Marcia Hebert's Blog

Once you accept the position as Director of an early childhood program, your wheels will instantly begin turning. With enthusiasm, yes, but also with hundreds of questions—who, what, when, where, how, and why come to mind. Anxiety follows quickly, and then doubt begins to creep in! Can I actually do this job is the underlying concern. And before it overtakes the incredible opportunity you have been given, let me share a few things I have learned along the way.

First, being a Director is the most difficult, overwhelming, and exhausting job you will ever have—but, it is also the most gratifying! In fact, gratifying far outweighs overwhelming. So, you’re in for the ride of a lifetime, and you need to be prepared before your first day on the job.

You will need to think long and hard about what kind of a director you will be. How will you work with others? How will you communicate with teachers and parents? How will you solve the problems that arise? How will you present yourself day in and day out? Will you collaborate with your team when you can? Will you seek others’ thoughts, ideas, and suggestions? Will you meet periodically with the parent group? Will you wander through the childcare center during the day taking it all in? Will you reflect on what you see, hear, and feel; and share both the positives, as well as the areas to work on, with your team?

What kind of a leader will you be? Will you set the tone for this childcare center on your first day? Will you lead by example, so that others will follow? Will you set clear expectations for your teachers, so that your team will know what and how to do their work? Will you set the bar high, so that teachers will grow and learn under your leadership? Will you support, encourage, mentor, coach, motivate, and inspire those who work for you? Will you keep calm and thoughtful in the storm? (there will always be difficult moments) Will you listen first? Will your sense of humor arrive just when it is needed? These are the things to think about as you create your vision of you—the director.

In my vision of myself, as director, I set the course. I learned that how I began each first day was really important, and that it set the tone for the whole year. I needed to know, for example, where we were heading as an organization (growing to capacity and becoming a community); what we would focus on this year (the principles of Reggio Emilia); what expectations we were to meet (following our vision as we planned the children’s days); what goals we were to accomplish (begin the process of NAEYC accreditation); and then, how. It was important that I considered all of these goals, and was able to articulate them so that I could share them during the year with my team (we needed to be traveling in the same direction). I had the opportunity at the beginning of each school year to set our course—and I took it!

I value quality and high standards. It is the way I work, and I have learned that many good people want to work in this kind of environment. I interviewed and hired hundreds in my career and they often told me that they wanted to do their best work—with directors and programs who valued this, who aspired to quality, and who had high expectations. I learned that people will rise to the challenge when the expectations were clearly articulated and when there is support to accomplish them. When people know what they need to do, they will do it. And, when people learn that you care about them and want them to succeed, they are with you until the end.

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
——Theodore Roosevelt

I also believe that there is an appropriate way to work— with children, with families, and with one another. And I believe it is critical to our credibility as educators, and to our commitment to quality. People call it professionalism—and, yes, we directors hold the key to setting its tone, creating its climate, and fostering it in our programs. 

The professional’s attitude is positive, courteous, and pleasant. You come to work ready to learn and do, and are motivated by a strong sense of individual and group purpose. You have energy, are interested in what you’re doing, and bring a sense of joy to your work. You know your own skills and abilities, and you strive to know as much as you can about the field, and your work within it. You are motivated to initiate new ideas, propose new procedures, and find solutions to challenges and problems. You do whatever is needed to get the job done, and to get it done well! And finally, you always add that something extra, go the extra mile, and exceed expectations.

Presenting the best you—on the first day as director, and every day thereafter—will set the tone for your entire organization. People will watch and take your lead. And you will all begin moving in the same professional direction—with passion, dedication, and positive energy. New staff will assimilate into the team quite easily as they observe your core group of teachers. You will be leading—and leading by example! 

