Tag: Leadership

Early childhood educators sitting at table together looking at shared screen

Teamwork in child care – building stronger teams

Fostering teamwork in child care has never been more important than it is now. Building strong early childhood teaching teams has far-reaching implications for educators, children, their families and your organization. However, there are record numbers of early childhood educators leaving the sector. With so many educators moving to other careers, it is increasingly difficult for organizations to foster a...

/ November 30, 2022

Learning to lead

Learning to lead – How to think, act and work like a leader When we think of leadership it is often assumed that people in leadership positions have attained a certain level of professional knowledge and skill. However, it is often the case that within the early childhood profession, beginning educators with varying levels of qualifications who may not have...

/ November 16, 2020
Mother holding daughter talking to educator

10 considerations for ECE leaders responding to Covid-19

Leaders across the ECE sector are being forced to rethink many parts of their operations as Covid-19 changes perceptions, practices and permitted activities. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been talking with CEO’s and leaders of ECE services in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. This article shares some of their thinking around Covid-19 with the hope of supporting you to...

/ April 8, 2020

Leadership is an action

Leadership is an action Working in an early learning setting can be emotionally, physically and intellectually exhausting. Educators say that they are undervalued and that their very complex work does not always attract the level of professional status that it should.  This combined with low salary, a profession that often does not meet staff expectations and an onerous amount of...

/ November 20, 2019
power in action

Power in Action

“Power…can be intriguing, because power can be surprisingly complex. It can be enticing because power can be seductive. But it can inspire and uplift and exalt because power can be used to help people accomplish marvellous things.” – Blaine Lee, The Power Principle: Influence with Honor. People often think about power in negative terms. Your feelings about power are a...

/ October 29, 2019

Leadership – Communicating Your Message

Leadership – Communicating Your Message “I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant!” – Anonymous Leaders have a responsibility to communicate effectively. You cannot create positive change if you do not speak convincingly about what you believe is possible.  Why?  As...

/ October 29, 2019

Leadership – Learning to Listen

“It seems rather incongruous that in a society of super-sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.” – Erica Jong Listening effectively starts first with an attitude – an attitude of genuine interest in understanding what another person is trying to communicate. However, even for very experienced listeners, it is difficult to listen well. One simple reason is...

/ October 29, 2019
Creating a personal approach

Leadership – Creating a Personal Approach

Leadership – Creating a Personal Approach Leadership is ultimately a choice to act. When we conceive of leadership as action, many of the apparent conflicts and paradoxes found in a review of research, become resolved. The imperative then becomes to explore and inquire into both the personal and collective meaning of leadership for each individual and group. What is your...

/ October 29, 2019
Leadership Ducks

Leadership in ECE

Learning About Leadership At a young age, we are encouraged to take on leadership roles in our family, at school, in the community and in sport. Without knowing it, many of us are already leaders in ways we may not recognize. As a parent, we lead our children when we teach them and model values or when we support sports...

/ October 29, 2019

Leading Children in Practicing Citizenship

A teacher’s governing role serves as the foundation of their student’s experimental learning in the room. Styles can range from traditional authority, which is about obeying and not questioning rules. It can be adult-driven rather than child-centred. Democratic leadership involves participation, respects its students’ opinions, increases cooperation and gives instruction only after consulting with the group. You may find that...

/ August 2, 2019