Introduction
Welcome to your new position!
Starting a new position as an early childhood program administrator may feel overwhelming. Many of us have not received any formal training in school administration and leadership (we might have been a teacher one day and an administrator the next). Even those with administrative licenses share this feeling, as administrative licensure programs do not adequately address early childhood, and some do not have real-world experience in early childhood programs.
Above all, there is a lot to know and do!! Complex factors can make high-quality early childhood administration particularly challenging. For instance, the field of early childhood is changing rapidly. With research extolling the benefits of early childhood education came increased visibility, political attention, and funding. As a result, increases in responsibilities and expectations have followed. Rapid growth can create additional complexities and misalignments (e.g. many early childhood funding streams, differing requirements, etc.).
Of course, responsibilities of early childhood coordinators vary from district to district. In some districts, one may be responsible for ECFE, Early Childhood Screening and School Readiness, while others districts may have separate coordinators for each program. Voluntary Prekindergarten and School Readiness Plus may be completely separate. One's responsibilities within programs may also vary immensely.
The goal of this page is to help get you started by highlighting some of the more important things to know (and do). Below are some essential first steps followed by information relevant to your position. While the topics/tabs on this page contain information geared toward new administrators, it is likely that many current early childhood administrators would find it helpful.
Adding and Updating Contact Information on MDE Website
Click Here for Instructions
This document teaches you how to update your contact information on the MDE directory. Among other things, this helps MDE staff contact you with updates, information, reminders. etc.
Contact your district's Site Verification Coordinator. ECFE and School Readiness coordinator information is included in MDE-ORG. http://w20.education.state.mn.us/MdeOrgView/ The Minnesota Department of Education-Organization Reference Glossary (MDE-ORG) is a searchable database. It includes a variety of Minnesota school, district and education-related organization directories.
Getting Early Childhood Program Sites Set Up in MDE-ORG
Click Here
Find and Join Your Regional Networking Group
Click Here or on the Regional Networks link on the left toolbar.
One of the most important things for early childhood coordinators is support. The regional networking groups provide collegial support. They are a great way to get connected with other coordinators in your area. Also, a great way to share information and learn from each other.
Roles and Responsibilities of Early Childhood Administrators
Defining Your Role and Responsibilities
The first thing you will want to do is define your role and responsibilities. Before starting, you may want to create a folder (digital and paper) that will contain documents related to your growth and development as an early childhood administrator.
A good place to start is your job description (your district is legally required to have a job description). Since it is likely that your job description will not contain adequate detail, and that is may not encompass all that you actually will do, it is important that you add information. You can also use job descriptions from other districts for comparison (these can be found on district websites or there are some examples on the Human Resources page).
It can also be helpful to literally define your role. Early childhood administrators have many titles (e.g., coordinators, directors, managers, supervisors). What exactly is your role? Does it fit with your title?
At this point, you will likely have questions. You should always be able to clarify with your supervisor or HR department. Of course, the best resource may be your Regional Networking Group, as other administrators will have real-world experience. As a reminder, connecting with your networking group is a recommended first step. Go to Regional Networks page.
Recommendation: Connect with your networking group and find a mentor.
Understanding Your Role and Responsibilities
Now that you have a better understanding of what you will be responsible for, go to the Leadership & Administration page to find the Early Childhood Administration Knowledge and Competency Framework. This resource contains more information than you need at this point, but it will give you a good idea of the potential scope of your responsibilities. Taking into consideration what you learned from your supervisor and job description, use the framework to explore competencies.
Resources
Quick Guide: Administration and Supervision of Early Childhood Programs
Click Here
Program Requirements
Learn Program Requirements in Minnesota Statutes/Law
Click Here or on the Minnesota Laws link on the left toolbar.
It is essential that you familiarize yourself with the laws that govern your program. As an administrator, you must ensure that your programs meet the requirements set forth in Minnesota statutes. If you are responsible for any programs that receive federal funding, you will want to make sure you are knowledgeable about those requirements too.
While programs for which you have responsibility may be listed in your job description, other things may not, like services or funding streams. The Minnesota Laws page contains numerous Minnesota statutes related to early childhood. Certainly, you will want to prioritize, learning about programs like Early Childhood Screening, Early Learning Scholarships, ECFE, and School Readiness. If you receive Voluntary PreK (VPK) or School Readiness Plus funding, you will want to learn about those requirements.
When you are ready, you will want to learn about additional statutes, like Community Education Teachers, Employment;Contracts; Tenure; Termination, and Teacher Licensure.
District Policies and Procedures
Since your early childhood programs are school district programs, you need to be familiar with school district policies and procedures. These can be written (e.g., employee handbook, technology policy, etc.) and unwritten (e.g., budget revision process, data collection procedures, space requests, etc.) and can have critical implications for your job and the success of your programs.
Ultimately, your goal is to achieve alignment and coherence with school district policies and procedures, while at the same time implementing new policies and procedures that are unique to your programs, or are tailored to the needs of your programs/participants.
Recommendation: Collect and organize district policies and procedures. Handbooks and posted policies will be the easiest to obtain. Others can be obtained through correspondence. For example, the budget revision process may be emailed to you by your business manager. Keep these organized and available so that you know where to find them when needed.
Recommendation: Make sure that your staff and program participants have handbooks, as these are tools for conveying your organization's rules, culture, goals, etc.
Go to the Handbooks page for more information.
Learning about your program
Whether you are new to the role or new to the district, you will want to prioritize learning about your program(s).
MDE Reporting
Data Submissions to the Minnesota Department of Education
Click Here or on the Data Submissions to MDE link on the left toolbar.
One of the most common questions from new coordinators is what reports/data they have to submit. This page helps you learn the reports and data that must be submitted.
