Leading and supporting early years teams : a practical guide / Deborah Price and Cathy Ota.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

: ch. 1 Introduction -- Change in the workforce -- ch. 2 The background to current professional practice and policy -- Professionalism in the early years workforce -- The Plymouth serious case review -- OFSTED -- EYFS -- Observations -- Summary of the implications of changes for managers -- Reflective points -- Example of an audit -- ch. 3 Recruitment -- Introduction -- Legislative background -- Recruitment -- Starting points -- Attracting applicants -- Shortlisting -- Interviews -- Structuring an interview -- Starting the interview -- Initial questions -- Further questions -- Concluding an interview -- Making an offer -- Induction -- Final words -- ch. 4 Leading your team -- Introduction -- A leader or a manager? -- Leadership starts with a vision -- Appreciating types and styles of leadership -- Sharing leadership -- A concluding paragraph on leadership -- Reflection points -- ch. 5 Managing your team.

Introduction -- reminding ourselves of an important distinction -- What is a manager? -- Effective managers in early years -- three points to consider -- Conclusion -- ch. 6 When the going gets tough -- Reasons for difficulties -- Supervision difficulties -- Staff meetings -- What can go wrong -- Restating the basic position -- ch. 7 The wider community -- Understanding the role of the wider community for early years managers and leaders -- The two-way street of a wider community -- Who is out there? Who to connect with? -- Your organization -- the community close to home -- Multi-agency working -- leading and managing in a broader team -- The wider community just outside your door -- Summary -- ch. 8 You as a manager and leader -- Consistency -- Clarity of communication -- Clear professional relationships and boundaries -- Dedicated time for training and personal professional development -- Bringing these threads together within the staff team.

Contents note continued: Bringing these threads together through the wider community -- ch. 9 Conclusion -- The future -- The managers of the future -- Staff turnover -- Paper trails -- Finally.

"How a staff team works together and how effective and cohesive they are impacts significantly on the children that they care for as well as having implications for the general early years practice and the success of the business of the setting. Drawing together theory and practice this book provides comprehensive guidance on recruiting, supervising and leading an early years team in line with the most recent national guidance. Focusing on all aspects of leading and supporting a team, the book aims to inspire managers and increase their confidence. It looks at the day-to-day demands of running a setting and the reflective thinking that is needed to establish a vision for a team. The authors consider the skills needed to lead and support a team and offers practical guidance on: recruitment, induction, ongoing staff training and supervisiondisciplinary processes including handling difficult conversations, refocusing a team after a critical incidentstaff relationships with parents and other professionalsinvolving the team in problem solving and implementing changeengaging with the communityhow to get support for yourself as a managerThis book will be invaluable support for both new and experienced managers wanting to establish a cohesive and dynamic staff team and provide outstanding childcare provision"-- Provided by publisher.