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We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.
— Ernest Hemingway

Susan began her day at her desk writing a letter to a parent, reminding her of their upcoming appointment. She was interrupted by her lead teacher's request that she review the week's lesson plan. From there she turned her attention to the draft job announcement for an infant teacher that had to be called into the local newspaper and a performance review of her cook. Still awaiting her attention was the landscaping contract for the play yard, the invitation to the annual spring fundraiser, and the revision to the employee handbook.

The job of the early childhood director requires that we become comfortable in performing a wide variety of tasks. Being a director demands skills in many different areas, as well as the ability to focus our attention in many directions at once. While we undoubtedly have heard this broad description of the director's job before, very little attention has been focused on the number of work-related tasks that involve writing. Did you ever stop to think about how many times inany given day that your job requires strong writing skills? Here's an inclusive, but by no means exhaustive list, by category, of the writing tasks required of us in our jobs as directors. How many of these do you accomplish on a regular basis? What additional writing tasks would you add to the list?

Program Operations and Facilities Management

Efforts related to the daily operation of the early childhood program with an emphasis on the care and education of young children, family support, and the maintenance and upkeep of the facility. Activities may include:

• Correspondence
• Curriculum
• Contracts/letters of agreement
• Program evaluations
• Child and family assessments and plans
• Program reports

Staff Management and Human Relations

Efforts related to the recruitment, hiring, development, and evaluation of program personnel. Activities may include:

• Job announcements
• Classified ads
• Job descriptions
• Employment contracts
• Staff evaluation form
• Performance reviews
• Letters of reference
• Employee handbook
• Job application

Family Relations

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