Category Archives: John Hancock Child Care Center

Beyond the Book—Zero-to-Three Model (A Parent’s Perspective)

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Marcia Hebert

Making the shift to Zero to Three in our Child Care Center (where the youngest children and their teachers remain together until the child reaches preschool age) brought more benefits to our infant/toddler program than we could have anticipated. Here is one parent’s perspective. Continue reading →

Posted in Child Care, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Curriculum, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Professionals, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Quality Early Education and Care, Training for Early Childhood Directors, Training for Early Childhood Professionals | Leave a comment

Beyond the Book—Inspiration for the New School Year

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Marcia Hebert

Each year, we closed our child care center, to parents and children, the two days before Labor Day weekend. We worked, and worked hard to get everything ready for the upcoming first day of the new school year. And each year, as director of the program,
I spoke to my very large team. This post shares my remarks from 2001 – and will give you an idea or two for your own program. Continue reading →

Posted in Child Care, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Curriculum, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Professionals, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Quality Early Education and Care, Training for Early Childhood Directors, Training for Early Childhood Professionals | Leave a comment

Beyond the Book—Organizing the Moving Parts of a Child Care Center

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Marcia Hebert

“Whose job is it?” was a question I asked myself often as Director of a very large Child Care Center. There were many, many moving parts in the course of a day and I was determined to juggle them with skill. This post highlights one of the processes we put in place. These are the “how we did it” details not found in “Beginning to End: The Life Cycle of a Child Care Center” (Yes, this is information Beyond the Book). Continue reading →

Posted in Child Care, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Curriculum, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Professionals, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Quality Early Education and Care, Training for Early Childhood Directors, Training for Early Childhood Professionals | Leave a comment

Beyond the Book—The Mentor Teacher Program

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Marcia Hebert

As Director of the John Hancock Child Care Center, I knew that the key to a quality early childhood program was to find, hire and retain the finest teachers! I also knew that we had to provide unique, individual opportunities for their professional growth. And so, our Mentor Teacher Program was born! How we did this is the subject of this blog post. Continue reading →

Posted in Child Care, Early Childhood, Early Childhood Curriculum, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Quality Early Education and Care, Training for Early Childhood Directors, Training for Early Childhood Professionals | Leave a comment

My New Adventure …

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Marcia Hebert

From early childhood teacher to director, to consultant, to published author – writing, in order to share what I have learned during my 40+ year career, has become my new adventure. This is my first book! Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Curriculum, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Quality Early Education and Care, Training for Early Childhood Directors, Training for Early Childhood Professionals | 4 Comments

Let them be Little…

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Marcia Hebert

The longer I live, the less I understand the rationale behind the “rushing,” the “hurriedness,” the “sense of urgency” that accompanies everything we do today. Why the fast lane? Where are we going? What are we racing to? Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | Leave a comment

The 20th Reunion at the John Hancock Child Care Center

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Marcia Hebert

It has been eight years since our John Hancock Child Care Center in Boston closed. As we were all saddened by the corporate decision, we were determined to make our last months memorable. The following is from my journal entry of June, 2010.
“On a recent summer afternoon—a Saturday—when so many other events are planned, they came to ours! Hundreds of people attended. Unbelievable! The line to the front door stretched down the block! The perfect celebration for our 20 years as the John Hancock Child Care Center. And, it was quite the party! Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Performance Management Skills, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 2 Comments

Building a Team: First Things First …

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Marcia Hebert

When it comes to hiring, leave no stone unturned – look everywhere! Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, For Early Childhood Directors, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs | Leave a comment

Places of Delight and Wonder …

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Marcia Hebert

“We become attached to spaces that charm, delight, or move us. What brings this on? – a certain slant of light; an intriguing staircase; an alcove; the feel of smooth wood; or, unexpected beauty or form. Children have, or can acquire, more taste than we expect.” – Jim Greenman
Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 1 Comment

Ten Commandments for Teachers …

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

Grace L. Mitchell was my professional mentor, my motivator, my cheerleader, my role model, and my friend. A long, long time ago, she gave me her Ten Commandments for Teachers. It is timeless, and often made it to the bulletin board in our staff room. It is concise, and yet filled with best practices and positive values. Embedded in Grace’s words, you can hear her philosophy, visualize her dramatic flair, and understand the depth and breadth of her teaching. We, who worked with her, were deeply inspired. She ignited our passion of caring for and educating young children and we immersed ourselves in this field – always stretching, always growing. Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, John Hancock Child Care Center, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 5 Comments