Human Resources

Introduction

Introduction

This page is designed to help you with topics related to Human Resources. Your district/organization will have an HR director/department that you should consult and work with. The information and resources will help you with your designated responsibilities as they relate to managing and effectively leading your staff.
This page has four sets of tabs based on the following topics: Staffing, Job Descriptions, Hiring Process, Handbooks.

What is HR?

What is HR?

A Human Resources Manager has several functions in a company (from Wikipedia)

• Determine needs of the staff.
• Determine to use temporary staff or hire employees to fill these needs.
• Recruit and train the best employees.
• Supervise the work.
• Manage employee relations, unions and collective bargaining.
• Prepare employee records and personal policies.
• Ensure high performance.
• Manage employee payroll, benefits and compensation.
• Ensure equal opportunities.
• Deal with discrimination.
• Deal with performance issues.
• Ensure that human resources practices conform to various regulations.
• Push the employees' motivation.

Staffing

Introduction

Introduction

Each organization or district has various programs and services staffed by a variety of people. Included in this section are different programs and services and examples of staff members who perform specific duties/roles.

ECFE

ECFE

Staff

For a mid- to large-size Early Childhood Family Education program, staffing usually consists of a coordinator, a secretary, parent educators, early childhood teachers, paraprofessionals (teaching assistants) and volunteers. Other staff might include additional office help, site supervisors, sibling care workers, home visitors, and an outreach supervisor. At a minimum, all programs should have a coordinator (who is likely to also be an early childhood or parent education teacher), parent educator, early childhood teacher, early childhood classroom assistant, and secretarial support. Regardless of their job title, all ECFE staff members should demonstrate sensitivity, warmth, caring, the ability to empathize with both children and parents, creativity, the flexibility to change direction and approach, and the ability to work with a variety of people and families, including a wide range of income levels, cultures, values, and lifestyles. Wages and personnel policies for ECFE staff should be comparable to those of other school district professional staff.

Licensure & Qulifications

All teachers must be appropriately licensed for their positions.

EC Screening

EC Screening

Staff

ECSE

ECSE

Staff

PreK

PreK

Staff

Volunteers

Volunteers

Recruiting and using volunteers is a good way to expand program services. However, volunteers need training, supervision, guidance, and encouragement, and this requires time from paid staff. Without the involvement of trained staff, volunteers will feel discouraged and quit, or worse, provide ineffective and potentially dangerous services. Programs can provide a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, allowing volunteers to choose from a continuum of tasks, from routine maintenance to those requiring special talent or skills. Parents are usually the mainstay of any Early Childhood Family Education program volunteer force. Other sources are junior or senior high school students who need to volunteer for school, church, scout, or other youth projects. (Remember the younger the volunteer, the more supervisory time may be required of staff.) Senior citizens also make excellent volunteers. Note: School districts require background checks for any volunteer working with children.

Job Descriptions

Introduction

Introduction

Each organization or district has a process for creating and revising job descriptions. Included in this section are samples of job descriptions for Early Childhood administrators and staff.

If you would like to share a job description, please feel free to add your document(s).

EC Administrators

EC Administrators

Anoka-Hennepin Schools - Coordinator
Anoka-Hennepin Schools - Supervisor
Frazee-Vargas Schools
La Crescent Schools
Rocori Schools
St. Michael Albertville
Wayzata Schools
White Bear Lake Area Schools

EC Administrative Assistants

EC Administrative Assistants

Confidential Early Learning Program Manager
Proctor Public Schools, Click here

EC Teachers

EC Teachers

EC Paraprofessionals

EC Paraprofessionals

Head Start Directors

Head Start Directors

Parent & Family Educators

Parent & Family Educators

Fridley School District
Click Here

Proctor/ Hermantown Early Childhood Programs
Click Here

Willmar School District
Click Here

Hiring Process

Introduction

The hiring process begins with determining need and posting a position. These tabs contain information that will help you through each step of the process, describing potential roles and responsibilities of an early childhood administrator. As with other HR tasks, you will want to be consulting with your district's/organization's appropriate HR staff and a licensed administrator.

