National Administrative Credential
Course Content
The Director Credential Program is divided into 5 Sessions each containing 2 distinct units of study. Each session is approximately 4 hours long. Participants can sign up for individual sessions or complete all 5 Sessions and the Test/Praxis to earn their Director Credential. (45 contact hours/45 CEU's)
Session A: (4 Contact Hours/.4 CEUs)
Unit 1: Fiscal Management: Developing the Budget
- Corporate entities
- Center budgeting
- Personnel benefits/policies
- Strategies to increase profit margin
Unit 2: Insurance For Your Center
- Protecting Assets
- Determining Liability and Amounts
- Types of Coverage
Session B: (4 Contact Hours/.4 CEUs)
Unit 3: Recruiting, Hiring & New Teacher Orientation
- Recruiting Strategies
- Hiring Practices
- Developing and Implementing New Teacher Training
Unit 4: Employee Handbooks, Evaluations and Job Descriptions
- Developing & Evaluating Employee Handbooks
- Effective Evaluation Practices
- Minimizing Conflict with Job Descriptions
Session C: (4 Contact Hours/.4 CEUs)
Unit 5: Parent Communication
- Strategies for Staff/Parent Communication
- Health and safety
- Developing and Evaluating a Parent’s Handbook
- Selling and the Enrollment Process
Unit 6: Child Development – The Essentials
- Ages/Stages
- Literacy, Math, Science, Diversity
- Playground Assessment Strategies
- Classroom Observations
Session D: (4 Contact Hours/.4 CEUs)
Unit 7: Working With the Difficult Employee
- Confrontation Techniques
- Dealing with Absenteeism
- Developing a Discipline Plan
- Termination Strategies
- Classroom Observations
Unit 8: Administrative Leadership
- Team Building
- Planning Strategies
- Respect of Diversity
- Row charts and Organizational Structure
Session E: (4 Contact Hours/.4 CEUs)
Unit 9: The New Economy Challenges and Opportunities
- Understanding Marketing
- Strategies to Overcome the “NEW” Challenges
- Demographic/Psychographic
Unit 10: Train the Trainer
- Methods and Styles of Learning
- Getting Certified to Train Your own Staff
Session F:
(25 Contact Hours/2.5 CEUs for Completion)
Test and Praxis
Participants have the option to convert their 20 contact hours/2 CEUs for attendance of Session A-E and completion of their tests, into 45 contact hours/4.5 CEUs and the NICCM “National Administrator’s Credential” (NAC). This will require receiving a grade of at least an 80% on the test for each unit (to be turned in prior to leaving each session) and a minimum of 80% for the Praxis. Students will be assigned a “mentor” for the program and will be given up to 6 months to complete the written work & documentation. The Praxis is divided up into 20 documentation, evaluation and/or related activities. Each unit has 2 Praxis items attached to it and each of the praxis items are rated at 1.25 hours/.125 CEUs based on the estimated and previously documented amount of time that those activities will take.
Optional Praxis Tutoring Session
An optional Praxis Tutoring Session is also provided to help participants be prepared for their Praxis prior to arriving. The Tutoring Session will also help them understand and get immediate help with the activities of their praxis. Participants who sign up for this session will be given a pre-conference documentation activity list that they will be able to work on prior to coming to event. At the event, they will have an opportunity to discuss their Praxis directly with their assigned mentor (all participants are assigned a mentor but customarily do not have access to the Mentor until days or weeks after the event is over.) The session can streamline the process of completing the Praxis by allowing participants to attend the sessions with a pre-understanding of the Praxis activities. This enables them to understand the necessary components prior to the discussion during the daily sessions and allows them to work on them during breaks and in the evenings. This is a great option for participants who are under a time crunch for receiving their NAC or who are busy working adults. This Tutoring Session is modeled after seminar based accelerated college and Master’s level programs.
