THE REGISTRY LEADERSHIP CREDENTIAL
INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
COURSE TWO
LEADING IN YOUR PROGRAM
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Early Childhood Leadership
Leading in Your Program
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is the second of four courses in early childhood leadership. This course will cover the
leadership roles, responsibilities and skills necessary for excellence in early childhood programs.
Leadership models from four authors, Bloom, Bruno, Carter, and Nolan will be presented. The
role of leadership in staff development will be examined. Overarching themes include the
importance of excellence and diversity in early childhood programs, and the role of vision and
reflective practice in reaching these goals.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to provide the building blocks for successful leadership in early childhood
programs. Upon completion of this course, it is expected that learners will be able to:
 Identify the leadership role, tasks, responsibilities, and skills necessary in early
childhood programs.
 Use the SMART leadership model for program direction and function.
 Articulate the importance of values, beliefs, diversity, culture, reflective practice and
vision in early childhood programs.
 Use the NAEYC Code of Ethics Supplement for Administrators to enhance program
effectiveness and increase leadership skills.
 Use the Program Administration Scale to enhance quality.
 Build effective teams to effect program quality.
 Understand the leaders’ role in staff development and teacher education and
supervision.
 Design an effective program of staff development to effect program improvement and
increase program quality.
 Discuss and evaluate pertinent issues with regard to program, leadership in an
environment of increasing expectations and accountability.
TEXTBOOKS / READINGS
Bloom, P. (2003). Leadership in action. Lake Forest, IL: New Horizons.
Bruno, H.E. (2009). Leading on purpose. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Carter, M. (2009). Communities of practice for professional development. Exchange Magazine
Nov/Dec. 2009 pp. 20 - 24. Redmond WA. Exchange Press, Inc. Pdf
Carter, M. & Curtis, D. (1998). The visionary director. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
Greenman. J. (1995). Of culture and a sense of place. In Exchange. January 1995 pp. 36 – 38.
Redmond WA: Exchange Press, Inc. Pdf
Katz, L. (2010). The terms we use! Or what should we call it? Exchange Magazine Jan/Feb. 2010 pp.
42 - 43. Redmond WA. Exchange Press, Inc. Pdf
Katz, L. (2002). Last Class Notes. Retrieved 3-15-10 ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/katzsym.Pdf
The Registry grants permission to all WI institutions of higher education to use these materials. | Last Revised January 2012
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Koetje, M. & Blair, P. (2007). The director’s role in creating community. Exchange Magazine Jan/Feb.
2007 pp. 50 - 53. Redmond WA. Exchange Press, Inc. Pdf
Morgan, G. (1997). Competencies of early care and education administrators. Boston: Taking The
Lead Initiative, Wheelock College. Pdf
Morgan, G. (2000). The director as a key to quality. In M. Culkin (Ed.). Managing quality in young
children’s programs: The leader’s role (pp. 40-58). New York: Teachers College Press. Pdf
NAEYC. (2006). Code of ethical conduct: Supplement for early childhood program
administrators. Washington D.C.: NAEYC. Pdf
Nolan, T. (1996). SMART leadership inventory – self. New Berlin, WI. Innovative Outcomes, Inc. Pdf
Nolan, T. (2000). The leadership handbook. New Berlin, WI: Nolan Communications. Pdf
Nolan, T. (2002). The excellence inventory – self. WI: The Excellence Project. Pdf
Neugebauer, B. & Neugebauer, R. (Eds.). (2003). The art of leadership: Managing early childhood
organizations. Redmond, WA: Exchange Press, Inc.
(Pdf files are included)
Further Reading/Instructor Resources
Albrecht, K. (2002). The right fit. Lake Forest, IL: New Horizons.
Bloom, P., Sheerer, M., & Britz, J. (1998). Blueprint for action. Lake Forest, IL: New Horizons.
Bloom, P. (2000). Circle of influence. Lake Forest, IL: New Horizons.
