Welcome to Child Care Leadership. Here’s Your Fire Extinguisher.

by Jill Jacobi-Vessels, Ph.D. and Amy Kay Powell, Ph.D.

A Day in the Life of a Director

One hot Thursday morning I got up well before the sun, took a quick shower, and rushed to the childcare center I directed. I knew that I might be in for a stressful day since the assistant director had been off that week and would not return until Monday. I was already scheduled to open and close the building, which meant a 12 (or more) hour day of stomping whatever fires came up.

The red light was blinking on the attendance line as I walked in the door, telling me that some of the staff had called out. I listened to the messages and felt my heart sinking to my shoes, as I learned that nearly 25% of our teachers would be out sick due to a stomach bug that had been going around. Then the dreaded phone call from the kitchen manager came. She, too, was sick.

Forget about working on the budget, as I had planned to do. I had no one to sit at the front desk to answer phones and let families who forgot their access cards into the building, no one to juggle the constantly changing schedule for the day to maintain ratios, and no one to get breakfast out and start prepping lunch. As I measured out breakfast portions while constantly sticking my head around the corner to see if anyone was at the door, I heard a thud in the stairwell on the other side of the kitchen. I found a groaning parent who had fallen off her flipflops and now had a badly sprained ankle. Sound familiar?

Crazy and stressful days are, unfortunately, not unusual in the life of a childcare/early learning center director. Every day brings unexpected challenges, such as a parent who is upset that their child was bitten for the third time, a staff member who can’t stand her coworker, and a budget that simply doesn’t add up. We wrote, “It’s Fine! Everything’s Fine! (And You’re in Charge) because directors should not have to reinvent the wheel every day and should not have to struggle alone.

Jill’s Story

I would love to say that I knew where I was going from the start, but, like many other childcare directors, my early childhood career evolved through an unconventional route. My first job, straight out of college, was teaching K-3 children’s theatre classes in Frankfurt, Germany. The children amazed me. They were energetic learners who were full of enthusiasm and ready to try anything. They performed for audiences of hundreds and traveled around the country to present at multiple schools.

When I returned to the states, I struggled to find a theatre teacher position. I was, however, able to qualify for a school-age childcare director opening because it was considered “entertainment” and I had a degree in theatre. Luckily, the job included access to high-quality childcare professional development and gave me an outstanding mentor. I moved from school age- to early childhood program administration and eventually earned a master’s degree in interdisciplinary early childhood education while raising my three children and running a center full-time.

I earned a doctorate in teaching and learning (early childhood) and became a faculty member to teach early childhood courses at the university level. I then became the Executive Director of the university’s nationally accredited childcare center and spent thirteen years in that role, caring for up to 154 children with 300 families, and supervising up to 60 staff members.

Years of experience did not take away the constant challenges of a director’s life. The job is highly people-oriented and requires stability combined with flexibility and compassion. I was lucky to find some much-needed support when I joined the National Coalition of Campus Children’s Centers (N4C). I met fabulous directors from across the country who made my work life more enjoyable and less crazy. We shared ideas and sob stories and lifted each other up.

One of those lovely colleagues, Amy Kay Powell, became my good friend. We began presenting together at national conferences where one of our proposals was selected to be a featured session. We were so excited and thought that would be the end of it, until Gryphon House Editors approached and asked if we would like to write a book for directors. We are both passionate about our work, care deeply about those who choose this vital profession, and strongly believe in giving children the best possible early childhood experiences possible. We decided to jump into book authorship and say yes.

Amy’s Story

When I entered the administrative world, it was supposedly only for two months, as a placeholder, until they could find the permanent director. I was completely ok with this, as my heart (and body) had been in the classroom with children for over a decade and I was working on my dissertation so I could teach pre-service teachers. “We just need you for two months” in April quickly changed to, “Can you just stay until December?” Somewhere during that summer into fall season, I realized that I was actually enjoying this new role and its responsibilities and sincerely felt that 1. I had a lot to learn, and 2. I had something to contribute, so I applied, interviewed, and was ultimately offered the position.

I still didn’t think being a director would be my “landing place” and voiced that frequently to most anyone who would listen. At one point, I even got so frustrated with my co-workers that I gave myself permission to leave. I applied for an Assistant Principal position. Well, I didn’t even get an interview. BUT giving myself permission to leave seemed to give me the freedom to recognize that I was not trapped as a director, I was not stuck at this program, I could leave anytime for any reason—and then I began to grow!

Now, over 20 years later, I’m reminded of challenges faced, difficulties overcome, and celebrations of accomplishments. I found my way into N4C and gained wisdom, insight, encouragement, and ideas for solving problems. At some point, the feelings of isolation and loneliness were lessened, and I regretted that I had not found this, or some similar, organization sooner.

Our Reasons for Writing the Book

Both of us were excited at the thought of writing a book together, but the reality of being busy childcare/early learning center directors with little time to spare for anything made us pause. Then we remembered how much our conversations with kind and generous director friends had helped us through our own challenging times.

Directors do not have to struggle all alone and reinvent the wheel every day. The idea that our stories, ideas, and years of experience might help other directors lit a flame in us. This book was birthed from our childcare conference presentation for directors that held a simple, yet profound, message—you are not in this alone! It may feel lonely, but there are others who are on this path—some ahead, some behind—and they understand as few others can.

We each have over 25 years of in-the-trenches teaching and administration experience and hold doctoral degrees in the field. We have come to realize that there is probably nothing that we are doing for the very first time, that has never been done by another administrator. All our lessons in leading and being an administrator have been worthwhile, but we may have learned more quickly if we'd had a book like this.

It is our hope that It’s Fine! Everything’s Fine! (And You’re in Charge) will be source of insight, wisdom, guidance, and comfort through the challenges of leading an early learning program. We offer realistic tips and practical strategies for smoother operations, managing the fires, and creating a work environment that is collaborative and positive. You are not alone!

In It’s Fine! Everything’s Fine! (And You’re in Charge), we aim to give other administrators useful information that can help guide them in their work, strengthen the practices they have already begun, and move them to a place of realizing that “You are important as you think everyone else is.”