Effective Planning and Administration of Early Education Programs is a training manual that provides the information necessary for early childhood education professionals to implement a high quality educational program for young children (birth through age twelve). As professional development, the course is approved for program administrators and early childhood educators pursuant to the University of Georgia's training approval contract with Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and Georgia Department of Education's Office of Professional Learning. This course fulfills the forty hour training requirement for program administrators and teachers of early care and education and school-age care programs. It also meets the competency goals and indicators set forth in Rules and Regulations for Day Care Centers 290-2-2-09. (2014) Participants demonstrate an application of effective school leadership behaviors and practices that support proficiency in all of the Georgia Department of Education's School Keys of Excellence. Course assessments utilize the Georgia Leader Keys Performance Appraisal System leading to individual professional growth goals. The manual accompanies the online or classroom face-to-face training. Any owner, board member, administrative staff member (e.g. Principal, Director, Afterschool coordinator, Extended Care Supervisor, summer enrichment Program Coordinator, Bookkeeper, Administrative Director, Athletic Program Director, and so forth), or program supervisor that makes decisions needs to complete the course. Upon completion participants receive a Georgia program administration credential. The primary course objective is to equip participants with child care program planning and administration knowledge and skills (e.g. licensing, legal issues, child development, developmentally appropriate practices, marketing, budget, maintenance, staff development, parental/community relations, ethics, professionalism, diversity) in order to improve the quality of educational programs for young children. Programs which use the model provided will be structured to meet National Health and Safety Performance Standards for Educational Settings (2012) which are provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (as well as the accreditation standards of most organizations (e.g. Southern association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)).
About the Author: This course is facilitated by Althea Penn, of Penn Consulting (Training and Publishing). Penn Consulting is a full service education consultation organization that provides professional and organizational development services. Althea has a passion for children and those who serve them. She has over thirty years of experience in education and early education management serving as a teacher, children's ministry director, and principal. She has earned a Masters degree in Education Administration, certification as an Early Childhood Educator, and the National Administrator Credential. This well-rounded background equips her to share with fellow educators as she regularly conducts high quality early childhood professional development seminars and leadership workshops. Althea is an inspirational communicator and has served as a conference speaker for The Georgia Preschool Association, the National Black Child Development Institute, Kid's Advocacy Coalition, Quality Care for Children, The Association of Christian Schools International and other organizations which share her passion for children and her colleagues. As an educational consultant she has trained thousands of board members, owners, and program directors of preschools and private schools. She has also provided guidance in the accreditation (NAEYC, SACS, GAC, and ACSI) and licensing process. Althea also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership degree. As an Organization Development Practitioner (ODP), she designs and delivers strategic interventions to organizations interested in creating high performing, inclusive, and culturally effective workplaces. This includes drafting legal documents (articles of incorporation, bylaws, and the like.), business plans, grants, handbooks (parent and personnel), administrative forms, websites, brochures, and so forth. Her insight helps achieve long-term, sustainable change by working at all levels of an organization. As a coach, she supports leaders and individuals in discovering and aligning people, performance, and payoffs for results in their personal and professional lives. She is married to her best friend and high school sweetheart. They are the parents of two beautiful daughters who have also become certified educators. You can usually find her curled up with a book and her grandchildren.