Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Although I have been a NC licensed child care administrator for over 15 years, I am still learning new things all the time.  I try to regularly evaluate my knowledge base and skill set to look for growth opportunities.  Recently, I identified three goals for myself.

First, I interact with licensing regulations and standards on a daily basis.  Currently, my state is in the process of changing its Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS).  I would like to better understand how licensing regulations are made and updated.  By knowing this process, I could begin to advocate for the needs of children and parents in my school.

Second, I want to explore strategies on how to best support dual-language learners.  I have a large bilingual population in my school.  None of my teachers speak the families' native language.  By learning new techniques, I can better connect my teachers with the students and parents in their classrooms.

Finally, I would like to learn more about the Head Start program.  As a national, well-established program with a reputation of comprehensive, family-oriented programming, there is a lot I could learn from Head Start.  Hopefully, I will be able to identify components that I could incorporate at my school to help enhance our school-to-home partnership.

I would love to hear my readers' recommendations as they relate to these goals.  Any advise is welcome!

5 comments:

  1. There are many resources available online that would assist you in learning more about DLL/ELL students. What has been most helpful to me in teaching ELL students is that the strategies that I use are beneficial to all students, native and non-native English speakers. You should reach out to your local public school system to see what trainings and resources are available. Check out http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/esl/ and http://www.ncsu.edu/eslglobe/globetips.html

    Altovese

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  2. Thank you for the resources, Altovese!

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  3. Sarah you have expressed some key and important goals. I think that it is essential to stay abreast of the changes that are being made. Being a lifelong learner is an essential part of our profession. I think that any efforts made to better support your children and families is a great one. I think that you gaining more insight into ways to help your bilingual parents and children is a great goal to have. Great Job.

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  4. Thanks, Andrea. I agree that a commitment to continual learning is essential to our field. Through regular professional development and self-reflection, we are able to refine our skills, which hopefully results in the improved quality of services we offer our families and students.

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  5. Certainly there's a lot to accomplish as an EC administrator. This is not all free play, right? You've identified three giant-sized areas of focus. This can seem overwhelming. Start with one, add others later! :-) Thanks, Sarah!

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