From Survive to Thrive

Debbie LeeKeenan is an early childhood consultant, lecturer, and author. She was director and lecturer at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School, the laboratory school affiliated with the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University in Medford, MA, from 1996 to 2013. She has also held academic teaching positions at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her work has been published in numerous journals and books, including Young Children, Theory Into Practice, and the first edition of The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. Her most recent book, coauthored with Louise Derman-Sparks and John Nimmo, is Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change.Debbie holds a master’s degree in education from the University of New Mexico. Her areas of expertise include anti-bias education, early childhood education, teacher preparation, inclusive special education, curriculum development, teacher inquiry, family engagement, leadership development, professional learning communities, and public school partnerships. Debbie has received a number of awards for her outstanding commitment to young children and the early childhood profession, record of distinguished professional achievement, and work in diversity, including the Tufts University Arts and Sciences Faculty/Staff Multicultural Service Award in 2003; the Tufts Bridge Builder Distinction Award in 2009; and the Abigail Eliot Award in 2015. Iris Chin Ponte, PhD, is director and classroom teacher at the Henry Frost Children’s Program in Belmont, MA. She also currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University’s Graduate School of Education. Iris previously worked for Sesame Street Research at the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) in New York among many other media and research institutions.Iris was proudly recognized as an Exchange Emerging Leader in 2015. As a former Fulbright Scholar, she has expertise in cross‐cultural issues in education. She has taught and conducted extensive preschool research in the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Newfoundland. Iris has received various scholarship and fellowship recognitions from the Children’s Defense Fund, the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, CBS, and the American Educational Research Association. She has published in the areas of children and technology, behavior management, children’s play, outdoor environmental design, and birth parent reunions and heritage trips for adoptees in China.

Not since Paula Jorde Bloom’s work on quality leadership for directors have I seen a resource so thorough. From Survive to Thrive is an essential guide for any current or aspiring director to use in actively preparing for and successfully navigating the many aspects of leadership in early childhood education. College professors teaching ECE administration will find this an invaluable book for teaching others how to become effective leaders.—Linda S. Anderson, Adjunct Professor, Aurora University and Rasmussen CollegeA much-needed book for anyone taking on the job of directing an early childhood program. With its comprehensive, detailed discussion of the many facets of this position, this resource will find a special place on all new directors’ desks.—David Elkind, Professor Emeritus of Child Development, Tufts UniversityLeeKeenan and Ponte remind early childhood education leaders that we have the best job in the world! We are engineers, conductors, participants in play. We can ignite imaginations one minute, then wipe children’s tears, reassure adults, and guide the growth of teachers in the next. The authors examine true-to-life program scenarios in concrete, intentional ways and provide tips and ideas that are helpful for all directors. As a 45-year veteran director, I recommend this book to any early childhood leader who seeks to thrive at this job.—Johanna Booth-Miner, Director and Owner, Live & Learn Early Learning Center

• PrefaceChapter 1: What Does It Mean to Be a Director?Chapter 2: Program Context and CultureChapter 3: Achieving and Maintaining Program QualityChapter 4: Budget and FinancesChapter 5: Program CurriculumChapter 6: Observation, Assessment, and DocumentationChapter 7: StaffingChapter 8: Working with FamiliesChapter 9: Center EnrollmentConclusion: Balancing Act—Managing Your Role as the DirectorReferences AcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors