Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/journeys-in-leadership-helping-the-early-childhood-workforce-thrive/5025362/
“I did not find the early childhood field,” Monica Duncan told me. “It chose me and has never let go.” As we talked about Monica’s varied leadership journey, she explained how her career began with a master’s degree in social work, which allowed her to find jobs that “improved the quality of life for whatever demographic I was serving.” But after she was recruited by First Children’s Finance, an organization that supports early childhood programs with the business aspects of the field, she never looked back.
“Once you enter the world of early childhood education, you cannot help but fall in love,” she said. “I came to love the people, the mission and the passion of the work.”
When I asked Monica about some of the highlights of her work in varied ECE settings, she kept returning to the theme of relationships.
“You cannot be an effective leader without cultivating relationships,” she told me. “Over the years I have learned from so many people. I learned that as I began providing services to early childhood programs, I had as much to learn from them as they did from me. I learned to always be open to feedback and suggestions. I worked on my ...