Program Administration

Course Description

Focus on administration of early childhood programs. Emphasis on working with boards, staff, parents and volunteers. Highlights include hiring, assessing, and supervising staff and volunteers. Attention to designing staff and volunteer professional development programs.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of an early childhood administrator and how to provide a quality early childhood educational program.
• Identify and define a personal philosophy of early childhood education.
• Describe and implement the organizational structure of an early childhood educational program.
• Understand the State standards and regulations for early childhood programs, the standards and process for NAEYC accreditation, and the applicable policies, rules, and procedures for managing a quality early childhood program.
• Identify recurring tasks that can be managed by establishing consistent, replicable systems.
• Establish accountability systems with controls for monitoring compliance.
• Develop polices that are aligned with the program’s philosophy and mission.
• Understand the knowledge and application of the diversity of family systems and resources to support family wellness.
• Develop, plan, implement an effective parent handbook, and parent involvement program.
• Understand the fundamentals of effective public relations, and community outreach.
• Establish strategies for evaluating the needs of children, parents and staff and assess the overall quality of the program.
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic computer hardware and software applications related to collecting and analyzing data to monitor the operation of the program and address the needs for program improvement.
• Understand and describe the role of governing and advisory boards in the efficient operation of the Early Childhood Educational program.
• Develop a strong foundation of fundamentals of child development and early childhood to guide the instructional practices and curriculum.
• Demonstrate undergraduate-level written communication skills.
• Demonstrate undergraduate-level oral communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrate undergraduate-level application of analytical and critical thinking skills.