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In 1974 I began my work in Early Care and Education in the Migrant Child Care Programs in Michigan. I remember working from 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday-Saturdays. The migrant children didn’t come in with their parents; their parents were already working in the fields. The migrant camp buses brought all 26 preschool children and 10 infants all at once! On Saturday we had all of the children of the migrant camps at the program, as this provided opportunities for the parents to go into town, shop for food, and get away from the work week.

So what was interesting, meaningful, and relevant about that work for me as a young college graduate, as a teacher, and assisting director? It was the children, the staff, the “family sense” that we built over the six months the camps were open. We even designed a health clinic on Wednesday nights with area pediatricians, who would donate an evening a week from 6:00-9:00 PM to support the migrant families’ health care needs.

Well here it is 2007 and 33 years have flown by. As a former teacher, director, professor, researcher, and speaker, I have spent my life’s work supporting the development and growth of Early Care and Education Professionals. Some simple questions have always popped up for me over the years, especially as they relate to supporting directors and administrators of these programs:

• What is interesting, meaningful, and relevant about your work in Early Care and Education?
• What is it about your work as directors that excites you?
• Why do you do what you do?

Over the years preparing teachers of young children from the Child Development Associates (CDA) Credential, the Associate’s Degree level, Bachelor Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctoral level has been exciting, rewarding, and challenging as the field of knowledge, skills, and dispositions has continued to grow, be refined, redefined, reorganized, and reemphasized. So I asked a number of directors, “Who are we in the lives of young children and their families?”

Why do directors do what they do?

“What is interesting, meaningful, and relevant to me as an education manager for a preschool program for 473 children over the last33 years? My first thought is the excitement of working with young children, families, and staff and attempting to meet their growing needs in today’s changing society. I am energized when I keep myself updated with the new and current trends in the early childhood field and can explore these topics further with my staff and parents. I love having the opportunity to bring an exciting speaker to my program and see the impact it has on services for children. I love discussing educational topics and mandates with my peers and sharing that information with others in the early childhood field. Staying abreast of what is current on the local, state, and national level in the field, and having the confidence to speak out and advocate for children’s services in a non-friendly political climate. Over the years I have been inspired at trainings and conferences by many dedicated and compassionate colleagues in the field of early childhood. I am humbled to know many of them as friends and peers. Head Start has been my avocation as well as my career and I am proud to have been a part of it. I will always remember the warmth and love of many caring children, parents, staff, and colleagues.”
Pat Souza, Education Director of the Montachusett Opportunity Council Child Care and Head Start Program (1973-2007), North Central Massachusetts

“When I was a Director this it what I felt:

• Connecting with the community and building lifelong relationships (i.e., school board and department, politicians, businesses, and colleagues/child care facilities)

• To create an environment that all levels of the child care company can communicate effectively; administration, sites, and families can communicate in a way that is comfortable to them (i.e., email, letter, memo, inter-office mail, or a traditional phone call). There are so many ways to communicate these days it is important to discover each personal preference and meet the need. Communication is the key to success and when it is tailored to each individual, the energy of communication will flow.”
Mary Ann Shallcross Smith, Ed.D, CEO, President Kids Klub, Inc., Dr. Day Care Family, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

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