Books

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Research consistently finds that high-quality administrative practices are crucial for ensuring program quality as well as beneficial results for children and families. This valuable tool includes 25 items clustered in 9 subscales, which measure whole leadership functions of center-based early care and education programs. The PAS-3 is applicable for multiple uses: program self-improvement, technical assistance, professional development, quality monitoring, research, evaluation, and public awareness. This third edition of the PAS includes updated national norms, revisions to support the reliable use of the instrument, and additions to better assess the effectiveness of early childhood leadership practices. To learn more or buy this book, visit New Horizons.

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Family child care providers who utilize effective business and professional practices are more likely to provide a high-quality learning environment and interact more sensitively with children. The Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS) is the first valid and reliable instrument for measuring and improving the overall quality of business and professional practices in family child care settings in 10 areas: Qualifications and Professional Development, Income and Benefits, Work Environment, Fiscal Management, Recordkeeping, Risk Management, Provider-Family Communication, Family Support and Engagement, Marketing and Community Relations, and Provider as Employer. Providers who use the BAS can easily set goals to incrementally improve business practices that will result in improved recordkeeping, marketing, and communication with families, as well as financial stability and reduced risk of operating a home business. The BAS is designed to complement the widely used Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale–Revised (FCCERS-R). When used together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the quality of the family child care learning environment and the business practices that support the program.

Leadership begins in the head and heart. It is a way of thinking about yourself and the vital role you play in your early childhood program. This book dispels the myth that there is one best leadership style that all directors should emulate. It will help you understand the subtle but important distinction between leadership as a role and leadership as a set of skills and competencies that can be supported and nurtured at all levels of the organization. Filled with practical suggestions and lively examples from high-performing directors, you’ll learn how you can create and sustain a compelling vision for your program that transforms your center into a vibrant and engaging learning community.

Imagine what your program would look like if it were a true professional learning community—a place where teachers saw each new day as an opportunity to expand their competence and confidence and support one another in moving toward a shared vision of program excellence. Envision what your supervisory practices, professional development activities, and performance appraisal system would look like in such a work setting. Written in an engaging and lively style, this book provides the power tools you need to help you build teacher competence, strengthen staff commitment, and expand opportunities for collaboration to make that vision come alive.

Meetings are the glue that holds early childhood organizations together. Whether it’s a weekly staff meeting, a monthly parent meeting, or an annual board meeting, directors rely on meetings as the primary vehicle for communicating information, identifying and solving problems, and making new decisions and modifying old ones. There is no avoiding it, skill in facilitating meetings is essential for effective program management. This book is filled with practical tips and techniques to help you reverse the slump you may be experiencing in meeting effectiveness. You’ll learn how to accomplish more work in less time and have more fun in the process.

Research consistently finds that high-quality administrative practices are crucial for ensuring beneficial results for children and families. This valuable tool includes 25 items clustered in 10 subscales, which measure both leadership and management functions of center-based early care and education programs. The PAS can be used in multiple ways: program self-improvement, technical assistance and monitoring, research and evaluation, and public awareness. This second edition of the PAS includes updated national norms and minor refinements to support the reliable use of the instrument and reflect best practices in early childhood program administration. To learn more or buy this book, visit New Horizons.

As the director of an early childhood program, you are in a unique position to influence the decision-making policies and practices at your center. In this book you’ll learn that participative management is both a philosophy and a set of behaviors that define your interactions with people. You’ll explore techniques for managing the daily business of your center by involving others in critical decisions affecting their professional fulfillment. If you are serious about wanting staff to become vital partners in achieving centerwide goals, then this book is essential reading.