In my new book, Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center, I have devoted an entire chapter to the first days. I have given my real-life examples to help you navigate the beginning days of your new position, as director. In the midst of any uncertainty, change, and chaos, if you can learn how to take control of your days, and keep your mind, body, and spirit intact, you will be focused, positive, and calm. It took me a few years to figure this out, but once I did, and noticed and felt how unflappable and peaceful I could be in the middle of a storm, I embraced these techniques. I am pleased to share them with you.

Create your vision of you and your program and then, teach it to others by your example. My best to you…

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
——Henry David Thoreau

How do you know when you’ve arrived, if you don’t know where you’re going?

A really good question, especially if you are the one in charge, the manager, the director, the leader of the organization. Quite often, it’s a question unasked. Sadly, many of us squander our precious time, energy, and resources spinning our wheels—day after day, year after year just going through the motions and dealing with those things that demand our immediate attention. This will get us through the moment and maybe longer, but there is no real satisfaction of accomplishment. We feel pushed and pulled in many directions, and not in control—usually reactive, often playing defense. Does this sound familiar?

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Most leaders of successful early childhood organizations have a vision for where they want to take their organizations. They have planned it in their heads, and then on paper—as their mission statement, and their philosophy. And it all comes from their deep beliefs about the children, their parents, and their team. What will our early childhood program look like? sound like? feel like to the children, to their parents, and to the teachers? The answers will be your vision. This destination will be easily shared with everyone on the team. People will know where they’re going. The bigger questions will be, how will we get there? followed by, how will we do this? And you’ll have those answers, too.

So how do we directors begin? With the end in mind. 

Visualize what your program will be like when it is running the way you would like it to run— in as much detail as you can dream up. Really see the end result of your work. Sketch, write—whatever gets your creativity going. Take your time and think about everything that matters in the course of a day, week, month, year.

I visualize walking through the front door—and my first impressions have everything to do with how the entry looks and feels. Is it inviting and warm? or chaotic and messy? What do you want your first impression to be? Then, walk into each classroom and note—how do you want to feel in each space? (Include the hallways, stairs to the second floor, doors and windows, and then the individual classrooms.) Use every sense—what do you see, hear, touch, smell? (well, maybe not taste) Visualize you as well in this scenario.  Are you calm and peaceful? organized and ready for anything? Think about your office space. Is it welcoming? Is your door more open than closed? Think about how you would like your teachers to be—in their classrooms with their children; working in their teams. Are you looking for creativity, passion, energy, professionalism, fun, and enjoyment in your teachers? In your vision, will parents enjoy your program for their children? will they be partners to your teachers? will they feel welcomed and respected? Will you build a comfortable community between all people in your program? (the short and tall) And then, visualize the environment— what kinds of furniture and materials are in the classrooms? Is there a softness, a warm inviting feel in the infant and toddler rooms? Are the preschool spaces filled with open-ended activity and interesting materials? Can the children explore and discover at their own pace? Is your curriculum emergent—that is, child-centered and child-driven? Think about everything, and make lots of notes as you create the place you want to build.

Along the way, pat yourself on the back, because you are taking control of your program. You are leading, and you are creating the solid foundation for your school that you and your team can build upon year after year. The foundation, the vision, will be in place.

In my new book, Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center, I have devoted an entire chapter to this topic. I have given my real-life examples to help you write your own vision, your own mission statement, your own philosophy—and yes, I have shared my own beliefs about children, parents, and teachers, so that you can see how all of this fits together.

Take what resonates with you and begin to create your own destination. Everything else will fall into place once your foundation is built.

After a lifetime of being the director of four early childhood programs, and then consultant to many, many directors and their children’s centers, I have seen and experienced the tremendous value of creating a vision first. And, I wouldn’t do it any other way.

“If you can imagine it and you can visualize it, you can create it.”—Napoleon Hill

Check out Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center—A Director’s Story at Amazon.com.

Last month, my early childhood leadership book, Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center; Lessons Learned—A Director’s Story, was published and became available to you, my colleagues—online, in bookstores, and on e-books. It has been well-received, as evidenced by the messages I have received.

