higher level of autonomy than a novice teacher. A novice teacher might need more support in choosing appropriate books. In that case, you would check in more often with the less-experienced teacher to support their skill acquisition until their confidence grows. In the field of organization development, it is known that employees feel empowered when they receive direction, support, and autonomy, calibrated to individuals.
5. Hire with intention. Hiring is the most important step in building your team. It can be challenging in our field and in times of low unemployment. In addition to the résumé, interview, and recommendations, consider having the person spend an hour in the classroom to observe their rapport with children and other staff.
6. Provide careful onboarding. Have a comprehensive employee manual that details the expectations and responsibilities of employees and employer. Discuss it with the new employee so you can point to the most critical elements you want to stress.
7. Promote a positive climate so you can retain and grow your team. In addition to paying fair wages based on rates in your area, pay attention to the other factors that influence retention, such as fairness in scheduling and treatment, a positive and gossip-free climate, and clear expectations.
8. Be visible. Stand at the door to greet families or to say goodbye. Walk the hallways and visit classrooms and the playground every day at different times. Make these interactions pleasant, with smiles and encouraging comments.
9. Be collaborative. Share your thinking with staff so they can understand the goals and work with you as a team. Involve your staff in setting a common agenda, not just for the big picture of early childhood education but for the details of your daily work, such as how to serve meals or the frequency of read-alouds. In that way, you also model a culture of collaboration.
10. Develop professional relationships with your staff. The word relationships can be misunderstood as becoming personal friends and creating a bond through happy hours or exchanging holiday gifts. In the professional setting of your center, it is preferable to build the bond through the vision that you and your team have for the children and families. Your common accomplishments are the strength of your connection. In the end, great personal friendships can grow out of shared professional passion.

Reflection and Planning

As you finish reading this chapter, reflect on yourself as a leader and manager.

1. Which ideas are familiar, and which are you already using in your daily work?
2. Which ideas would you like to explore further?
3. Choose one or two ideas that you would like to focus on, and use the SMART goalsetting formula to write down...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Role of the Education Leader
• Chapter 2: Administering the Program
• Chapter 3: Managing Time
• Chapter 4: Creating a Caring Community of Workers
• Chapter 5: Supporting Staff’s Skills
• Chapter 6: Promoting Children’s Learning
• Chapter 7: Communicating Well
• Chapter 8: Working with Families
• Chapter 9: Organizing the Physical Space
• Chapter 10: Providing Curriculum and Materials
• Chapter 11: Dealing with Challenging Behaviors: Children, Staff, and Families
• Chapter 12: Leader Wellness
• Conclusion
• Checklist
• References
• Resources