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Child care directors feel the weight of the field on their shoulders. They are the ones who have to:
• Ensure that children are cared for, loved, nurtured, and educated while their parents make a living.
• Offer programs that meet children’s needs for cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth.
• Hire, train, evaluate, and support teachers who will work for very low wages, but provide exemplary care and education for children.
• Develop partnerships with families that include support and understanding, flexibility and caring, education and hope.
• Meet standards in the form of state licensing, and other regulatory agencies.
• Run a business that sets, charges, and collects fees, and maintains financial integrity.
They are an integral part oftheir community, providing both services and leadership.
The need for training in child care administration
Most directors come to their positions from classroom teaching with little or no administrative experience. Many new administrators use the experience and practical knowledge they have stored as teachers to guide them as administrators. They behave as if they were expert in their new positions �" or at the very least as competent �" right from the start. While certainly relevant and applicable, their experience as classroom teachers is not sufficient to prepare them for their new role as director. Directors confirm the fact that their classroom knowledge and skills do not translate into the knowledge and skills necessary for effective administration (Jones, 2000).
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