Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/building-professional-learning-communities-for-directors/5026654/
Being a director of a child care program involves frequent interactions with many people: children, staff, parents, licensing inspectors, vendors, and others. And yet, it can be a lonely job. Many directors admit feeling isolated and disconnected from others, even more so during the pandemic. One way to remedy this situation is to be part of a director group.
After facilitating over 50 meetings with directors over the past two years, I have been thrilled to see the benefit these regularly occurring virtual get-togethers have had for everyone who participates. The purpose of these meetings was to stay in contact throughout the pandemic and share resources, but this community of directors and facilitators has become much more. We provide information on professional development opportunities and answer questions about quality improvement. Directors share important information on which vendors have the best supplies or which services have been most responsive. They reveal their own tips on teacher retention, what strategies have helped them with ever-changing health guidelines, and how they manage parent communication. Because of the synergy and trust this group has built, they also swap stories of their moments of joy with the children, sad situations with families, and some of their ...