Program Adminstration Scale Paper

Program Administration Scale

Sara Millar
Seton Hill University
Administrator Strengths
Jennifer DAngelo, the administrator of the YMCA Early Childhood
Learning Center, displayed a numerous amount of strengths when
observing her in the early childhood atmosphere. One quality of hers
that really stood out to me was how well respected she was in the
center. She made everyone who worked in the center with her feel as
though they belonged there. It seemed as though the staff respected
her because she gave the same amount of respect back to them. Being
an administrator and being higher up on the scale, it is important to
show respect towards the staff working for you and being able to
identify that your position does not and should not affect your attitude
towards others.
A second strength that I saw in Mrs. DAngelo was her
organizational skills. It is very important as an administrator to be as
organized as you can be, especially dealing with all the paperwork,
interviews, lesson plans, newsletters, and anything else that is going to
make the program run smoothly. Because of the fast paced
environment, you have many responsibilities to carry on, so
organizational skills are critical. You must be able to know where things
are at all times and be able to retrieve necessary materials and
information quickly.
A third strength that I learned was that Mrs. DAngelo is very
experienced in her field. She worked for the YMCA in Baltimore and
gained a wonderful experience while working there. She spent many of

her days and hours working to better herself, and is now very
knowledgeable about her job and duties as an administrator. She takes
on a large role and many responsibilities when settling into her job
title, but because of her passion and understanding, she is great at
what she does!
Leadership Qualities
As an administrator, it takes more than just having a degree to
be an effective leader to your staff and team. Mrs. DAngelo has a
shared vision that continues to guide how the program operates and
the improvements that can be made. She stated that she always
believes that more can be done to help make the program more
successful and continue to benefit the children.
Mrs. DAngelo was also very passionate about what she does.
She made it to be that her fellow staff and co-workers bought into her
vision of the program and are enthusiastic about the job they are
pursuing. As a leader, you cannot be afraid to expand or take a step
back from their vision if it is not appropriate for the program. She
would seek to hear input from others around her, doing this in order to
meet the immediate needs and future needs of the vision she has
shaped.
To be an effective school administrator, I feel that it is important
to be well respected in the environment you are working in. Mrs.
DAngelo came nothing short of that. Her staff and co-workers seemed
to look up to her as a role model because of the accomplishments she
has achieved. An effective leader gives respect to earn respect and I
believe that is why the staff gave such admiration to her. Going handin-hand with respect, some may not always agree with the decisions
that are being made, but it is important to be an effective listener as
well. Opinions and suggestions were asked to the staff when a change
was to be made or something needed to be done to help improve the
program for the children or make it more of a flowing schedule. She did
not dismiss anyone that needed to talk to her and she listened to him
or her with an open mind and open heart. She made that staff workers
feel as if they were important and that they were being heard. She
understood that she wasnt the only one who had brilliant ideas, and
she took those opinions and suggestions into consideration, giving
them credit for their feedback and valuable ideas.
Early Childhood Dispositions
Dispositions are frequent and voluntary habits of thinking and
doing. Childrens dispositions are environmentally sensitive, which is a
very important characteristic. This means that the children are
supported, acquired, or even weakened by interactive experiences in
an environment with adults and peers. Obviously, the significant adult
would be the teachers that are in the classroom or in the early
childhood setting. The educators in the classroom define the
dispositions as desirable or undesirable. Desirable dispositions are

simply that the child would be strengthened, curious, persistent, and
resourceful. On the contrary, undesirable dispositions would be
selfishness, impatience, and intolerance. Teachers must help to
diminish those undesirable dispositions so that the child can grow to be
respectful. In the YMCA center, it is made a point that the children
should be able to be themselves, but in a respectful manner. They
want the children to be curious and ask questions and do not
discourage them from learning new things. They keep an open mind
about what the children are saying and guide them to answers that will
be benefit them in the long run. Intellectual dispositions include the
children making predictions and problem solving, to name a few. They
want the children to be able to solve their own problems, whether it be
with another child or something in one of the content areas that they
are working on. For example, in the science area, the children are
encouraged to be curious and investigate. They are communicating
with one another and seeking for answers, and asking questions. This
is all we really want from children at this age. We want them to be able
to explore and ask questions because that is what helps them learn.
Partnerships and Working With Families and Staff