Job Posting

Job Posting

Links

EdPost - St. Cloud State University
Click Here or http://www1.stcloudstate.edu/joblistings/edpost/

K12 Jobspot
Click Here

MNAFEE - Job Opportunities
Click Here

Committees/Teams

Committees/Teams

Interviewing

Interviewing

During the hiring process, coordinators must follow school district guidelines with regard to posting the position, advertising, affirmative action, veteran's preference, interviewing candidates, criminal background checks, and the paperwork required by the district. The school district's Human Resources Department or personnel director should have a copy of these guidelines and can be helpful in answering any questions about the process. Clear and specific job descriptions should be written for all positions in the program. It is important for new job applicants to know what the job entails. It is also essential that all program staff members clearly understand their job expectations.

There is no one way to conduct an interview and no set rule for who should be part of the interview process. One option is to have the coordinator, other district staff, and a parent from the advisory committee interview teacher candidates. The coordinator and a teacher can interview paraprofessional candidates. Larger districts may want to assemble an interview committee composed of a small number of staff and parents. The same people should be present for all interviews. Except for second and/or final interviews, more than one person should conduct the interviews so there are at least second opinions on all candidates. Interview questions must be the same for all candidates.

During the interview, gather information about a candidate’s general knowledge of the field. When interviewing an early childhood teacher, it is still important to ask questions about parents because of the great amount of contact that teacher will have with parents. Even though each job description is different, the parent educator and early childhood teacher work very much as a team and must be knowledgeable of the other's field. Some possible interview questions follow.

1. How do people learn to be parents? (You are looking for the person who realizes the tremendous effect one's own parents have on our parenting style and yet understands the process by which one can consciously and deliberately choose an independent parenting style.)
2. How and why do adults change their behavior? (You are looking for the person who realizes that adults do not learn by being lectured. They change their behavior only when they are motivated by their feelings and their values. It is important to understand the amount of critical reflection that goes into parent education. A good parent educator will understand that at best he/she is a facilitator or catalyst, but that the parent must have the will or desire to change.)
3. Describe for me a good environment for a two-year-old group and how it differs from a quality environment for three- and four-year-olds. (You are looking for the person who views each age level as something unique, who understands the needs of children at different age levels, and who sees early childhood education in very different ways depending on age and developmental level. Beware of the person who says that you do basically the same things, only “watered down.”)
4. What are some stages of parent development? (You are looking for the person who understands that adults grow and develop just as their children do and that different educational responses are needed depending upon the parent’s developmental level. They should have some understanding that parenting an infant is much different from parenting a four-year-old. They should have some idea of what each age of child means for the parent in terms of appropriate responses.)
5. How do children influence their parents' behavior? (You are looking for some understanding of the idea that the family is a system, and that each member potentially influences the behavior of every other member.)

Gather information about the applicant's self-understanding and self-concept. Since much of the work in Early Childhood Family Education is developing relationships and helping both parents and children improve their self-understanding and become more competent and confident, teachers must possess those same characteristics in order to be effective.

1. Have there been any significant events in your life that strongly influenced who you are today? Would you describe one of these?
2. Describe for me your favorite (least favorite) supervisor. Tell me what he/she did that you liked (didn't like).
3. If I were to speak with current or former coworkers of yours, what would they say they liked about you?
4. What strengths would you bring to this job?
5. What are some things you do less well, areas you hope to improve?
6. Tell me about a professional accomplishment that was very exciting and satisfying for you.
7. What do you like best about working with children/parents?
8. In your opinion, what is the most difficult challenge of being a parent today?
9. We all deal with conflict in different ways. Give me a specific example of how you have dealt with conflict.

Much of the interview should be spent gathering information about past behavior, since it is the best predictor of future behavior.

1. Tell me about your teaching style.
2. Describe a child (or parent) who irritated you and why. How did you handle this?
3. What do you see as your role when you are with a group of children?
4. How do you communicate expectations or rules to children? What are your expectations?
5. Tell me about the last time you planned an activity that didn't work.
6. What do you expect from parents?
7. What kind of parent behaviors do you find most difficult to handle in-group discussion? How have you handled them?
8. Tell me about a time you and a co-worker disagreed. How was it resolved?

Job Offer

Job Offer

On-Boarding

On-Boarding

Handbooks

Introduction

The purpose of a handbook will vary depending on the intended audience and the institution. The purpose of an employee handbook, for example, may be to provide all staff members, especially new staff members, with knowledge of the policies, regulations, practices, and expectations that characterize the institution.

Go to Handbooks page for more information.