Every center and community is different, and what works for you might not for others. It is important for you to have a connection with your team and for them to know that you value them. A leader needs to thoroughly understand all aspects of their organization, so always keep an open mind to educate — and re-educate — yourself on anything and everything. “Because I said so” should never be something you say to your staff. Even something as simple as a book club will provide your team with an opportunity to learn something new and evolve in their roles, helping you build up your staff into a superstar team. This is not to be confused with a boss. Though I am Family Day Care provider in South Australia snd though I have done a MBA where Leadership was often mentioned I re-educated myself by reading this article. Even if each meeting is not 100% necessary, your staff will feel valued knowing that it is important for you to spend time with them during your busy day to make sure they’re happy and on their path to success. Once your staff know what these experiences feel like, they will naturally be motivated to provide the same thing for the children. London W1B 5NL. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Vision and mission statements also help ensure you have everyone’s support, as you will have a clear reference point that communicates your center’s philosophy. Learn more about HiMama and get in touch! The fact that your decision-making lead to great results is how your leadership skills will be measured, not how much you did yourself. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming an early years leader. Don’t wait for someone to tell you that something’s not right; most times they won’t. The best way for teachers to know how to provide a great experience for the kiddos is by having one themselves. You owe it to everyone to make better use of your time, including having much-needed downtime. It can be so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine that people lose sight of the overall goal that they are working towards. This long-term strategy significantly supports directors in professionally supporting staff regardless of ability; therefore, its adoption is highly recommended. This is the opposite you want because building trust is one of the most important things for you to do as a leader. A great leader will factor in whether they are asking for something reasonable or unrealistic. Leadership is a sociocultural construct underpinned by the beliefs and values of a society (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley, & Shepherd, 2012). Although you may not want people to be unhappy with you, to be a leader, you will at various points need to be assertive and do what’s best for your organization. Related post: 6 Essential Leadership Skills for Change Management in Early Childhood Education. (UK) 48 Warwick Street, Team building amongst babies-toddlers and school age children is challenging yet very important. But it’s not just others’ emotions you need to keep in mind. Or, perhaps you’ve noticed that your teachers are always running back and forth frantically to quickly get an item. Use this as an opportunity to switch up the format from what may have worked at first but no longer resonates with your newer employees. The intention of the four leadership styles is to increase staff competence progressively from needing explicit direction to responding confidently to task delegation. With the odds so stacked against childcare providers, being a strong leader becomes all the more important. This is why it is so important for a childcare center to provide the best experience possible for these developing minds. Get our weekly newsletter for all things early childhood education. No matter how much pressure you are under, do not take it out on your staff or do anything to make them think you won’t be able to get through this latest challenge. Some leaders have an open-door policy and encourage their team to drop by when they want to chat; others have regularly scheduled 1 on 1 time to catch up, address items of concern and provide guidance. Adding a framework to your center will demonstrate your commitment to the children in your care, and if you already have one, it’s never a bad idea to brush up on updates since you started or finding ways to better align to the framework. Recognising Leadership Styles. Related Podcast: Reflective Practices to Challenge Your Beliefs. By using the Service, you consent to the use of cookies. “Leadership” is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot but is often misused. Your email address will not be published. Michael is the Content Manager at HiMama, with over 7 years of online content publishing experience. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Once someone sees you waver and change your plan because it led to confrontation, they will begin to lose confidence in your ability to lead. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. You must never lose sight of your goal to improve learning outcomes for children and rally your entire community to share in this goal. Always keep in mind their regular responsibilities, training level, and resources provided when assigning work, and consider whether it is possible for them to succeed at what you are proposing. Although both are positions that others look to for guidance, a boss instructs whereas a leader inspires. Some of the attributes that a childcare practitioner needs to effectively lead a childcare team or childcare room are: Ineffective leaders make the mistake of thinking that because they’re the boss, whatever they say goes. Leadership is not always an inherent skill. Forbes magazine contributor Kevin Kruse defines leadership as “a process of social influence which maximises the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal”. Download HiMama childcare app! Don’t just talk about why early childhood education is important — show it! This is often a matter of deciding what are truly the most important things to focus on, and passing off responsibilities to others when you are taking on too much yourself. This means that you will sometimes be in uncomfortable situations where you need to stand your ground. If they don’t have the time or tools required to complete the objectives you’ve set, then you have set them up for failure before they even started. Required fields are marked *. Unfortunately, it is impossible to see eye-to-eye with everyone 100% of the time. Running a successful child care operation relies on teamwork, but what role does leadership play in early learning? When a change is coming, give them plenty of notice, reminders, and training (if necessary) so that they not only are expecting the change but are looking forward to it! Thanks for writing this excellent article. Never assume that they know this intuitively, even if it seems obvious to you. A career in early childhood education is among the most emotionally draining, so this needs extra attention. Plus, when you’ve empowered people with additional responsibilities, they’ll feel challenged and fulfilled, making them much happier in their role. When you are the sole responsible person it is still important to provide leadership and motivate the children and their parents. Xplor uses cookies to improve your experience. On the other hand, early learning is one of the most undervalued areas of society. Thanks so much. Melbourne 3004 Leadership and service management (Quality Area 7) The NQS recognises the role effective leadership, a practical commitment to quality improvement and administrative systems (such as policies, processes and procedures) have in guiding and supporting educators, coordinators and staff members to deliver quality education

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