Bloom, P. (2000). Images from the field: How directors view their organizations, their roles and their
jobs. In M. Culkin (Ed.). Managing quality in young children’s programs: The leader’s role (pp.
59-77). New York: Teachers College Press.
Carter, M. (2006). Engaging our teachers. In Exchange. Issue # 170. Redmond WA: Exchange
Press, Inc.
Child Care Information Exchange, (2001). Staff challenges. Redmond WA: Exchange Press, Inc.
Culkin, M. (1997). Administrative leadership. In Kagan, L. & Bowman, B. (Ed.). (1997). Leadership in
early care and education. (pp.23-38). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of
Young Children.
Jones, E. (Ed). (1993). Growing teachers: Partnerships in staff development. Washington, DC:
National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Kaye, B. & Hordan-Evans, S. (2002). Love ’em or lose ’em. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers, Inc.
Morgan, G. (2000b). A profession for the 21st century. In M. Culkin (Ed.). Managing quality in young
children’s programs: The leader’s role (pp. 133-151). New York: Teachers College Press.
Morgan, G. (1996). Licensing and accreditation: How much quality is quality? In Bredekamp, S. &
Willer, B. (Ed). (1996). NAEYC accreditation: A decade of learning and the years ahead.
Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Research Council. (2001). Eager to learn: Educating our preschoolers. Committee on Early
Childhood pedagogy. Barbara T. Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, editors.
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
Nolan, M. (2007). Mentor coaching and leadership in early care and education. New York.
Thomson Delmar Learning.
Sciarra, D. & Dorsey, J. (2002). Leaders and supervisors in child care programs. Albany, NY:
Delmar.
Sciarra, D. & Dorsey, A. (2007). Developing and administering a child care center. (6th ed.).
Albany, NY: Delmar.
Sullivan, D. (2003). Learning to lead: Effective leadership skills for teachers of young children. St.
Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
The Registry grants permission to all WI institutions of higher education to use these materials. | Last Revised January 2012
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Registry/Exchange Package
Students in the Early Childhood Leadership Credential Program have the opportunity to
purchase The Art of Leadership and two years of access to Exchange Articles on Demand at
www.childcareexchange.com through an arrangement between the Registry and Exchange
Press. Your instructor will provide you with the information.
* Articles available through Child Care Information Exchange website
http://ccie.com/exchangeaccess/
Once students have purchased the WI Registry Package they can access On Demand Articles by
following these instructions:
1. Visit the website: www.childcareexchange.com
2. Click on 'log in' in upper right corner
3. Enter the email that was used to purchase the package
4. First time visitors will need to create an account by entering the same email that was used
to purchase the package.
5. As students create an account, they will identify a password
6. Once the account has been created, click on 'My Account' to allow access to Articles On
Demand.
The Registry grants permission to all WI institutions of higher education to use these materials. | Last Revised January 2012
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Discussion Topics
- The curriculum was designed as an 8 day (8 hours/ day) delivery mode; however can be
modified to meet instructor’s individual needs for course offerings.
