As a program leader you are in the position of fostering staff members' understanding of professionalism. In the field of early care and education, professionalism encompasses many specific behaviors and skills that address how one presents herself or himself to other adults. According to early-childhood professional development expert, Gigi Schweikert, the following traits contribute to professionalism in the field of early care and education:

• How you present yourself to others through your appearance and communication
• 早期护理和教育领域的知识
• The quality of your work
• 与他人的关系
• 你的职业道德
• Your determination and dedication
• Most important, your attitude

包括专业行为作为staf的一部分f members' evaluation and goal setting, program managers and training & curriculum specialists can actively support staff members in their professional growth. By including a focus on professional behaviors (appearance, communication, attitude, interpersonal relationships, etc.) as part of each staff member's evaluation, you will enhance the quality of the program for children and families.

Mentoring Staff Members' Professional Practices

作为一名领导者，你会向员工提供有关职业行为的信息和资源，让他们对你对职业行为的期望有清晰的认识。当其他人不确定自己的期望时，你可以为他们树立职业行为榜样，并指导他们。与员工单独谈论职业行为和你对他们的期望，不仅要在最初的招聘中，而且要在持续的职业发展活动和与员工的会议中进行。

Individuals may not have a clear understanding of how important dress, communication, attitude and other behaviors affect the quality of experiences for children and families at your program. Your professional behavior and that of other staff can assist new staff members who are learning to be professionals. T & Cs may observe classroom interactions that are not in the best interests of the children or program. Finding opportunities to address professionalism when coaching a staff member allows that staff member to ask questions and to practice professional skills with a trusted mentor.

有些项目会指派一位经验丰富的专业人士作为新员工的导师（这通常是在有初任教师的公立学校进行的），这样新员工就有人可以去咨询和回答问题。项目经理需要确保导师也接受了如何支持新员工的培训。一些经验丰富的员工可能是优秀的导师，但其他人可能觉得他们没有时间或技能来培养新教师。导师需要有其他人担任这个角色，如果需要的话，他们可以向他们寻求帮助。

Self-Assessment

请员工对自己的专业性进行评估，然后让另一个人（教练或项目经理）对员工完成相同的评估并比较回答，这可能会有所帮助。成年人喜欢控制自己的学习，因此这是一种达成共识的方式，即员工可以专注于一两种职业行为。yabo电子游艺

The Apply Section includes a self- assessment, "Are You a True Early Childhood Professional?" (designed by Gigi Schweiker), that program leaders and staff may find helpful to use as a starting point for self-reflection about professionalism in early care and youth program settings.

共同领导和决策

It is true that if one treats staff members as adults and provides opportunities for shared leadership and decision-making they will know that the leaders value their ideas and suggestions. The staff members need to have opportunities to provide input into decisions that affect them. Like all adults, they want to have autonomy. Program leaders can encourage input and help staff feel comfortable asking questions by:

• Actively listening to staff members and following through
• Asking staff what they think and implementing their ideas when possible
• Sharing leadership with others (e.g., allowing a staff member to volunteer to represent the program at a community forum)
• Encouraging and acknowledging staff members who provide suggestions that contribute to the program's quality (delegate tasks to those staff who have the skills to accomplish them)
• Recognizing staff members who show leadership abilities and take initiative

Adults want to feel safe and appreciated in the workplace. Adults need to feel like they can make mistakes, learn from them, and still be a valued member of the work team. Program leaders can foster relationships with each staff member to create an open environment where everyone's input is important and taken seriously. Leaders can create an environment where staff feel that it is acceptable to admit to mistakes. When you admit your own mistakes, you show your staff that everyone makes errors and can learn from them. Providing opportunities for staff to safely problem solve important issues is critical. You will want to know what your staff members are thinking about. To learn what staff are thinking, you need to create an open environment that facilitates direct, honest communication.

Program managers must recognize which decisions should include staff input and group consensus and which decisions should be made by the manager. Giving adults autonomy and trusting them to make good decisions encourages staff to feel ownership about the quality of the program. Some decisions can only be made by the manager, but many can be made by the staff. Standard operating procedures or policies should be described in the staff handbook.

专业人士作为一个团队朝着一个共同的目标和愿景努力。为员工提供分享有意义决策的机会表明，项目负责人将员工视为协作团队成员，利用彼此的优势和才能，为项目的儿童和家庭提供最高质量的服务。

建立和维持专业发展机会

One of the ways to facilitate growth and professional development among staff is to build and maintain job embedded opportunities to grow as professionals.

In early care and education or youth programs, the staff may want to focus on becoming more knowledgeable about a professional topic. They may want to spend time reading a professional book or watch a webinar on a particular topic. Sharing in this way, builds community among the staff while also focusing on growing as a professional team of colleagues.

在此活动参与人员作为领导者vity is another way to foster shared decision-making and leadership among staff members. Job embedded book groups or an intentional discussion about a professional topic creates a sense of professional collaboration, builds team trust, provides a structure for improving program quality, and enhances the development of children and youth in their care.

Program leaders provide time and space for staff to reflect, meet, plan, and evaluate their work with children and youth. Program leaders that foster a group learning climate encourage staff to support children's outcomes, to grow professionally, and to participate in continuous program improvement.

培养职业精神