"…will prove to be an invaluable resource in the training of program directors and in the development of public policies affecting professional preparation."

–Richard M. Clifford, Senior Investigator, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, and Research Associate Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Directors and other administrators are important contributors to quality in children’s programs. In this timely volume, leading authorities provide an up-to-date resource on the past, present, and future role of the administrator in early childhood programs and analyze current efforts to create professional credentialing. The contributors address the important issues of professionalism, career development, and leadership and link these to the critical practice and policy issues that directors face every day. Topics covered include:

• How administrators have sought management training in the past and how some current training is being designed to link to an administrative credential

• The current early childhood education industry and a projection of anticipated growth, change, and opportunity

• The importance of child development knowledge as the foundation for administrative practice

• Issues and barriers in the credentialing process

Contributors include: Paula Jorde Bloom, Sue Bredekamp, Nancy Brown, Dorothy W. Hewes, John Manning, Anne Mitchell, Gwen G. Morgan, Roger Neugebauer, Marsha Poster, Karen Hill-Scott, and Karen VanderVen.