Working in an early childhood education center can be stressful. Being the director of a center can be an even bigger challenge. As if being responsible for growing young minds isn’t enough, your tasked with the responsibility of growing your staff’s minds as well. So how does a director ensure they aren’t just the boss – but instead, they are a leader as well?

The late Paula Jorde Bloom stated that “leadership starts in the head”. Leadership is a way of thinking about yourself and the important role you play in your program.

But what does this statement really mean? For me, this statement means that as a leader you must be mindful of what you say and how you say it. Ask yourself if you are building a team to sustain positive energy.

Knowing that leadership starts in your mind should make you stop and ask yourself, am I consistent in building my team and the families that I connect with every day in my early childhood center? Effective leadership is intentionally incorporating consistent team building ideas and practices with your teachers and staff.

In an article, Jon Gordon states that high performing teams don’t happen by accident – rather, they are built through good communication, shared experiences, positive interactions, common challenges and stories that make deeper connections with others. To ensure this happens, a director must make sure they are holding each member of their staff accountable by asking some of the following questions:

  1. Am I being consistent?
  2. Do I encourage good communication?
  3. Do I communicate effectively?
  4. Do I focus on team building?
  5. Do I know how to implement team building with my staff?
  6. Do I have a support person to help hold me accountable reminding me the importance of team building?

After asking yourself these questions, a great follow-up is come up with a plan to ensure that team building is in place. As a mentor, I suggest at least two activities a month to ensure a staff stays connected. It is important to know that a tribe is a group of people connected to one another, following a strong leader, working towards a common goal or idea.

The most important thing to remember is that you must commit to be a leader. These ideas about team building will be useless if you don’t decide to lead and implement as an effective leader should.

Read Chanell’s blog on her personal experience as a child care center director.

Chanell Hunter-Gordon is a child development specialist at Camp Fire First Texas. Prior to joining the Camp Fire Staff, Chanell taught middle school science for 10 years. She then served as a Parent Educator, a Pre-Kindergarten teacher and an early childhood education director. Chanell holds a Bachelor of Science from Jarvis Christian College and a Master of Science in education with a concentration in advanced literacy from Concordia University of Texas. She is a Master Trainer with the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System and is pursuing an Infant/Toddler Family Specialist II endorsement.