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 The ICF Early Education Institute™ crafts specialized training to reinforce board members’ existing skills and allow them to master new ones in order to enhance board performance. Our comprehensive training helps boards understand the importance of quality early childhood experiences and the lifelong benefits they can have for young children. The training also enables them to recognize the elements of a quality program and their role in supporting quality initiatives.
Many early childhood programs operate under the guidance of a board of directors, sometimes called a board of trustees. Boards usually are designed to govern—not manage—a program, providing leadership and decision-making that affect overall program direction. Developing a strong board through continuous learning and improvement is essential for a program to advance.
Our highly trained and experienced staff work with programs to assess their strengths and goals, then formulate a training plan that meets an individual program’s requirements, budget, and timelines. We tailor training approaches and content to accommodate the particular needs of newly forming boards as well as established boards.
Training
ICF Early Education Institute designs specialized training to reinforce board of directors and governance members’ existing skills and support them to master new ones in order to enhance overall oversight success. Our comprehensive training helps boards and governing bodies to understand the importance of their roles and responsibilities and the potential impact their services have on supporting the success of an early childhood program.
Our highly trained and experienced staff work with boards and governing bodies to assess their strengths, challenges, and goals. We tailor training approaches and content to accommodate the particular needs of newly forming boards as well as established boards or governing organizations.
Sample Board of Directors and Governance Training Topics
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Establishing a Mission and Direction
- Board and Governing Structures and Oversight
- Strategic Planning and Accomplishing Your Vision
- Making Meetings Work
- Effective Communication
Technical Assistance
Our technical assistance consultants can visit your program and customize and tailor assistance that meets your program's needs. Assistance may include supporting and observing a meeting, supporting the delegation of tasks and assignments, supporting the election of officers, providing expertise to work groups and start-up committee efforts, and providing feedback and coaching as needed.
Technical assistance can also include drafting documents and forms; review of current documents and tools; overall analysis of current board operations; and assistance in developing short- and long-term recommendations, goals, and strategic plans.
Trainer on Retainer
A program consultant can be assigned to your program to provide on-going support—weekly, monthly, or as needed. The trainer will work side by side with the director and/or staff to provide essential coaching, training and resources as needed.
Featured Project
Development of Boards for Early Education Programs
Continuous learning strengthens a program’s board and enables its members to give sound guidance in establishing the program’s mission, vision, and direction. The ICF Early Education Institute provides specialized training and technical assistance to help individuals and teams in leadership positions understand their roles and responsibilities and master short- and long-term strategic planning and decision-making skills.
The ICF Early Education Institute provides an advisor to each of the 21 U.S. Department of Transportation child care centers across the country. This advisor provides training and technical assistance to their Boards of Directors related to roles and responsibilities, recruitment and retention, effective communicating, strategic planning, fundraising, accreditation, and other topics to improve the overall foundation and functioning of these programs.
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