Category Archives: Training for Early Childhood Directors

An Attitude of Gratitude …

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

Because we hold the same vision for quality care and early education for our young children, it has been a joy to work with so many directors and teachers to make positive differences for children. I am grateful for your friendship! Continue reading →

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Keys to Success

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

From time to time, I need a little inspiration. I’m probably not alone in this. I love to find “quick reads” that leave me energized, uplifted, and keep me focused on my work. So, from my “inspiration folder,” I thought to pass these Keys to Success on to you – enjoy! Continue reading →

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“Read the Air …”

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

The Japanese people have an expression, “read the air,” which, in essence, means to take in one’s surroundings before acting. Take a few moments to use one’s senses – observe and listen – to gauge what is happening in this place at this moment, before doing anything else. “Reading the air” is a respectful practice and we in early childhood education can easily apply it in our work. If you haven’t yet spent some good time observing and listening to the hum of your classroom, I invite you to add this practice to your teaching this new school year. Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 2 Comments

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

Mentoring – Fitting the Pieces Together …

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

When we added the “mentor teacher” rung to the career ladder in our early childhood program, we provided recognition to our experienced and skilled teachers. We offered learning opportunities to them, particularly in the areas of peer coaching, reflection, leadership, and adult development. In addition, we offered learning opportunities to our novice teachers (protégés) who were committed to furthering their professional development. And the end result was improvement in the overall quality of our entire program. We learned a lot along the way – to be passed on to you – who might be interested in doing the same thing in your program. Continue reading →

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A Mentoring Program …

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

If you are the Director of an early childhood program, I’ll bet you have asked yourself the same question I asked myself years ago – how could we retain our fabulous teachers while keeping them in teaching positions? So often teachers had to become supervisors and directors in order to grow in our field. But, many wonderful teachers didn’t want to move into leadership and management. They were fabulous teachers!!!! So, how could we retain them – and yet, offer them growth and professional development doing what they loved, and were very good at?
Continue reading →

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Small Groups …

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

One of the most underused strategies in an early childhood classroom is also one of the most beneficial to both teachers and children. But, we often don’t even think of breaking up the large group into smaller, subsets of children during the course of the day. “Small Groups” gives new meaning to “Less is More”. Continue reading →

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Food for Thought …

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to produce over 100 percent. Here’s a little math that might prove helpful in the future. Continue reading →

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The Primary Caregiver …

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Marcia Hebert

I am a huge proponent of the primary caregiver system – because it works!
It works for children; it works for parents; it works for teachers; and it works for directors. It is the glue that holds teachers responsible and accountable for providing consistent, appropriate care and learning experiences for each child. Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 4 Comments

Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Marcia Hebert

On this eve of the New Year, I tend to reflect on all of the things that really mattered this past year. In my work with you – as consultant, coach, mentor, and teacher – what got my passions fueled? Who inspired me each day? What motivated me? Where did I find the answers? How did I ask the questions? Most importantly, did I make a positive difference?

On this eve of the New Year I have, for you, two gifts. Continue reading →

Posted in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Leadership, Early Childhood Teachers, Managing Early Childhood Programs, Training for Early Childhood Directors | 1 Comment