Suggests ways to improve the success of substitute preschool teachers, including orienting the substitute to the program schedule, curriculum, and other aspects of the position and program; making the substitute feel valued; and preparing staff to work with substitutes. Includes samples of a substitute fact sheet and evaluation form. (JPB)

Suggests evaluation and feedback strategies that are necessary for effective evaluation of early childhood programs that are constantly changing to meet the diverse needs of children. Evaluation strategies must be dynamic if they are to have any real impact. (DR)

Examines the essential characteristics of teachers of young children: good physical health, kindness, courage, integrity, self-awareness, a theoretical framework in which to see children, the equivalent of a college graduate's general knowledge, warm respect for and courtesy to children, trust in children, discretion, intuition, professional…

Describes how members of a training team worked together to obtain funding to make a presentation at the 1997 National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development Conference. Details five qualities identified as instrumental in the group's progress: (1) passion; (2) dedication to the mission; (3) self-reflection and…

Outlines guidelines for effective appraisal of day care center staff. Lists 11 questions for employers to ask themselves about their role in their employees' performance. Includes observations about performance evaluations from the management literature. (DR)

Describes a developmental model for providing technical assistance and teacher training. Highlights how model builds a trusting relationship with the teacher; shapes effective practices; provides conceptual labels and explains reasons for effective practices; generalizes effective practices to other parts of the program; and facilitates dialogue…

Presents the Child Abuse Storm Scale as a method for assessing the potential for false reports of child abuse resulting in prosecutions. Focuses on the prosecutorial techniques that contribute to false-report errors. Maintains that safeguarding the separation of the responsibilities of protective service workers and therapists from…

Presents child-care directors' opinions regarding influences on their thinking about staff development. Suggests strategies for keeping professional-development efforts on track, such as using the questions emerging from working with children as a basis for learning, incorporating time and systems for thinking about learning, forming a book/study…

Details a five-step process to hiring the right teacher for an early childhood setting: (1) reviewing applications carefully; (2) conducting a behavior-based interview; (3) viewing candidates in action; (4) obtaining references; and (5) providing an educated offer. Asserts that directors have a responsibility to the center's reputation, staff,…

Discusses the intuitive, spiritual motivations for entering the early childhood education field, considering the role of synchronicity in such career choices. Notes the similarity between the goals of the early childhood profession and the "Cultural Creatives," a sociologically identified group that integrates traditional, New Age, and personal…

Discusses the process of answering a classified advertisement for employment as a church preschool teacher. (BB)

Discusses the purpose and process of providing feedback, peer versus supervisor reviews, and the content and format of feedback, including verbal comments, checklists, and written summaries. Tips on the use of observation protocols for feedback are included. (DR)

Discusses ways in which teachers can maintain daily communication with busy or uncommunicative parents. Techniques include providing observations to parents about their child's behavior, talking to parents on a weekly basis, communicating about the child's progress every semester, and sending notes accompanied by a photograph of the child. (RJC)

Includes the following training materials: "Of Culture and a Sense of Place" (Jim Greenman); "Getting to Know Us: Building Classroom Culture through Our Diversity and History" (Diane E. Levin); "Building a Sense of Community: A Broader View" (Paula Jorde Bloom); "What Is My Culture?" (Susan Lyon); and…

Presents four articles discussing mental health issues that pertain to early childhood education: "Granting Children Their Emotions" (Ilse Elisabeth Plattner); "Double Vision: Parent and Professional Perspectives on Our Family's Year in Crisis" (Kirsten Haugen); "Coping with Stress and Surviving Challenging Times" (Alan Cohen); and "When the World…