Recommended Books on Group Day Care Center Start-Up and Administration

February 2005

Contents:
Overviews
Space and Furnishings
Leading and Supervising
Health and Safety
Financial Management
Forms
Preschool Curriculum
Infant and Toddler Programs
School-Age Care Programs
Inspiration

Overviews

The Art of Leadership: Managing Early Childhood Organizations. Bonnie and Roger Neugebauer, editors. Redmond, WA: Exchange Press, 1998. 354 pgs. Child Care Information Exchange is one of the very best magazines for child care administrators, and this two-volume set includes 81 of the magazine's best articles on effective management of early childhood programs.

Child Care Center Management Guide: A Hands-On Resource. 3rd ed. Clare Cherry, Barbara Harkness, Kay Kuzma. Torrance, CA: Fearon Teacher Aids, 2000. 480 pgs. Well-organized, practical guide to directing an early childhood program.

Developing and Administering a Child Care Center. 4th ed. Dorothy June Sciarra and Anne G. Dorsey. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, 1998. 502 pgs. Written primarily for students of early childhood education, this book is also a good source of information for practicing directors. It combines a focus on positive relationships and interactions with the technical information needed to administer a successful child care center, including many sample documents and forms.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. Rev. ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1997. 182 pgs. Contrasts appropriate and inappropriate practices in the care and education of children ages 0-2, 3-5, and 6-8, with an overview of each period of development, a thoughtful analysis of the underlying principles, and guidelines for classroom decision making.

Opening and Operating a Successful Child Care Center. Dorothy June Sciarra and Anne G. Dorsey. Albany, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning, 2002. 485 pgs. This book is for directors responsible for starting new centers. It focuses on positive human relationships and sound fiscal and program management skills. Gives suggestions for the use of computers and includes many sample documents and forms.

The Practical Guide to Quality Child Care. Pamela Byrne Schiller and Patricia Dyke. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2001. 192 pgs. This comprehensive but clear and easy-to-read handbook provides specific guidelines for virtually every aspect of early childhood administration.

The Visionary Director: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, & Improvising in Your Center. Margie Carter and Deb Curtis. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1998. 283 pgs. High-quality child care can change a community for the better, but it takes a director with vision in addition to day-to-day management skills. This inspiring book offers the visions of many directors and a framework for organizing your thoughts and work to build a vibrant learning community.

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Space and Furnishings

Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children's Environments That Work. Jim Greenman. Redmond, WA: Exchange Press, Inc., 1988. 217 pgs. This book is a pleasure to read and offers excellent advice on how to use space and scarce resources creatively and carefully so as to allow children and caregivers rich, meaningful, and joyful experiences indoors and out.

Child Care Design Guide. Anita Rui Olds. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. 483 pgs. A large book with over 550 floor plans, drawings, photographs, charts, and illustrations. Because it's written for architects, it spells out things child care professionals might overlook in designing group centers.

Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments. Deb Curtis and Margie Carter. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2003. 227 pgs. Hundreds of full-color photographs from real preschools illustrate "doable dreams" of interesting, beautiful rooms for children.

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Leading and Supervising

Creating Better Child Care Jobs: Model Work Standards for Teaching Staff in Center-Based Child Care. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Center for the Child Care Workforce, 1999. 31 pgs. Good care for children depends on good child care jobs. This book describes in detail the high-quality work environment required for good child care, and tells how you can enlist the wider community to help you get the resources you need to reach those high goals in your workplace.

Leaders and Supervisors in Child Care Programs. Dorothy June Sciarra and Anne G. Dorsey. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, 2002. 239 pgs. Informative guide for anyone interested in a leadership role in a child care organization. Covers the basics of staff orientation and supervision, good communication, professional behavior, how leaders can serve as agents of change.

The What, Why, and How of High-Quality Early Childhood Education: A Guide for On-Site Supervision. Rev. ed. Derry G. Koralek. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1995. 172 pgs. Valuable tool for directors, supervisors, teachers, and caregivers who want to take a thoughtful look at their own practices, identify needed improvements, and translate knowledge into action and real change.

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Health and Safety

Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care. 2nd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2002. 515 pgs. Extensive, detailed standards for the health and safety of children from birth to 12 years in family and group child care centers.

Model Child Care Health Policies. 3rd ed. Susan Aronson. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1997. 85 pgs. Model health policies designed to allow you to insert information specific to your child care setting. Includes reproducible forms and resource lists.

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Financial Management

101 Ways to Build Enrollment in Your Early Childhood Program. Ellen Orton Montanari. Phoenix, AZ: CPG Publishing Co., 1992. 166 pgs. Practical, inexpensive ideas for directors who are intimidated by marketing, but would like to build and maintain enrollment.

