McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Jill Bella | January 7, 2021

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

Have you ever been frustrated over and over again by the same problem? Have you ever established procedures for a task, explained them repeatedly to everyone involved, and then discovered the task was not accomplished correctly? Is there an important deadline that gets missed more often than you care to admit? Have you ever had an employee resign, and then realized you do not know how to locate important files, items, and passwords that are needed? If you said yes to any of these, it might be an indication that systems in your center could benefit from some improvement.


According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a system is “a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.” The Program Administration Scale (PAS) highlights how important systems are for establishing and sustaining quality. If you are familiar with the PAS, you know that throughout the tool there are indicator statements of quality that include the word “system.” And, in the PAS “system” is defined very specifically. To receive credit for having a system there must be three components in place:


  • tangible, concrete evidence;
  • involvement of multiple individuals; and
  • a defined process of accountability.


Having these three components of a system in place is not a guarantee that something will happen as planned; however, having the three components of a system in place makes it more likely to happen as planned. For instance, by having tangible, concrete evidence there is a physical reminder, something we can see and touch that reminds us to complete the practice. By having more than one person involved in the practice, it is more likely to occur because it is dependent on more than one person remembering to follow through. And, by having a defined process of accountability, the practice is more likely to happen as planned because there is a trigger, or prompt, in place to remind people to do it.


The third component of a system, a defined process of accountability, is often the most difficult to understand. Think of it as a reminder, or a check, to help ensure practices happen as planned. The word “defined” is key; it means that the practice is intentional. Someone thought it through and determined a step, or the steps, needed to help ensure that it would happen. In other words, a defined process of accountability is premeditated. As a result, the defined process of accountability can be clearly articulated. In some cases, a defined process of accountability is an embedded routine, so it becomes second nature, increasing the likelihood that it will occur.


To explore each component of a system further, let’s consider an example from the PAS. Item 16, Family Communications, indicator 7.4 states, “A system exists to support daily communication between teaching staff and families.” Note that this indicator is not about one-way communication. Teachers and families should be communicating back and forth. When interviewing an administrator about this indicator she said the following:


When each child enrolls at the center, we create a “This and That Notebook” for them. The notebook is placed in their cubby and at some point during the afternoon, the lead teacher writes a note to the family about something that happened during the day with their child. It could be routine information like how much their child ate or how long their child slept, or it could be something funny their child said. They might include a picture to accompany an anecdote. They can write in the notebook multiple times if they want, but they must write in the notebook at least once during the day to give families a sense of how the day went for the child. That notebook goes home with the child, and the family is expected to write in it before placing it back in the child’s cubby the next day.


The family handbook gives some detail about the purpose of the notebook and ideas for what to write about that might be helpful for the teachers. Likewise, the employee handbook provides teachers with the purpose of the notebook and examples of what to write about that might be helpful for the families. The education coordinator reviews the notebooks on a quarterly basis and provides feedback to lead teachers on their own writing as well as on how to get families more involved.


Now let’s identify the three components of a system in the example above. The tangible, concrete evidence of a system of daily communication between teaching staff and families is the “This and That Notebook.” There are multiple individuals involved in the system as well—the lead teacher, the family, and the education coordinator. The defined process of accountability is the back-and-forth routine between the lead teachers and the families of writing in, handing off, and reading the notebook followed up with the quarterly checks by the education coordinator.


In the PAS there are specific indicators that use the term system; however, systems can be developed for just about anything and are used to create efficiencies and become more effective. The following resource, Understanding Systems and the PAS: Developing a System can serve as a guide for how to develop or improve upon a system.


Do you coach directors and want to know more about the PAS or the topic of family engagement? Attend the Transformative TA Institute, February – March, 2021. This six-session virtual professional development experience focuses on strategies and tools for supporting program leaders.


References

“System: Definition of System by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of System.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries, www.lexico.com/en/definition/system.


Talan, T. & Bloom, P. J. (2011). Program Administration Scale: Measuring early childhood leadership and management (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Jill Bella, Ed.D., is Director of Professional Learning for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at National Louis University (NLU). In these roles, she oversees professional learning, conducts research, and consults for local and state initiatives on the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES), the Program Administration Scale (PAS), the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS), and leadership topics in early care and education. Dr. Bella is also the co-author of several books and trainer’s guides including A Great Place to Work, Inspiring Peak Performance and Building on Whole Leadership.

