1. UNPICKING LEADERSHIP IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CONTEXT. What is leadership? -- Dimensions of leadership -- How is leadership different from management? -- What is leadership in the early childhood profession? -- What is the role of vision in leadership? -- Why does leadership work in some situations and -- not others? -- Bringing it together -- 2. WHO ARE THE LEADERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS? Gender and leadership in early childhood -- Who follows the early childhood leader? -- Are there any essential characteristics of early -- childhood leaders? -- What are the functions of a leader in the early -- childhood profession? -- Who is a leader in the early childhood profession? -- Who can become a leader in the early childhood profession? -- What is the relationship between leadership and professional career development? -- Bringing it together -- 3. THE PERSONAL QUALITIES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEADERS. Typologies of leadership for early childhood practitioners -- Key skills for effective leaders -- Personal strengths of early childhood leaders -- Administration, management and leadership -- Bringing it together -- 4. COMMUNICATION SKILLS : MEETING OTHERS' NEEDS. Emotional intelligence and leadership -- Communication skills for effective leadership -- Skills for meeting others' needs -- Bringing it together -- 5. COMMUNICATION SKILLS : MEETING OUR OWN NEEDS. Appropriate self-assertion -- 'I' messages -- Conflict resolution -- Delegation -- Time management -- Stress management -- Electronic communication -- Bringing it together -- 6. WORKING TOGETHER TO FIND SOLUTIONS AND RESOLVE DIFFERENCES. Sources of conflict within early childhood settings -- Typical ways of managing conflict -- Constructive approaches to conflict resolution -- Mediation : Turning conflict into cooperation -- Bringing it together -- 7. DECISION-MAKING. -- Types of decisions -- Methods of decision-making -- Groupthink : Consensus through conformity -- Limitations of individual decision-making -- Professional ethics and decision-making -- Guidelines for decision-making -- Problem-solving -- Bringing it together -- 8. BUILDING AND LEADING A TEAM. Joining together to achieve quality -- What is a team in early childhood? -- Working in multi-disciplinary teams -- The stages of team development -- Team leadership -- A framework for team-building -- Bringing it together -- 9. SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT : SUPERVISION, MENTORING AND COACHING. Supervision -- Supporting adults as learners -- The leader's role as mentor -- The leader's role as coach -- The deputy : A special opportunity for leadership -- in an early childhood team -- Bringing it together -- 10. INITIATING AND IMPLEMENTING CHANGE. Types of change in organisations -- Change and the individual -- Sources of resistance to change -- Dealing with resistance to change -- Helping staff cope with change -- Developing leadership for change -- Features of successful change programs -- Bringing it together -- 11. LEADERSHIP AND THE RESEARCH CONNECTION. What is research and what can it offer those who care for and educate young children? Why is research under-utilised by early childhood practitioners? -- Encouraging a research culture -- Action research as a guide to decision-making and problem solving -- Bringing it together -- 12. BUILDING SHARED UNDERSTANDING WITH PARENTS AND THE PUBLIC. Working with parents as partners in the early childhood team -- What is parent involvement in early childhood settings? -- Obstacles to partnerships with parents -- Leadership in the public domain -- Participation in professional organisations -- Research and writing -- Networking with other professionals -- Becoming political and using the media -- Bringing it together -- 13. THE ETHICS OF LEADERSHIP. Promoting and protecting children's rights -- Providing quality and economically viable services -- Administering early childhood settings in accordance with the profession's ethical principles -- Employing an early childhood code of ethics to guide the resolution of ethical dilemmas -- Bringing it together -- 14. BUILDING AND SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. Training programs -- Building leadership capacity -- Bringing it together.
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A practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create successful childcare and early education settings.