Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/naeyc-accreditation-criteria-nice-words-but-will-i-know-it-when-i-see-it/5007254/
The dictionary's definition of administration as the conducting of any office of employment, direction, or management fails to mention creativity, imagination, knowledge, and skill-attributes essential to the early childhood administrator.One may be endowed to a greater or lesser degree with the ability to create and imagine, but knowledge and skill are acquired through study and experience. Just as one is not born knowing how to read, write, and do math, one is not born knowing how to be an administrator. One learns how. It is a never ending process.
When I first became an administrator, I viewed it as a challenge but certainly not as something more difficult than working with a group of young children seven to nine hours a day. After all, I had experience in working with children of different ages and at different stages of development. I also knew how to work with parents and fellow staff members. I knew about in-service and parent conferences, about keeping cupboards in order, following schedules, conducting earthquake and fire drills, changing pants, planning menus, working overtime, providing developmentally appropriate activities, and giving tender loving care. I had patience, a sense of humor, was flexible ...