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The Ants Go Marching

By Cara Murdoch • February 16, 2026
In early childhood education and care (ECEC), we know that some of the simplest ideas can carry the biggest lessons—and many of us have been singing “The Ants Go Marching” for years without realizing it might also be a leadership guide. Ants may be tiny, but their colonies run on teamwork, communication, flexibility, and a clear sense of purpose—all things ECEC programs rely on every day. By taking a closer look at how ants work together to support their colony, early childhood leaders can discover practical and familiar ways to strengthen teamwork, value every role, and lead programs where everyone is marching in the same direction for children and families. Ants are busy creatures; they work with a purpose and know their jobs in the colony. Ants exhibit teamwork and collective effort. Ant colonies demonstrate intelligence, division of labor, communication systems, and cooperative behaviors. They can recognize and respond to the colony's needs. They overcome their challenges through trial and error, learning from their experiences, and sometimes even develop innovative strategies. In the ant colony, individual ants work together as a unit, each with a unique role that determines the colony's survival and success. The ant colony functions just like a superorganism, where the actions of each individual ant are a part of the highly efficient system that supports the whole colony. This concept of collective action is closely related to human teamwork! Ants have a lot to teach us, as we work in ECEC. teamwork Just as ants collaborate, relying on their communication and coordination to complete tasks, humans thrive when working together, as each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to their “colony.” Ants depend on each other. Each ant has a specialized job, and the colony relies on the cooperation and coordination of all its members to thrive and survive. Each ant’s contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is vital to the success of the colony as a whole, and the strength of the group is built on the cooperation of each individual. Similarly, in ECEC programs, teamwork — working together and helping one another —leads to better results than trying to do everything alone! When we collaborate, we pool our strengths, share our knowledge, and support each other, which can lead to more creative and efficient solutions. Each person in the program brings unique skills and perspectives, filling gaps and helping compensate for one another’s weaknesses. This shared effort allows your program to tackle tasks and achieve goals that would be difficult, if not impossible, for one individual to accomplish on their own... just like in an ant colony! Adapting to face challenges Ants are highly adaptable creatures. Have you ever watched a disrupted colony hurry to move the uncovered eggs to a protected space? They respond quickly to changes or disruptions in their environment. Their ability to quickly assess new situations and adjust their behavior will help the colony continue to function efficiently, even when the unexpected happens. Their adaptability is the key to their survival, allowing them to overcome obstacles and thrive. Early childhood programs also need to adapt to challenges. When unexpected changes occur, each person needs to be flexible and find new ways to contribute to the program's success. Just as ants adjust, programs must reassess their strengths, collaborate, and develop alternative solutions. Adaptability is essential for proper teamwork! honoring individual roles In an ant colony, different ants take on very specific roles. There are worker ants, soldier ants, and the queen ant. Each ant’s role is crucial to the success and survival of the colony, and all roles are interdependent; they work together to achieve common goals. This division of labor that exists in an ant colony can be compared to the different roles and unique talents found in an ECEC program. Just as ants rely on each other to perform specific tasks, each ECEC team member brings their own expertise and skills to the program. In a project or workplace setting, one person may excel at brainstorming creative ideas, another might be skilled at organizing tasks and managing timelines, and someone else may be particularly adept at technical skills or problem-solving. This diversity of roles within a team ensures that every aspect of a project or goal receives focused attention. In center-based programs, there are the director, teachers, kitchen staff, and other roles as needed. The diversity of roles in a program helps to ensure that the program is successful and thrives. clear purpose and goals In an ant colony, survival is the common goal. The colony’s success depends on each member performing its specific role. Their unwavering focus on the survival of the colony is connected to their success. It demonstrates the power of their collective action, driven by a clear and unified goal. ECEC programs thrive when they are aligned around a shared and clear purpose and goals. When program members understand and commit to their common goals, the well-being and growth of children and families, their efforts will become more effective and coordinated. Just as ants bring different strengths to the program, each person brings different strengths to the program. It is alignment around shared goals that enables the program to overcome challenges and succeed. When everyone in the program is clear on the goals and helps work together toward them, the whole program becomes more focused, resilient, and motivated - just as an ant colony becomes stronger when every member is working toward survival! Ants work together harmoniously to achieve their common goals; they set aside individual competition in favor of colony cooperation. Each ant focuses on its specialized task. This spirit of ant cooperation is key to the colony's survival and success, as it enables the colony to accomplish more complex tasks than any single ant could manage alone. ECEC programs can benefit from adopting a similar approach that emphasizes collaboration and shared goals over individual achievement. In an ECEC program, when members support each other and work together, they can leverage each person’s strengths to accomplish more than they could individually. Instead of competing for recognition or resources, each member can focus on the program’s success, fostering a more positive and productive environment. learning from ants Ants have so much to teach ECEC programs when it comes to cooperating and working together as an effective team. Whether it's knowing your own role and abilities, supporting each of your fellow team members, communicating clearly and effectively, being flexible, or avoiding competition, the ant colony is an excellent example of these qualities! Let your ants go marching!!! Ant Life, author unknown I am just an ant, A small life is what I live, But I have dreams for bigger things And so much more to give If only I could grow A foot or two would do I could live a life That others look up to.
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