What are the components of high-quality care for school-age children? How can we tell the quality of care that is being provided on a daily basis? These are the challenges facing caregivers and parents as increasing numbers of school-age children are enrolled in before- and after-school programs. SACERS provides an easy to use resource for defining high-quality care and assessing levels of quality in child care programs offered by schools and other organizations. It consists of 49 items, organized under seven categories: Space and Furnishings; Health and Safety; Activities; Interactions; Program Structure; Staff Development: and Supplementary Items (for children with special needs). Full instructions for using the scale, a training guide, and notes clarifying selected items are included. In addition, one blank score sheet is provided in the center of each book. Packages of 30 score sheets may be ordered separately.

Early childhood program administrators often have a global impression that things are going well or not so well at their centers, but lack specific feedback on the different policies and practices of the organization contribute to those impressions. This book will help you define more precisely how ten dimensions of organizational climate shape the quality of work life for staff. It will help you look at your program in terms of collegiality, opportunities for professional growth, supervisor support, clarity, reward system, decision making, goal consensus, task orientation, physical setting, and innovation. A Great Place to Work will help you learn how to gather data to measure and monitor your center's climate and implement strategies to guarantee bright and sunny days ahead.

FDCRS consists of 32 items, organized under six major headings: Space and Furnishings for Care and Learning -- Basic Care -- Language and Reasoning -- Learning Activities -- Social Development -- Adult Needs. Eight additional items are included for rating a day care home's provisions for special-needs children. Each book contains one score sheet. Packages of 30 score sheets can be ordered separately.

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, administrators rely on meetings as the primary vehicle for communicating information, identifying and solving problems, and making new decisions and modifying old one. 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 early childhood directors lead more engaging and productive meetings. Making the Most of Meetings will help you craft a well-designed agenda; engage participants in lively, substantive discussions; increase interpersonal understanding; solve problems in a collegial way; build a more productive work team; and increase shared commitment to your center's goals.

Working with parents and families can be a challenge, especially when there are contradicting expectations. However, it can also be a joyful and empowering experience for both the program and the family if partnering with families is built into the program’s culture. Following a strengths-based approach, Family Engagement in Early Childhood Settings offers all programs, including family child care, center-based and school-based programs, strategies for building or enhancing interactions, engagement, expectations, communication and participation with families. This Redleaf Quick Guide provides clear information of what to do as well as what not to do when encouraging family engagement in early care and education programs. Readers will find helpful information on making the best first impressions with parents in-person and online, establishing effective and supportive intake meetings for both parents and program, setting expectations from both perspectives, two-way communication strategies including daily conversations, verbal and technological methods, conferences and documenting learning, and creating a culture of family engagement embedded into every part of your program.

The field of early childhood, after school and youth programming is increasingly dynamic and requires managers and leaders who can continually assess and grow their own knowledge, skills and dispositions to stay responsive to ever-changing needs and expectations in their position. The goal of this book is to describe the many facets of the role of the administrator and the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to be successful managers and leaders. We recognize that wherever an administrator may begin to look at this role, there are multiple layers to every aspect, leading to a role that can be overwhelming. These 4 core areas with 14 competencies and 126 indicators provide a framework that makes the role of an administrator accessible. Therefore, we've designed a self-assessment tool managers and leaders can use to assess their own skill level from beginner to expert for the indicators listed under each of the fourteen competencies. The book includes a template for administrators to create an action plan with specific next steps outlined to increase his/her skill level. Program quality improvement begins with the administrator making a plan for self-improvement through intentional professional development opportunities.