Policies & Practices: Staying On Track - What Are We Doing and Why?

This month we turn the corner into a new year. Are some of your resolutions and goals linked to your program?

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Goals are beneficial to all of us as long as we stay focused enough to achieve them. The daily events in a busy early childhood program usually dictate how our time and energy are spent. When this happens, goals may be pushed to the back of the priority list.

Specific goals are achieved through specific actions. The methods that are successful in achieving accreditation may not be the same as those necessary for modifying and enriching your curriculum or increasing your family involvement. Let's look at some specific goals and see how you might most effectively achieve each.

Achieving Accreditation

This is an exciting and time-intensive goal, but it can feel like a never-ending process. Staff and parents need to recognize and be proud of the progress of each teacher and classroom. Plan mini celebrations when different phases of the process are completed. For example, get together to applaud teachers' efforts after they have completed their classroom observations, accomplished a series of environmental or interaction improvements, or discussed with directors and agreed on the final classroom ratings. Other occasions to celebrate include: after staff and parent surveys have been completed, when the request for the final accreditation visit has been made, and, of course, when the accreditation is final. Each stage is a small victory in the process of achieving the larger goal.

Creating a New Professional Development Program

Start by involving those who will benefit the most and find out would like to be part of the committee to plan the program. Ask what they want to learn, how they would like to learn (a class, a conference, on line, reading selected articles), when they can make the time (naptime, staff meetings, evenings, weekends), and whom they would like to learn from (you, a colleague, the licensing rep).

Reenergizing Staff Training and Development

This is different from the previous goal in that you will be building on a policy or a process that you already have developed. Move toward this goal by identifying one or two staff members who have not taken advantage of your staff training and development program. Ask for their help in rethinking your training system and requirements. They may be skeptical at first, but assure them that you need real, honest feedback and help. Ask why the program you have in place isn't utilized, why it isn't fun, and how you could all work together to make it more interesting. Listen carefully and create a plan to follow their suggestions.

Working on the School Improvement Plan

This may be a single- or multi-year project. Tackle each part of the goal or plan and break it in to small segments. Find a colleague from another program who is working on a similar project and suggest you help each other. If you both need help on a particular topic, go to another source in the school or district and ask for assistance. Agree on checkpoints and monitor each other's progress. Celebrate when one of you meets a target — you will motivate each other!

Improving Family Participation

Begin with one or two interested and involved family members and ask for their ideas, suggestions, and help in gaining the support of others. Consider involving the individual who questions or wants to discuss everything about the program. Ask her to be the chair or to serve on the executive committee of your parent support group. Channeling this energy and concern in a positive direction can be very exciting and productive!

Strategies for Meeting Your Goals

Use these strategies to help you evaluate your program goals and successfully achieve them.

• Reassess the Goal — Ask yourself: Why did I set this particular goal? Is it still important? If the answer is "No," discard it and move on. If the answer is "Yes," explore new ways to achieve it.
• Divide the Project Into Smaller Parts — It is much easier to tackle a large project when it is broken into smaller pieces. Ask yourself: How can this project be divided? Can I delegate some parts of this? Who is better at this than I am?
• Recognize and Value Individual Skills — Each person in your program has skills that can be used to help you achieve your goals. Ask staff, parents, and appropriate community members what they can contribute and take advantage of their talents.
• Use Teamwork — Teams are the method of choice in education today because research and practice demonstrate they are often more effective than a single idea. Involving staff, parents, and the community can create a powerful team to accomplish your goals.
• Set Checkpoints — Progress checks help everyone stay on track. Ask the team to set several mini-goals over a short term. Commit each of these goals to a "to be completed by" date and assess progress often.

Whatever your project or goal, what is most essential is that it is valuable and important to you and others in your program. If it is, and you stay on track, you will succeed!

Kimberly B. Moore PhD, is an author and consultant, and has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education.

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