Notes that the environment in early childhood should be educational for students and their teachers. Stresses the need for improved staff-development opportunities. These sessions should mirror the caregivers' realities in who they are and how they see the world. Suggests that a way of seeing and respecting the lives of others should be offered…

Suggests strategies for rethinking the early childhood program environment. Recommends reflecting program values throughout the environment, understanding how different elements influence behavior, and considering the role of schedules, routines, and rituals. Strategies include reinventing assessment tools, identifying the feelings elicited by…

Distinguishes between training and coaching, asserting that the latter focuses on the staff person as learner. Offers strategies for staff development: clarify when one is supervising versus coaching, identify issues before developing strategies, ask questions that spring from genuine curiosity, offer detailed descriptions of teacher actions,…

Suggests an alternative to typical practices of new staff orientation: one week of paid orientation without direct responsibility for children so they can experience the program vision in action and practice assuming their role within it. Details strategies involved in this approach and encourages directors to calculate the cost of turnover in…

Focuses on recognizing key indicators for developing teamwork and collaboration among child care staff. Addresses communicating clearly, interacting respectfully, demonstrating trust, negotiating different perspectives, building on each other's strengths, and promoting reliability and responsibility. Identifies strategies to cultivate growth in…