CINCINNATI (Feb. 8, 2010)—Roxanne Qualls, Cincinnati’s vice mayor, gave the keynote address at the breakfast launch Jan. 20 of 4C’s first 10-month leadership seminar for directors and owners of early education and care programs. The 19 handpicked participants for this pilot program will attend monthly six-hour sessions and hear presentations from experts from the community on topics ranging from human resources and program evaluation to marketing/public relations and advocacy.

Vice Mayor Qualls highlighted the qualities of a leader, including being “ethical, a listener, a motivator and a transformer.”Quoting James MacGregor Burns, she said, “A key concept of leadership is bringing about ‘beneficial change.’” And, she emphasized, “Leadership is not about a title, it’s about relationships....You must give a reason for people to follow you.”

Another point that impressed Kathleen Bryan, the seminar’s facilitator, was “Roxanne’s insistence that a leader cannot be afraid of conflict, but needs the courage to create a vision.” This 10-month seminar is one part of 4C’s Developing Early Childhood Leaders Project. Funded by a family foundation, the project has the goal of developing the kind of early childhood leaders needed to create and sustain the high-quality programs 4C is dedicated to ensuring for the community’s children. It also aims to provide leaders on early childhood issues in the wider community.

“A key to this seminar,” says program manager Carolyn Brinkmann, “is that it invites leaders from the community to share their knowledge and experience about ‘leading.’” The goal she says, “is to raise awareness among child care administrators of what their role can be in the larger community as advocates for quality early care and education.”

As part of the seminar, participants are provided a "coach" to help them develop an action plan for an improvement at their center. It must be completed by the end of the seminar and then presented at graduation. The University of Cincinnati is offering college credit for completion of the seminar. An advisory committee of community leaders has been meeting quarterly to assist with program development and to provide ideas on speakers.

“This is a great way for us to tap local resources and go beyond the early childhood education field to seek experts on the development of leaders,” Carolyn says. For example, the director of Leadership Cincinnati, Dan Hurley, serves on this advisory committee.

Beyond Survival

Another component of the Developing Early Childhood Leaders Project, “Beyond Survival: The Step-by-Step Guide to Being a Successful Administrator,” piloted in the fall with 26 participants from Ohio and Kentucky. Participants had access to individual coaching sessions and received a “survival toolkit” with resources such as administrative forms and standards for quality care and education. “This course took directors from shaky to sure by helping them develop confidence in their abilities and arming them with essential skills for leadership in today's marketplace,” says Kay Fittes, course instructor and founder of Strategies for Women’s Growth. The three-session “Beyond Survival” will be offered at 4C’s Dayton location starting in March.

4C plans to foster ongoing leadership development based on learnings from the leadership seminar and the survival course. The seminar will begin again for another group of administrators in January 2011.   

4C for Children, a pioneering leader, advocate and resource for early childhood education and care since 1972, serves 23 counties from offices in Cincinnati, Dayton (Ohio) and Newport (Kentucky). Each year this not-for-profit agency assists over 8,000 families of all income levels in finding and choosing quality child care; enrolls over 20,000 child care providers in its workshops and trainings; works to increase the supply of high-quality early education and care in the region; and advocates for children and families at the local, state and federal levels. For more information visit www.4cforchildren.org.

 For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Amy Gorga, 4C Communications Coordinator, at 513-758-1310 or agorga@4cforchildren.org.

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