Day 1
 “Leadership as a way of thinking” (Bloom, 2003 chap 1-3)
 Early childhood leadership roles, responsibilities, tasks and dispositions (Morgan, 1997 &
2000; Bruno, 2009 Chap 1-4; Carter & Curtis, 1998 pp 1-4 & chap 1-6)
 Activity # 1
Day 2
 The SMART leadership model (Nolan, 2000)
 The Skills, Mannerisms and attitudes of leaders – with the addition of Respect and Trust – lead
to excellence in the delivery of early childhood programs
 SMART Leadership Inventory (Nolan, 1996)
 Determine groups and topics for Group Projects
Day 3
 Taking ideas from other disciplines - especially business and social sciences (Neugebauer &
Neugebauer, 2003 Chap 4-6)
 Defining and achieving excellence in early childhood programs (Neugebauer & Neugebauer,
2003 p 267; Bloom, 2003 chap 4-6;
 Using the program Administration Scale Talan, (2004)
 The Excellence Inventory (Nolan, 2002)
Day 4
 Understanding the role and importance of values, beliefs, culture and diversity in early
childhood program (Bloom, 2003 pp. 101-102)
 Teams (Bruno, (2009) chap 8 & 15
 Using the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct Supplement for Program Administrators Bruno,
(2009) chap 15; NAEYC (2006)
 Activity # 2
Day 5
 The role of leadership in staff development: Education, training, coaching, mentoring and
modeling. Understanding adult learners. (Bruno, (2009) chap 9; Carter & Curtis, (1998) chap
2-4; Neugebauer & Neugebauer, (2003) Chap 9-13)
 Activity # 3
Day 6
 Developing vision and designing programs to achieve excellence – putting it all together
(Bruno, (2009) Chap 14 & 16; Carter and Curtis, (1998); Katz, (2002) )
 Group Project presentations
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Group Project
Groups of 3-5 students will research topics related to course content. Topics will be selected in
class, based on topical issues at the time, and submitted to instructor for approval. An oral
presentation by each group will be done on the last day of class to the whole class. A one-page
abstract with 6 or more references (APA style) will be made available to all students.
Small Group Activities (3)
Activity # 1
In groups of 3-5 students, using Gwen Morgan’s list of competencies, determine what discipline or
field each came from. Discuss what each field and discipline has to offer leaders in early
childhood care and education.
Activity # 2
In groups of 3-5 students, use the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct to analyze situations provided
by the students.
Activity # 3
In groups of 3-5 students, role play staff development scenarios using coaching, mentoring, and
modeling strategies.
Individual Assignments
Personal plan to Enhance Leadership Effectiveness
Content:
Reflect on your own skills, mannerisms and attitudes about your leadership role. Using the
information from class and from readings, about the roles, responsibilities and tasks of a leader,
develop a personal plan to enhance your own leadership effectiveness in your program. Include
your understanding of the importance of values, beliefs, diversity, culture, reflective practice and
vision. Provide a rationale for all elements included.
Organization:
Develop content logically and systematically
Documentation:
Paper should be double-spaced, have appropriate pagination and follow APA style guidelines.
Clarity and Quality:
Write in a style that is easy to read and communicates clearly. Paper should be free of gender
and cultural bias, and grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
Develop a vision statement for your program. (1-3 pages) (You can “Google” “vision
statement” to find a variety of templates for developing your statement. Choose a format that
works well for you.) Provide a rationale for all elements included. Write in a style that is easy to
read and communicates clearly. Your statement should be free of gender and cultural bias, and
grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
Paper on staff development in early childhood care and education programs (3-7 pages)
Content:
Design a detailed program for staff development to enhance program quality and staff
The Registry grants permission to all WI institutions of higher education to use these materials. | Last Revised January 2012
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effectiveness. Include the use of mentoring and coaching, and the role of diversity in program
quality.
Organization:
Develop content logically and systematically
Documentation:
Use adequate resources and cite them properly. Paper should be double-spaced, have
appropriate pagination and follow APA style guidelines.
Clarity and Quality:
Write in a style that is easy to read and communicates clearly. Paper should be free of gender
and cultural bias, and grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
ASSIGNMENT POINTS
(Example only – Instructors may choose to modify)
UNDERGRADUATE ASSIGNMENTS
POINT
S
15
15
15
15
20
20
In-class Participation
Group Activities (3)
Group Project
Vision Statement
Leadership Effectiveness Plan
Staff Development paper
TOTAL
100
Course grades will be based on the following formula.
Total Points
Grade
100 - 96
A
95 - 91
A-
90 - 86
B+
85 - 81
B
80 - 76
B-
75 - 71
C+
70 - 66
C
65 - 61
C-
60 - 56
D+
55 - 51
D
The Registry grants permission to all WI institutions of higher education to use these materials. | Last Revised January 2012
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