The Bottom Line for Children's Programs: What You Need to Know to Manage the Money. Gwen G. Morgan. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 1999. 224 pgs. Stating that budget is policy, this financial handbook tells you, clearly and simply, what you need to know to manage the money in a program for children. Includes forms, worksheets, checklists, samples, and case studies.

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Forms

The Complete Book of Forms for Managing the Early Childhood Program. Kathleen Pullan Watkins and Lucius Durant. West Nyack, NY: Center for Applied Research in Education, 1990. 247 pgs. Forms, checklists, and worksheets for program administration.

The Ultimate Guide to Forms for Early Childhood Programs: Hundreds of Forms Prepared by Nationally Accredited Programs. Wendy Biasetto. Aurora, CO: Learning Expo Publishing, 1995. 237 pgs. In addition to hundreds of forms used in NAEYC accredited early childhood programs, this book also includes a sample parent handbook and staff handbook.

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Preschool Curriculum

The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. 4th ed. Diane Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker, Cate Heroman. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 2002. 540 pgs. This comprehensive curriculum shows how to set up and use eleven interest areas to support free choice and active learning for preschoolers and kindergartners.

Educating Young Children: Active Learning Practices for Preschool and Child Care Programs. 2nd ed. Mary Hohmann and David P. Weikart. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope, 2002. 539 pgs. This book explains the physical setting, the daily routine, the positive social climate, and 58 key experiences in the High/Scope curriculum, all based on children's initiatives and active learning.

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Infant and Toddler Programs

The Creative Curriculum for Infants & Toddlers. Rev. ed. Amy Laura Dombro, Laura J. Colker, Diane Trister Dodge. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 1999. 377 pgs. At this age, curriculum is all about building responsive relationships and creating environments that offer a variety of experiences to interest and engage very young children. This book gives you a framework to plan and implement such a curriculum.

Innovations, the Comprehensive Infant Curriculum: A Complete, Interactive Curriculum for Infants from Birth to 18 Months. Kay Albrecht and Linda G. Miller. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2000. 496 pgs. A complete infant curriculum built around responding to children's interests. Includes very helpful assessment tools for teacher competencies and program practices.

Innovations, the Comprehensive Toddler Curriculum: A Complete, Interactive Curriculum for Toddlers from 18 to 36 Months. Kay Albrecht and Linda G. Miller. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, 2000. 608 pgs. A complete toddler curriculum organized like the infant curriculum above.

Prime Times: A Handbook for Excellence in Infant and Toddler Care. Jim Greenman and Anne Stonehouse. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1996. 343 pgs. This thoughtful book shows how to organize and maintain a program of excellent care and education for infants and toddlers.

Setting Up for Infant/Toddler Care: Guidelines for Centers and Family Child Care Homes. Rev. ed. Annabelle Godwin and Lorraine Schrag. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1996. 126 pgs. This handbook details what you need to do to develop the best possible staff and program and to provide a physically and emotionally healthy child care experience for babies and toddlers.

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School-Age Care Programs

Before & After School Programs: A Start-Up and Administration Manual. Mary McDonald Richard. Nashville, TN: School-Age Notes, 1991. 164 pgs. Policies, procedures, forms, budgets, job descriptions, staff handbook, staff evaluation, parent handbook and much more.

Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective After-School Programs. 2nd ed. Judith G. Caplan, Carol K. McElvain, Katie E. Walter. Naperville, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2001. 167 pgs. Criteria and tools for management, collaboration, programming, integration with the traditional school day, evaluation, and communication. Includes a CD-ROM with the same tools.

Half a Childhood: Quality Programs for Out-of-School Hours. 2nd ed. Judith Bender. Nashville, TN: School-Age Notes, 2000. 299 pgs. This excellent school-age training text is revised and updated with the latest best practices in before- and after-school, holiday, and summer care.

Kids' Time: A School-Age Care Program Guide. Betsy Arns. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. of Education, 1994. 158 pgs. Tells what an exemplary care program for children 5-14 would look like and gives information to help staff develop such a program or improve an existing program.

School-Age Ideas and Activities for After School Programs. Karen Haas-Foletta. Nashville, TN: School-Age Notes, 1990. 168 pgs. Programming strategies and tips, over 140 activities and games, 22 recipes for arts and crafts materials, 35 interesting club ideas, 40 themes for summer.

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Inspiration

For the Love of Children: Daily Affirmations for People Who Care for Children. Jean Steiner and Mary Steiner Whelan. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 1995. 382 pgs. If all the details of starting a child care center start to get you down, the little stories in this book--one for each day of the year--will quickly refresh your spirit and remind you of why your efforts for children are so very worthwhile.

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How to borrow or purchase the books listed

For more information about child care and CCIC services, contact the CCIC staff at ccic@dpi.wi.gov, 800-362-7353, or 608-224-5388.

For questions about this information, contact Glenna M. Carter (608) 224-6173

Last updated on 2/28/2008 8:18:33 AM