I still to this day see many child care center directors so busy they don’t take time
 to develop their own skills. As a leader of a business (child care) it is our responsibility to
 continue to grow and keep abreast of business practices, child development, and
communication and community services. Early Childhood Education professionals get
stuck in the child care paradigm and neglect the business sector as a resource for
leadership and managerial skills and knowledge.  Sometimes a person is dropped into a
role as a director with no background to support the skills necessary to be successful.
A director not only needs a strong ECE background, she needs to have honed her people
skills and communication capabilities.

Other challenges faced by a director include providing necessary supplies and
materials to create a stimulating environment on a shoestring budget while faced with a
shortage in the workforce, and little support, or experience in running a business. The
other aspect to this role is that it is a high stress position with a multitude of responsibilities
and areas to juggle in order to provide quality care and education for children, staff, and
parents. 

Many centers fail, close, do not maintain high standards, or have high turnover and a high
frustration level because the leader/director doesn't have the experience or the resources
to support him/her in the role of a leader.

So, were do you begin? How do I change the way things are being done at the
center so that I have more free time to do my job, use resources available to me as well
as learn and grow?

Begin the process of concretely naming the resources you know you have. 
This may seem tedious at first, but think of it as a treasure hunt.  If helps to remember the
words of David Whyte: “We have to crack that door only slightly for the swift breezes alive
in the imagination to swing it completely open” (Whyte,1994).

            If you are a linear thinker, you can make your list in two columns divided horizontally
to create boxes or you might begin by creating a visual map of your resources.

The two big ideas to explore here are you internal resources and external ones.  Put those as headers over each of two columns or in the center of two circles on a paper.  Under “internal,” first consider your passions and values.  When you’ve generated a list of spun out spokes with words for these, then move to the bottom quadrant and write notes about your skills, things you’re good at, and tools you have to use.  Be specific; write things that may seem insignificant, as well as major within you.

Then under the next column or circle consider your external resources.  First make notes about the concrete people, places, activities, and things that you draw on for inspiration and renewal.  Name them and write them down.  Keep probing before you move on.  Finally, for the last quadrant or series of spokes, consider challenges and ideas that keep you thinking and growing.  Again, be specific, writing words and phrases to describe these.

Carefully look over what you’ve written, perhaps returning to it after a cup of tea, a walk, or talk with a friend.  Are there things you want to add?  When you are satisfied with the ideas you have written, your next task is to represent them again in a visual way.

Invest the time to do this.  Using some basic art materials, create a representation of your resources that is visually interesting and pleasing to you.  Think of this as a map to accompany you on an unknown journey, a touchstone to keep you safe from pirates.

Once you have finished this reflective piece you can begin to decide where you energies need to be spent. What can you delegate to other staff members? (refer to: "Mission Impossible" - How to empower your staff and delegate) Consider compensating them for the additional work. There are many ways to compensate without giving them a raise. You can give them extra time off. Maybe a longer break or even better find out what they would like. Ask them what they would like. Not everyone is motivated by money.

What about the growing population of seniors? This group is retiring and growing at an alarming rate everyday. The grandmother or grandfatherly type would be a great asset to the staff and children alike.

What resources are available for you in your community?  Are there community groups of business owners that you could join? This helps to broaden your perspectives for growth.  It’s important to find support, mentors and other people you can network with from the ECE community and the larger community in which your business operates.

Is there a support group for directors? If not consider starting one. There are other directors who need support and encouragement no matter how long they have been in the field.

Let’s talk about planning ahead. One of the ways I did this was to try and put systems in to place. What I mean by systems is policies and procedures. For example, there were set rates for a child to attend, a different rate if you were an employee of the center etc, and there were discipline policies. This may sound simple and common sense but not everyone has these systems in place. Some places charge different rates for different families, you can’t do that, and you will get yourself into trouble. The other way I did this was as something came up that we didn’t foresee we developed a policy. We had an inebriated (drunk or drugged) parent come to pick up the child. What do you do?  What does your staff member do if you aren’t there for support? Well, we wrote a policy that stated, if you come to pick up your child and we think you under the influence ( left it open to interpretation) we will offer to call someone to come pick you and your child up or if you refuse after you leave we will call the police and give them you license plate number. Now this was added to the parent handbook and I went over the content of the book with each parent before their child began at the center. So, as situations arise you have to either plan ahead, (ask to view others handbooks both for parents and staff) or put policies in place as situations come up. Don’t be afraid to ask others (directors and/or licensing specialist) for input or to view your handbook to give you feedback. They might see something that you missed.

Once again, it is a tough job at the top and there isn’t much appreciation for the amount of work that directors do on a daily basis. Take, no make the time, to develop your leadership abilities, establish networking lines and continuing your education either formally or informally. This way you can create a strong program, and move from surviving to thriving.

RESOURCES FOR THRIVING

Ayers, W. To Teach.  New York: Teachers College Press, 1993.

Baetz, R. Wild Communion: Experiencing Peace in Nature.  Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1997.

Bateson, M. C. Composing a Life.  New York: Penguin, 1990.

Bolman, L., and T. Deal.  Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995.

Engelhardt,Elizabeth.Director Mentoring Program. Pasadena, California. 2002

Fried, R. Passionate Teacher.  Boston: Beacon Press, 1995.

Gozdz, Kazimierz, ed. Community Building: Renewing Spirit and Learning in Business.  San Francisco: New Leaders Press, 1995.

Goffin, S., and J. Lomba.  Speaking Out: Early Childhood Advocacy.  Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1988.

Horton, Myles, and Paulo Freire.  We Make the Road by Walking.  Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991.

Kent, C., and J. Steward.  Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit.  New York: Bantam, 1992.

Lanker, B.  I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.  New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1989.

Lamott, A. Bird by Bird: Lessons on Writing and Life.  New York: Bantam/Doubleday, 1994.

Manz, C. Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence.  New York: Prentice- Hall, 1992.

McMakin, J., and S. Dyer.  Working from the Heart: For Those Who Hunger for Meaning and Satisfaction in Their Work.  San Diego: LuraMedia, 1989.

Shields, Katrina.  In the Tiger’s Mouth: An empowerment Guide for Social Action.  Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society, 1994.

Stout, L., Bridging the Class Divide and Other Lessons for Grassroots Organizing.  Boston: Beacon, 1996.

Thich Nhat Hanh.  Present Moment, Wonderful Moment.  San Francisco: Parallax, 1996.

Whelon, Mary Steiner, and Jean Steiner.  For the Love of Children: Daily Affirmations for People Who Care for Children.  St. Paul: Redleaf, 1995.

Whyte, David.  The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America.  New York: Doubleday, 1994.

Mind Mapping:

Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides of your Brain Plume, 1989

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Mindmap/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_Mapping

Visual Mind

http://www.visual-mind.com/wv.php?pid=0015

Axon Idea Processor

http://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000/

MindManager

http://www.mindjet.com/us/