Over the past decade it has become increasingly evident that the leadership provided by child care center Directors and Administrators are an important element of a high quality program. In fact, effective leadership is crucial to establishing a high quality early childhood program (Bloom & Sheerer, 1992; Peisner-Feinberg et al., 1995; Phillips, Mekos, Scarr, McCartney & Abbott-Shim, 2000; Talan & Bloom, 2004). The Director shapes the work environment for the teaching staff who, in turn, provide the critical link to children’s developmental outcomes. However, there are still very few programs in the State of Arizona that provide specialized training and support to child care directors and administrators in a systematic manner.
In addition to the need for effective Administrators who can lead the way for quality enhancement in their respective programs, nurturing leaders for the State of Arizona’s burgeoning state-wide system has also been a recent concern for many policy makers and community advocates. Indeed research and experience have shown that leaders will assume a variety of roles across a career or a lifetime. Professionals who are in the field of early care and education (ECE) often begin as classroom teachers, then move onto a Director position, then they often move beyond their programs and assume positions of consultants, mentors, advocates, or other ECE related policy/program staff. Funding from First Things First is revitalizing our ECE system by bringing in millions of dollars each year. Contributions from leaders in all roles are essential to help ensure success in Arizona, and prepare communities for the influx of funding from First Things First.
The Chase Early Education Emergent Leaders Program was designed to address the need for leadership development in Arizona by recognizing that by training and mentoring early care and education program Administrators and Directors, we can enhance the quality of their programs while simultaneously developing leadership skills that will poise participants for statewide and community leadership positions.
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