Leadership in Early Childhood

Leadership in Early Childhood is a practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create successful childcare and early education settings.Leadership in the early years has moved on in the way it is organised, and this fourth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the changes affecting leaders in early childhood. This rapid change in the field over the past few years includes moves to professionalise the workforce generally, and this edition recognizes the implications of these developments and revisits some of the concepts and messages.Praised for its excellent overview of early years leadership, accessible writing style and clear links between theory and practice, the fourth edition also includes:Thorough discussion of the leader's role in moving towards leading/best practice.Reconceptualised coverage of team building to consider working collaboratively as a team at service level, multi disciplinary teams and integrated service provision through multi agency working.A chapter which considers the essential characteristics of leadership in terms of personal qualities, skills and timing related to effective leadership.

Leadership in Early Childhood is a practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create successful childcare and early education settings.

IntroductionPART ONE: DECONSTRUCTING LEADERSHIPUnravelling leadership in early childhoodThe personal qualities of leaders in early childhoodTheories, models and styles of leadershipPART TWO: LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICELeading through communication: Meeting personal needsLeading conflict resolution: From discord to accordLeading decision-making: Transforming vision into actionLeading collaboratively: Cultivating collective responsibilityLeading professional development: Supervision, mentoring and coachingLeading in changing timesPART THREE: SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEADERSLeading research: Moving quality forwardLeading partnerships: Engaging families and communitiesLeading ethical practiceLeading for succession: Building leadership capacityPostscript: An aide-memoire for aspiring leaders in early childhood

Leadership in Early Childhood is a practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create successful childcare and early education settings.