ECED 2120
Administration of Child Care Centers
3 Semester Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

A study of organization and administration practices applicable to the child care center.  Topics of special consideration will include leadership, enrollment and public relations, staff management, financial management, facilities, regulations, parent relations, and program development.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student will:
1.  Identify different administrative styles and roles.
2.  Know and understand Tennessee's Licensing Standards.
3.  Understand what the basics are for choosing a philosophy.
4.  Understand positive communication techniques for working with child care boards, staff,     
     colleagues and parents in a child care setting.
5.  Know the basic principles of establishing and working with a board.
6.  Understand basic concepts of developing, equipping, staffing, and publicizing a child care 
     center.
7.  Understand practices for hiring staff and planning for ongoing professional development.
8.  Know the forms needed and required to enroll a child in a child care program.
9.  Understand the basic principles of managing the food, health and safety issues of a child care 
     program.
10. Understand the purpose of different types of evaluation tools.
11. Identify methods to communicate and work with parents, volunteers and the community.
12.  Identify different funding sources.
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
No prerequisite required.
Course Topics:
  • Communicating and Motivating Staff
  • Assessing Community Need
  • Program Philosophy
  • State Licensing Requirements
  • Selecting a Board and Board committees
  • Preparing a Budget
  • Fund Raising
  • Selecting and Ordering Equipment
  • Designing Personnel Policies
  • Job Descriptions
  • Interviewing
  • Admissions and Enrollment Policies and Procedures
  • Computer Technology and Center Management
  • Management of Food Program
  • Staff and Program Evaluation
  • Conducting Meetings and Professional Development Training
  • Supervision of Staff
  • Parent Handbook
  • Working with Parents, Volunteers, and the Community
  • Program Development

 

Specific Course Requirements:
Complete each of the 10 modules (each module will include readings, written assignments, quizzes, fieldwork, and various learning activities) 
Student will utilize a case study as a practical application of concepts covered in each module.
1.  The Working Administrator
2.  Organizing Center Structure and Working with a Board
3.  Establishing a Program
4.  Developing and Equipping a Facility
5.  Funding and Financial Record Keeping
6.  Enrollment and Staffing
7.  Managing the Food and the Health and Safety Program
8.  Working with Families, Volunteers and the Community
9.  Personal and Professional Staff Development
10. Evaluation: Program, Staff, Administrator 
 
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
          None
Hardware Requirements:
 
PC Users - A minimum computer system to successfully access all the tools inthis course is a Pentium 166 or better with 32 Megabytes of RAM or better and Windows 95 or higher.  A modem, 56k or better.
Mac Users - Minimum system requirements are a 604 Power PC processor, preferably a G3 (iMacs are included) or G4 processor computer running Mac OS 8.5 or above.  A minimum of 64 Megabytes of RAM, preferably 128 with at least 25 Megabytes assigned to your browser.  A modem, 56k or better.
Software Requirements:
 
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.thm.  Specific software for this course include Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office.  All assignments MUST be saved and transported through WebCT in Microsoft Word.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
           All quizzes will take place within the course.  You  will take your quizzes online according to the due dates for completion of each module.  

 

Grading Procedure:
Students will be graded on the following items that will reflect on their competencies of the ten course modules.  Each module will be worth 100 points.
  • online reading assignments and/or textbook reading assignments
  • written assignments
  • field work reports and reflections
  • learning activities
  • participation in online discussion
  • quizzes
Grading Scale:
1000 - 900 [A]
  899 - 800 [B]
  799 - 700 [C]
  699 - 600 [D]
  599 - below [F]
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
Students will complete ten learning modules. Each module will include questions on textbook chapters, discussion board topics and a reflection.
Five field work assignments must be completed.
Written assignments include, but are not limited to:
     * Development of program philosophy
     * Outline of parent or staff handbook
     * Policy Statements
     * Management Timeline
     * Development of Staff evaluation tool
     * Plans for a fund raising activity
     * Program brochure
     * Program Web page
     * Start-up budget
Five quizzes will be scheduled within the course.
 
Class Participation:
You are expected to participate in all interactive aspects of the course.  For example, you must communicate with other students via e mails and discussion board exchanges.  You are expected to communicate with your instructor on a regular basis and check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements.  You must actively participate in threaded discussion events - this means you must respond to the discussion prompt and respond to other students' discussion.  This class is designed to support student interaction.
Punctuality:
You are encouraged to work at your own pace, however deadlines are placed on class activities, assignments and quizzes.  It is your responsibility to become familiar with the course schedule to determine when materials are due.  All work must be completed by the assigned date and will not be accepted after that date.
Course Ground Rules
Participation is required.  You are expected to communicate with other students in the discussion boards, learn how to navigate in WebCT, and keep abreast of course announcements.  You should use your assigned Web CT e-mail address for all communication.  Address technical problems immediately, Observe course netiquette at all times. 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Chat:
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:
If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org