Customer Reviews

The Visionary Director: A Handbook for Dreaming, Organizing, and Improvising in Your Center

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

During the past two years,I have often gone back to this book for support and suggestions. As a new director, I have found many helpful ideas for training and handling staff. One of the best suggestions was the reading of children's books at staff meetings. I have read these books or had staff read them. I often wish that there was a longer list of appropriate books to read to staff. At this time,I need to refer again to the community and parent relationships sections. It is an excellent book for new directors and experienced directors that are ready for the challenge of taking on new ideas. When starting my first year as director, my staff created a mission/vision statement for our preschool. We spent 2 days sharing our memories of childhood and our expectations and philosophies of early childhood education before we finalized this statement. A year later we reviewed it, which we will do annually. Thank you to these authors for this wonderful first step that helped to pull my staff together, something we all constantly and continually strive to do.

I read the other reviews, and, though they range from great to bad, they are all correct, depending on what you are looking for. I was required to buy this book for a class, and was pleasantly surprised to find it quite readable. There are many ideas in it for pulling existing staff together and creating a cohesive community for your center. Other ideas include actually changing the physical environment of the center to make it more child-friendly. While being a tad politically correct, most of these ideas are well thought out.
If, however, you are looking for the nuts and bolts of running a daycare, such as budgeting, hiring staff, ordering supplies, and producing meals for the children, you will be greatly disappointed, as none of this exists. The authors even state as much in the first chapter (and often thereafter!).
So, if you are ready for an attitude or vision change at your daycare, or just want some great ideas and encouragement for the normal, everyday running of your place, this is a GREAT book. If you want to know HOW to run a daycare, this book isn't for you.

Great purchase. Delivered when promised and in the condition it was suppose to be in. Great seller.

ITTHANKS FOR LOT OF RESOURCES WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR BUT IT HELP ANYWAY

This book is very touchy feely and not really what I was looking for to change business as usual in my child development center. Ideas are all over the road and doesn't really have a plan to success.

I needed it for a class and thought of you first.