Early childhood directors manage through relationships. This important book guides a director through the steps to build respectful, dynamic, and welcoming relationships with families and staff. It covers all traditional early childhood administration topics, from financial management to marketing and development, while also recognizing and exploring the human side of management.

PrefacePart I-Forming: Setting Up the Program and Yourself for SuccessChapter 1 Five Essential Leadership Competencies: You Heard It HereChapter 2 Smart Heart-to-Heart Leadership: Honoring Emotional IntelligenceChapter 3 Making Tough Decisions: The Art and Science of Decision MakingChapter 4 Leading on Purpose: The Road to Making a DifferencePart II-Storming: Identifying, Preventing, and Addressing Resistance to ChangeChapter 5 Getting Started: Wherever You Are Is the Place to BeginChapter 6 Partnering with ChangeChapter 7 Preventing Legal Issues: Policies and ProceduresChapter 8 Creating a Community of Problem Solvers: Winners, Not WhinersPart III-Norming: Establishing Management SystemsChapter 9 Supervision and Staff Development: Social EQ in ActionChapter 10 Financial Management: Holding the Purse StringsChapter 11 Do No Harm: Building Safe, Sustainable, Healthy Learning EnvironmentsChapter 12 Curriculum Choices: Roots and WingsChapter 13 Marketing and Development: If You Build It, They Will ComePart IV-Performing: Putting Principles into PracticeChapter 14 Every Child's Family: Building PartnershipsChapter 15 Quest for Quality: Professionalism Isn't Just a 15-Letter WordPart V-Re-Forming: Renewing, Refreshing, Dreaming of What Might BeChapter 16 Leadership Principles to Take with You: Learning to Love the Questions