What makes a good early years leader

A good communicator, ensures that their team knows exactly what is going on. A manager should be able to discuss, supervise, advise and delegate where appropriate.

Listening is vital, leaders should always listen to their teams ideas and suggestions, helping them to feel valued and part of the growth and success of the business. Leaders that are experts in their field are able to share their expertise and knowledge to support, advise and teach their staff team.

Effective leaders do not withhold their strengths but share them, provide training and give reason behind theories and methods we use in early education. If your staff feel supported they are far more receptive to their managers. Working in early years is a fulfilling and wonderful job yet it is tiring, physically and emotionally.

Staff need the emotional support from their managers as it enables them to connect and feel able to confide and communicate with their manager. Leaders do not try to do everything themselves, they delegate and give responsibility to others under their guidance to instill confidence and give involvement to their staff. Staff that feel appreciated, involved and trusted have better work performance and happiness surrounding their job roles.

Working in early years is a team effort, no matter your position every person is a link to the overall success and workings of a setting. Keep inspiring, involving, supporting and sharing your passion. Today she offers bespoke consultancy and training for early years settings as well as forest school sessions and much more. Find her at www. This might mean that staff members pursue part-time or e-learning courses in formal university-level education or that they take advantage of one of the many adult learning options that are available to people working with children.

Whichever it is, it is in your interest as a leader to support them in their efforts. Make sure from day one that your practitioners understand this is a key requirement for the job and being trained or tested on these important matters is mandatory. That means keeping up to date with early years news on child development, Ofsted, safeguarding, gender and equal opportunities at the workplace.

It is best to regularly consult with someone on these matters or clear some time in your diary in order to keep yourself updated on all the latest developments. You will feel more confident in your leadership as a result and your staff will feel safer knowing that you have it all covered.

Childcare providers play a crucial role in any community and that means that as a leader you need to stay connected to the families within your community and any changes that might take place. Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.

The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK. Find out below from Neil Leitch about the impact of Famly at the Early Years Alliance, and see what we can do for you in a personal demo. The skills you need to successfully manage staff.

What they are, why they matter, and how to improve the ones you have. Improve your early years practice Every week, we'll send you expert early years insights , resources, tips and inspiration straight to your inbox.

Login Get a demo. Why Famly? Nursery groups Easy-to-use software to make group management a breeze Larger nurseries Run your business like clockwork, and stay connected Small nurseries Bring your parent community closer, and strengthen teamwork Watch a demo Still not sure about Famly? Take five minutes to watch our demo. Parent communication Get even closer to the people at home Invoicing and admin Run your business smarter - in a fraction of the time Observation and assessment Spend more quality time with the children Daily management All the information you need at your fingertips.

The Environment. Managing an early years setting is challenging but incredibly rewarding. Allison Lee shares her tips on succeeding in the role…. No manager can bring a nursery to the outstanding stage without a hard-working, knowledgeable and dedicated team behind them. However, the manager must be in control; they need to know their team well and steer them in the right direction.

There will be times when it feels like an uphill struggle, but when the main goal appears to be elusive, this is when the outstanding manager will show their true colours…. Outstanding leaders have many different guises. Nursery managers will often be required to take on different roles to lead their staff and deal with specific situations or challenges as and when they arise. The role model It is essential that a manager is a positive role model, and that means remaining professional all day, every day.

This can be hard to maintain; sometimes you may feel like sitting back and turning a blind eye when staff appear to be chatting instead of carrying out their duties, but this is asking for trouble — remember, if you allow it once, you will be expected to turn a blind eye all the time!

The mediator It is the job of the manager to solve problems as quickly and as professionally as possible. There will be times when staff have fallouts; when they do, remain impartial. Success then is about being demanding yet having clear objectives but also about being creative; having confidence but also being self-critical; supporting to others yet stretching.

Leadership is distinct from management in as much as it is an art more than it is a science and it is focused on philosophy, vision and policy rather than on the practical day to day running of an organisation. Leaders have to inspire others so as to influence them and they need to share their philosophy and beliefs so that the staff have a deep understanding of the values to which the organisation is committed.