Posted by Tracey Bankhead on April 06, 19100 at 09:00:34:
Here's a copy of the Mentor Director Update sent out in March.
PARTNERS IN QUALITY
Mentor Director Network Update
March 2000
Greetings from Quality Assist!
I hope all is going well in your overly busy lives as directors. I thought I would send you an update to let you know what has been going on with the Mentor Program at Quality Assist and to ask you for some information as well. Here goes!
Mentor Conference 2000
Over 60 participants attended the Mentor Conference 2000 held at Callaway Gardens in February. The Mentor Directors who attended were Ruth Baysah, Pat Blackaby, Frances Carlson, Pat Gaston, Mary Mallard, Mary Thelma Norris, Susie Magwood-Thomas, and Kim Sewell. The Mentor Directors particularly enjoyed the opportunity to spend 2 uninterrupted days with each other networking and just having fun.
Mary Thelma Norris has agreed to serve on the Mentor Conference 2001 Planning Committee to help identify sessions of interest to directors. Please let me know if you are interested in joining her on the Committee or if you have suggestions for next year’s Conference. The first Conference Committee meeting is scheduled for May 9, 2000 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Quality Assist.
Mentor Director Network
The March 22nd Network Meeting was cancelled due to the overwhelming schedules of the Network Meeting planning committee.
During the Mentor Director discussion group at the Mentor Conference, the participants decided that the Mentor Director Network meetings should be planned and run by the Mentor Directors. Would you be interested in holding a meeting to plan all of the Network meetings for the next year at one time? Things that need to be decided are 1). discussion topics and agendas, 2). who should be invited, 3). meeting dates, and 4). which Mentor Directors will take the lead for each meeting. I understand how busy all of you are but if we can all gather to make plans and divide the work evenly, we should be able to continue the meetings. Network meetings are a good way for you, a group of talented, committed directors, to reach out to the greater community in support of high quality child care.
I would like to know what everyone thinks so that we can set meeting dates. Please contact me by email, fax, or phone no later than March 31, 2000.
Reception for New Class of Mentor Directors
You are all invited to a reception for the new class of Mentor Directors who will complete the course in March. The date of the reception is April 26th at 3:00pm. I would like to suggest we have the Network Planning meeting on that day from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. We can incorporate the reception within the meeting. What do you think?
Mentor Directors and STARS Directors
Terrill Hill-Morris, the Project Manager of STARS, is working with me to match more Mentor Directors with STARS Directors. Terrill knows the STARS Directors quite well and makes onsite visits to each throughout the year. Mentor Directors who are matched with STARS Directors will have an opportunity to accompany Terrill on a TA visit to help break the ice and jump start the initial relationship.
Following is a list of scheduled STARS meetings. Mentor Directors are invited to join STARS participants to get to know each other and to enrich the discussion of the group. The meetings are held on Saturdays, which may be a problem for some of you but an advantage for others. This is a great opportunity for all of you to contribute but particularly for those not currently matched with a protégé. Please let me know if and when you can attend.
STARS Meeting Dates
Meeting Times are 8:30am – 12:30pm
Date Topic
Saturday, April 8, 2000Saturday, May 6, 2000Saturday, May 20, 2000Saturday, June 17, 2000 Saturday, July 8, 2000 A Focus on Safety and Health in Child CareFinancial Management for Child Care AdministratorNetworking and Other Resources for AdministratorsMeeting ADA and OSHA Regulations – How Regulations Impact Caring for Children and Hiring StaffDeveloping the Skill of Staffing Successfully
Orientation to Mentoring
There is an Orientation to Mentoring scheduled for June 7, 2000 from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The purpose of this event is to provide information to the greater community about mentoring in early childhood programs. The orientation will include an overview of the concept of mentoring as well as specific information about the PARTNERS IN QUALITY Mentor Director and Mentor Teacher Programs. I am hoping someone will co-facilitate this meeting with me. Please let me know if you can help me out. It is always more meaningful when real Mentors with real mentoring experiences are doing the talking.
GAYC Fall Conference
Proposals to present at the GAYC Conference next fall are due at the end of March. I encourage you to think about presenting your Action Research Projects. The Request for Proposal form is available from GAYC 404-222-0014. I have submitted a proposal to present information about the Mentor Program. Please let me know if you are interested in joining me in this presentation.
Data Needed
I am trying to capture information about the programs, teachers, and children we reach through the Partners in Quality Mentor Program. This information helps to document our impact and supports our requests for continued funding. I would be much obliged if you would please send me the following information as soon as possible regarding your program and your Protégé Director’s program:
¨ Number of children in program
¨ Number of teachers in program
¨ Number of classrooms
¨ Age range of children served
¨ Accreditation, NAEYC or other
¨ Center of Distinction
Send Me Your Stories
I am always looking for stories about how mentoring has impacted your work or the work of others. If you have any to tell, please share them with me. Capturing those moments help make the Mentor Program real to those who are new to the concept of mentoring.
Contact Logs
Please remember to fax or email your Mentor/Protégé Contact Logs on the 23rd of each month (even if there was no phone or face-to-face contact during the month). The Contact Logs are used to track what mentor/protégé relationships are active and how many hours of contact there is each month. If you attend a STARS meeting please use the Group Contact Log. Contact Logs need to be submitted for you to receive compensation for your mentoring work. Please call if you need copies of the Logs.
Mentor Teacher Class
A new mentor teacher class will begin on May 5, 2000 at Quality Assist. The classes are scheduled on a Friday and Saturday in order to make them more accessible to teachers and family child care providers. If you would like to begin a formal mentoring program by sponsoring a teacher to participate, there are scholarships available to cover the $800 tuition. As always, we are in a hurry. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2000.
Class dates are:
May 5 & 6, 2000
June 2 & 3, 2000
June 30 & July 1, 2000
August 11 & 12, 2000
Web Site
Frances Carlson and Audrey Collier have been using the Mentor Discussion Group on the Quality Assist web site but very few Mentors have responded to their questions. Come on - let’s get the conversation going! If you don’t have a password to the Discussion Group, call or contact www.qassist.com
Summary of Information we need from you:
¨ Can you serve on the Mentor Conference 2001Committee?
¨ Should we have a one-time Network planning meeting.
¨ Will you attend the reception for the graduating class of Mentor Directors (April 26th)? 100% attendance would be fabulous.
¨ Which dates can you attend the STARS meetings?
¨ Send me data regarding your program and your protégé director’s program.
¨ Send me your Contact Logs on the 23rd of each month.
¨ Will you be able to participate in the Orientation to Mentoring on June 7th.
I hope you are not overwhelmed by my many requests. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Tracey Bankhead
Mentor Program Coordinator