 The Board of Directors at Government Center Child Care Corporation (GCCCC) recognized Director, Theresa Woods, for her 30 years of leadership at two child care centers; John F. Kennedy and Tip O’Neill Federal Buildings, Boston, MA.
“On behalf of the generations of families that came before us, as well as those who will be privileged to come after us, we want to say thank you, Theresa, for all that you have done and continue to do for us, for our children, for the GCCCC family and for the child care community at large.”
Kudos Theresa! Congratulations and thank you for 30 years of dedication and commitment to quality, affordable care for Federal and public families!
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 Pictured: Pre School Teacher Ms. Shannon, children: Kalea, Johann, Sloane, Wilkes, Valentina, Jack, and Aicha
Harborview Children’s Center, Boston, MA celebrated Martin Luther King Day by focusing on their dreams and aspirations. The preschool children drew pictures of their dreams/ideas and wrote descriptions in their own handwriting. They also created a classroom quilt of self portraits and discussed during circle time what they want to be when they grow up.
The class also did a special experiment to celebrate differences and equality using eggs. The teacher had a variety of eggs and the children observed and noted the differences. They then predicted what they thought the eggs would look like on the inside. As the eggs were cracked open, the children quickly realized they were all the same on the inside. They discussed how everyone looks different but we all are the same on the inside and talked about sharing, feelings, and being kind to others.
As we start the New
Year, it is a good time for Boards to engage in self-evaluation and strategic
planning. Our office can provide tools and training for this process or you can use one of the
excellent instruments available through your local early childhood
community.
Some of the
questions you need to ask yourself during the process are: Is your Board
too involved in the management and day to day operation of the center? Are you uninvolved in fundraising and
providing tuition assistance? Are Board
members recruited without job descriptions, orientation, and clear
expectations? Is the Board passive about their mission and long range
planning? Hopefully, your answers are
“no” to all of these questions, but if not, you need to set a path to get
there.
We also encourage
you to review the GSA Annual Survey your center completed
this month, and see how the tuition rates and salaries compare to other
accredited child care programs in your area.
Your center should be fully enrolled with Federal families given
priority. There should be low turnover
rates for both staff and children. All
of this information will identify strengths and weaknesses and to develop
a strategic plan for your Board to get on the path where you should be
going.
Boards can learn a
lot about the need for strategic planning from this exchange between Alice and
the Cheshire cat in the classic Alice in Wonderland:
When Alice came upon a fork in the road she asked the Cheshire cat, “Which road do I take?” He replied “Where do you want to go?” Alice said she did not know. “Then”, said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
If you have any strategic planning ideas for Boards that you want to share, please contact Jill Rhea at jill.rhea@gsa.gov or Sandy Axelrod at sandra.axelrod@gsa.gov |