Its purpose was to pull together what I had learned during my 40+ year career—as teacher, director, consultant, and author—and share with my colleagues around the world what we directors of programs must know and do to become effective leaders in our field. This book is written in story form—it is both a how-to and memoir. It covers every age and stage of building an early childhood program: 

creating your vision (what do you want your program to be)
hiring and training your teaching team
working effectively with parents
designing the environments for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
putting all of the necessary organizational pieces together seamlessly
handling misunderstandings, misfires; and learning how to diffuse
     and then repair difficult situations
using strategic planning when there is an organizational problem, and
adding new and innovative programs that fit with your philosophy to raise the bar and
     challenge your team when they are ready. 

And, in all of this, to succeed beyond your wildest dreams!! 

Since I have used everything in this book many, many times, I can tell you that these strategies, tips, ideas work—and work well!

So, beyond the book …

When I began gathering my notes for the outline, I realized that I had too much information to share. And so, in Beginning to End I wrote as much as I did, and decided to share more of the details that didn’t get into the book—in this blog. 

So, in 2021, I’m going to do just that. Each month I will add a little bit more—beyond the book. I will follow the chapters in my book. From the simple idea of using 3-ring binders for staff and parent handbooks  (for ease and efficiency when you update policies or procedures—pull out the old sheet, add the new), to more detailed information about adding a mentor teacher rung to your career ladder, or the nitty-gritty details of delivering feedback to your team. 

These posts will build on what I have already written and hopefully assist, encourage, motivate, and inspire you to keep growing professionally!

If you would like me to address a specific topic in Beginning to End in more detail, just send me an email. This book is meant to be a catalyst for sharing with those who have chosen the leadership path—but I believe it has appeal and merit for early childhood professionals at every level.

Stay tuned …

To My Colleagues,

After 40+ years in the field of Early Childhood Education—from teacher to director to consultant to author, I am so pleased to introduce my new book to you! 

During my long career, I learned from others—which is what we, in education, do! And then, we share. I gathered tips, techniques, strategies, problem-solving methods, and other skills that worked for me and for the programs I managed. And so, I began writing an early childhood leadership blog to share what I had learned (www.marciahebert.com). And after 10 years of writing monthly posts, I decided to gather my thoughts and write a book.

“Beginning to End” is the book I needed when I accepted my first position as director of a hospital child development center! I could have used a roadmap to help me navigate the ins and outs of being a leader and of building an education organization. I could have used a book that was clearly written by someone who had already done this well—with detail and specifics, guidance and know-how—to help me be my best as director and leader. 

This is that book!

It is my story—inspired by my fourth and largest childcare center. I opened the 200-child capacity center for John Hancock in Boston, stayed on as Director for 20 years, and ultimately closed the doors. I experienced firsthand, the entire “life cycle of a childcare center” and I have a unique perspective to share what I learned along the way. 

“Beginning to End” launched this month!! and is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and in bookstores around the country—hardcover, paperback, and e-book.

What I bring to this book is a wealth of hands-on, real-life experience, expertise, humor, common sense, and hopefully some inspiration for good measure! Take the ideas—they work! I have already tested and used everything in this book—many times over! And if you can learn from my successes and mistakes, this book will have succeeded!

https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-End-Marcia-Hebert/dp/1648014615/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Marcia+hebert&qid=1607183120&sr=8-1

This book has relevance for all early childhood educators (teachers, supervisors, directors, teachers of teachers …). If you think your colleagues might find “Beginning to End” helpful, please pass on the link. 

And finally…

Thank you for the work you do. Teaching and caring for young children is an honorable profession. It is also an awesome responsibility; a humbling experience; life-changing work. And, it demands the best we have to give.

To that end, I am pleased to share what I have learned as early childhood teacher, supervisor, director, consultant, author, and leader.

I wish you much success on your early childhood  journey!

My best,

Marcia Hebert