Standard

Posted: 02/02/05
Updated: 11/30/05

ECE 217 - Program Administration

Course Description

Provides training in planning, implementation, and maintenance of an effective early childhood program. Topics include: organization, mission, philosophy, goals and history of a program; types of programs; laws, rules, regulations accreditation and program evaluation; needs assessment; administrative roles and board of directors; marketing, public and community relations, grouping, enrollment and retention; working with parents; professionalism and work ethics; and time and stress management.

Competency Areas		Hours
Organization, Mission, Philosophy, Goals and History of a Program		Class	5
Types of Programs		D. Lab	0
Laws, Rules, Regulations, Accreditation, and Program Evaluation		P. Lab/O.B.I.	0
Needs Assessment		Credit	5
Administrative Roles and Board of Directors
Marketing, Public and Community Relations, Grouping, Enrollment and Retention
Working with Parents
Professionalism and Work Ethics
Time and Stress Management
Prerequisite:	Program admission

Competency	After completing this section, the student will:	Hours
		Class	D.Lab	P.Lab/ O.B.I.
ORGANIZATION, MISSION, PHILOSOPHY, GOALS AND HISTORY OF A PROGRAM		5	0	0
Organization	Construct an organizational chart.
Mission	Write a mission statement.
Philosophy	Write a program philosophy statement
Goals	Demonstrate ability to construct program goals.
History	Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of the history of a program and how the history relates to goals, philosophy, mission and organizational structure.
TYPES OF PROGRAMS		4	0	0
Types of programs	Identify differences between profit and non-profit operations
	Describe differences among various types of early childhood programs.
Incorporation	Describe procedure for and benefits of incorporation.
LAWS, RULES, REGULATIONS, ACCREDITATION, AND PROGRAM EVALUATION		15	0	0
Local, state and federal	Describe local, state and federal regulations and rights of the licensee.
Accreditation	Identify quality standards and minimum standards for accreditation.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT		2	0	0
Needs assessment	Evaluate sample needs assessment documents.
	Develop questions for a needs assessment.
ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS		5	0	0
Board of directors	Identify Board duties.
	Review samples of by-laws.
	Review procedures for committee functioning and policy making.
Center manager	Identify responsibilities of a center manager, including how to interface with a Board.
MARKETING, PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS, GROUPING, ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION		10	0	0
Marketing	Describe effective marketing techniques for early childhood programs.
	Describe the role of good customer relations.
	Develop a flyer, advertisement, brochure or other marketing tool.
	Describe the role of the inquiry, the tour, and how to close a sale.
	Demonstrate telephone etiquette, savvy in handling inquiries, and examine tracking systems for inquiries.
Public and community relation	Identify effective public or community relations activities for use in the early childhood care and education industry.
	Identify vendor, government entities and service providers needed by the program.
	Give example of how media can be used to develop public support.
Grouping	Describe effective, efficient grouping of children.
Enrollment	Identify selection procedures for enrolling children.
	Describe the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on enrollment decisions.
Retention	Identify key components for customer retention.
WORKING WITH PARENTS		3	0	0
Parental involvement	Discuss the importance of parental involvement as a component of quality care.
	Identify appropriate means of involving parents in the program.
Parent conferences	Discuss formal and informal conferences and proper ways of communicating information on a child or on center activities and policies.
PROFESSIONALISM AND WORK ETHICS		5	0	0
Being a manager	Discuss role and meaning of leadership.
TQM	Discuss the sharing of power in an organization.
Life-long learning	Discuss the role of on-going education as a key to professional development.
Professional affiliations	Identify organizations, support systems, child advocacy groups, and professional associations for early care and education program managers.
Time management	Discuss the importance of maintaining balance between personal and professional life.
	Examine strategies for effective time management.
TIME AND STRESS MANAGEMENT		1	0	0

Suggested Resources

Sciarra, D. & Dorsey, A. (2004). Developing and Administering a Child Care Center. Delmar.

Child Care Information Exchange. (1996). On Target Marketing: Promotion Strategies for Child Care Centers.

Child Care Information Exchange. ( 1997). Does Your Team Work? Ideas for Bringing Your Staff Together.

Child Care Information Exchange. (1991). Fostering Improved Staff Performance.

Child Care Information Exchange. (1994). Survival Skills for Center Directors.

Kingsbury, D., Vogler, S. & Benero, C. (1990). The Everyday Guide to Opening and Operating a Child Care Center. Vade Mecum Press.

Morgan, G. (1982). Managing the Day Care Dollars. Steam Press.

Watkins, K. & Durant, L. (1999). The Complete Book of Forms for Managing the Early Childhood Program. Center for Applied Research.

For additional examples and more APA citation resources, we recommend using the following link: http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/apagd.html