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Mentoring Directors in Childcare

  • 1.  Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-24-2019 09:10 AM
    Hello!  

    I am reaching out to see if anyone has resources or suggestion that would benefit Directors?  I currently do Technical Support for early childhood centers and really have noticed that Directors struggle on a day to day bases.   Any information would be great!

    Also is there anyone else that provides techinical support, mentoring, and teaching Directors/staff. I would love to connect and see how your programs run.  



    Teri

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    Teri Pieters
    Family Life Educator
    Sanford Health Child Services
    Sioux Falls SD
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  • 2.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-24-2019 03:53 PM
    As a director, I am anxiously awaiting the suggestions that you get!

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    Layla Peppers
    Director
    Angel Academy/Church of the Cr
    Salina KS
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-24-2019 05:39 PM

    I think we are missing the boat on Directors in the field.

     

     

    Teri Pieters

    Family Life Educator

    Sandford Children's CHILD Services

    1115 W. 41st ST

    Sioux Falls, SD 57105

    Phone: 605-312-8390

    childsrv@sanfordhealth.org

     

    image001.png@01D42048.EA9F0050

     




    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 04:39 PM
    ​I belong to a regional childcare director's association, Region 4 in MN. It has been the singularly most helpful mentoring I have. We support each other and guide each other through licensing changes, help inform legislators of our challenges, answer questions for new director's, empathize and encourage each other. I am a director with 23 years of experience and I still learn things.
    I would really suggest checking in with your states to see if there is a director's group that you could join. I also have the benefit of a local director's group. We are currently hosting a training in conjunction with the United Way that has a director's track that is on the Lifecycle of an employee and teaches us practices from a business perspective which I find very helpful. I have email groups from both of these support groups that I can reach out to at any time. We really do help one another. Being a director can be a very difficult and lonely job that only other directors can truly understand!
    If you don't have such a group, start up a lunch time conversation with a few directors that you know. Perhaps your local Resource and Referral agency could help get a director's cohort going. I know that MN is looking into this.

    Good luck! As one of my favorite educators Bev Bos always said "together we're better!"

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    Kay Heidrich
    Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool
    Fargo ND
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 01:50 AM
    In California we have - http://www.ecementor.org/

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    Linda Jacobsson
    Teen Parenting Program Childcare
    Santa Rosa City Schools
    Santa Rosa, CA
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 08:16 AM
    I use the resources at Child Care Information Exchange. It is a magazine for Directors. They have wonderful resources, articles, training and support. Follow this link
    https://www.childcareexchange.com

    You can subscribe to the magazine, their back issues so you can search for relevant articles. They have been a tremendous help to me over the years.





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    Christine Webster
    Director
    Brazosport College May Children's Center
    Lake Jackson TX
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 11:49 AM
    Child Care Information Exchange is a great source for directors.  If you email me directly, I can send you a copy of an article I wrote some years ago that may help.  I suggest you contact any ECE organization in your area to see if there's a director's group.  There was one in my county when I first became a director that was a constant source of help for me.  Our local region of AEYC is in touch with a director's group and is trying to do more with/for them.  
    There are also books and articles you can look into.  Also check out the McCormick Institute.
    Best of luck to you.

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    Ellen Cogan
    Hilltop Early Childhood Services
    Hartsdale NY
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 08:17 AM
    I have been a director for many years and really struggled in the beginning.  We enter the field and are educated in early childhood, and work our way into being a director.  We have very little in the way of leadership or human resources which is a major part of our job.  The best thing I have found is to connect with a director in the community that has similar values and program.  It is an informal kind of mentoring.  But if you have that person that you can call and ask questions of and just commiserate with it is extremely helpful.  I also attended anything I could find in the community on leadership, even if it was not geared toward early childhood.  I went to programs done by the chamber, or the non-profit consortium.  Eventually you begin to feel like you are ready to be that person for others. Just staying in touch with people has been hehlpful.

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    Teri Smith
    Director
    St. James Episcopal School
    Hendersonvlle NC
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 08:23 AM
    We have also put together a Directors group that meets once a month for training and fellowship. Over the years it has become more formalized and is not a 501C 3.
    However in other communities where I have worked we put together director support groups that were more informal. Usually have lunch together and talk.

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    Christine Webster
    Director
    Brazosport College Children's Center
    Lake Jackson TX
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 10:29 AM
    Hi Teri,

    I'd love to introduce you to the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership, which provides a wealth of information and free resources for early childhood program leaders. You can check out the Director's Toolbox series of books and trainings, Leadership Academies, the Program Administration Scale training and other fantastic resources.


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    Marie Masterson
    Marie Masterson
    Warrenville IL
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-25-2019 10:51 AM
    I was fortunate to be able to go to one of the McCormick Leadership conferences.  Absolutely the best leadership conference I ever attended.  Highly recommend it.

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    Teri Smith
    Director
    St. James Episcopal School
    Hendersonvlle NC
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Mentoring Directors in Childcare

    Posted 09-26-2019 08:41 AM
    Also from McCormick Leadership Center: Directors's Toolbox https://mccormickcenter.nl.edu/library-tag/directors-toolbox/
    Blueprint for Action: Leading Your Team in Continuous Quality Improvement 3rd edition - Paula Jorde Bloom is excellent and The Visionary Director, Second Edition: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, and Improvising in Your Center by Marge Carter and Deb Curtis

     



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    Steven Erwin
    Kaplan Early Learning Company
    Chico CA
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    Original Message