At the YMCA Early Childhood Learning Center, it is made a point
that parent involvements and communication is very important. Stated
by Mrs. DAngelo was that the YMCA is a very family oriented

environment. Even presented on their website, a subsection talks
about parents involvement and the many activities that are done
throughout the year to encourage parents to participate. Some of the
events being: holiday celebrations, grandparent day breakfast,
Mothers Day tea party, breakfast with dad, a feast for Thanksgiving,
and picnics that take place in the summer. I really love how the
program takes the initiative to involve not only parents, but also
grandparents and other family members that may be important to the
children. It seems as if they make many attempts to keep the children
and families involved in the program.
When the family meets for orientation with the staff and
administration, the families are provided with written information that
regards what the program expects of them and their children. Some
examples I was shown are: how the center operates, a calendar of the
events happening within the month, the fees for the center depending
on part time or full time, a classroom schedule, and some of the health
requirements and necessities for when the child attends (change of
clothes, medicine, etcetera). Another requirement done at orientation
is finding out about the child by the people who know them the best,
their caregivers. Families are asked about the childs developmental
history, their strengths, likes, and dislikes. This helps the
administration and staff to have an idea about the child before actually
getting to know the children themselves.
To keep in contact with the parents, the center has a wide variety
of communication methods that will benefit both the child and the
family. When the child is being picked up, the staff or administration
gives a quick update about the childs day. Instead of telling the bad,
they focus on the positive in the child and elaborate on their
progression through the day. It may be something they have been
struggling with over the past few weeks or months, or it may be that
the child simply helped out another child. Room for improvements with
the child are carefully addressed with the parents in a confidential
matter. A letter might be sent home with the child of an action that
needs to be worked on if it can be fixed at home. If it cannot be fixed at
home and continues to be a problem, then a parent-teacher
conference will be scheduled to discuss the action plan that is needed
so the staff can lead the child in the right direction and help them
succeed. Emails, phone calls, newsletters, and bulletin boards posted
throughout the childs learning center are also used to help keep in
touch with the families.
Connections From Our Weekly Readings & Early Childhood
Administration
The Art of Leadership connects with early childhood administration
within chapters one through four. The reading in the book talks about
how to be an effective leader when in a position that you are held to a

high standard. Stated earlier in the paper, I talked about the leadership
qualities that Mrs. DAngelo has and how she is an effective leader to
her team. The staff looks up to her and respects the position she is in.
They also respect her because of her big heart and open mind. As
discussed in chapter one, there are four types of leaders: the taskmaster, the comrade, the motivator, and the unleader. According to
the definition of the motivator, I would say that Mrs. DAngelo would
fall into the category because of her strong desire to encourage the
frequent sharing of nonjudgmental feedback among all off the staff
members. Also, she develops a set of goals for the program by
discussing them with other members of the staff and what they believe
would be appropriate for the children.
In chapter three, one section really stood out to me was
advocating for children and families. As for many early childhood
programs, children and families are the most important component of
the program. We strive to make the children and the families happy
and help the children succeed. I liked that the YMCA program is very
family oriented and takes the time to involve the parents. It is
important for administration and staff to advocate for the children and
the program by building strong relationships over time and establishing
trust, respect, and common interests of not only the family, but the
child as well. Being an advocate means standing up for what we
believe in and taking a stand. The issue is how to be an effective

advocate and being able to connect your day-to-day work to a larger
movement that is going to make an impact. An effective advocate
needs passion. Mrs. DAngelo showed more passion towards her job
than some of the many teachers that I have observed over the years.
She provided a solid foundation in which other advocacy skills could be
built. She knew where her standing points were and what direction she
needed to go towards so that she could grow to be more efficient in her
work environment.

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Program Administration Scale

Program Administration Scale

Program Administration Scale

Program Administration Scale

gained a wonderful experience while working there. She spent many of

Program Administration Scale

Program Administration Scale

dispositions as desirable or undesirable. Desirable dispositions are

Partnerships and Working With Families and Staff

Program Administration Scale

by Mrs. DAngelo was that the YMCA is a very family oriented

Program Administration Scale

Program Administration Scale

how to be an effective leader when in a position that you are held to a

Program Administration Scale

believe in and taking a stand. The issue is how to be an effective

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