Professional Development Training for Administrators in the Early Childhood Education and Care Setting

Abstract

Administrators and other professionals who support teachers in the early care and education setting are essential to the organization and climate of the center, the classroom environment, and the experiences of teachers, children, and families. The current qualitative study investigates the experiences of five Early Head Start administrators who participated in a 15-hour attachment- and relationship-based professional development training. Themes that emerged from analyses underscore the importance of the administrator’s role in supporting teachers to integrate professional development content within their classrooms and highlight the powerful nature of participating in a training that is specifically designed and aimed at the complex role of the administrator. This study informs the field on the importance of providing professional development and support to early childhood education administrators and attending to all the complex and important relationships reflected within the early childhood setting.