Bringers of the dawn spinning exercise

Early Childhood Performance Task

Overview of Staff at Little Flower Child Care Center

Nancy Rodriguez

Position: Head teacher (0- to 2-year-olds)

Degree/Education: Master’s in child development

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: ESFJ (Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)

Notes: Nancy has been with Little Flower for over 10 years and has enormous influence on the other staff.

Leeza Knowles

Position: Assistant teacher (0- to 2-year-olds)

Degree/Education: Bachelor’s in early childhood

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: ISTP (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving)

Notes: Leeza joined Little Flower 2 years ago and is well-loved among children and families. She is a good friend of Danielle Freed, who brought her on board last year.

Gregory Chung

Position: Head teacher (2- to 3-year-olds)

Degree/Education: Bachelor’s in psychology

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: ENTJ (Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging)

Notes: Gregory has been at Little Flower for 3 years. He is a favorite of some families, but there have been a few complaints from both families and other staff because he is very set in his ways about certain approaches to childcare.

Danielle Freed

Position: Assistant teacher (2- to 3-year-olds)

Degree/Education: High school diploma, previous childcare experience

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: ISFP (Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving)

Notes: Danielle joined Little Flower last year at the recommendation of Leeza Knowles. She is wonderful with the children but often resistant to taking guidance from more experienced teachers and authority figures.

Nicholas Rye

Position: Head teacher (3- to 5-year-olds)

Degree/Education: Master’s in early childhood education

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: ESFJ (Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)

Notes: Nicholas has been with Little Flower for 8 years and has helped develop innovative curricula for all age groups. He is known for his fun and challenging approach with children.

Sarah Winsor

Position: Assistant teacher (3- to 5-year-olds)

Degree/Education: Bachelor’s in child development

Humanmetrics Jung Personality Typology: INFP (Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving)

Notes: Sarah joined Little Flower last year and is still learning the ropes. She is very compassionate and caring but is still learning how to manage a large group of children. She was placed with Nicholas to learn from an experienced teacher.

Overview

For each part of this Assessment:

1. Use the Assessment documents and video as required.

2. Reflect the criteria provided in the Rubric.

3. Adhere to the required assignment length.

Use the APA Paper Template for reference. All submissions must follow the conventions of scholarly writing. Properly formatted APA citations and references must be provided where appropriate.

Professional Skills: Written Communication is assessed in this Competency. You are strongly encouraged to use the Writing Checklist and to review the rubric prior to submitting.

This Assessment requires submission of one (1) document that includes both parts of the Assessment. Save this file as PV003_firstinitial_lastname (for example, PV003_J_Smith). When you are ready to upload your completed Assessment, use the Assessmenttab on the top navigation bar.

Instructions

Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the Competency. Many students find that understanding the requirements of the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and use their time most productively.

Rubric

In Part I of this Performance Task, you will complete a leadership inventory and reflect on your own leadership style and temperament. You will use this information to complete Part II, a Performance Task, in which you take on the role of a director at an early childhood care center who is responsible for leading change and dealing with ethical dilemmas.

Access the following to complete this Assessment:

· Overview of Early Childhood Care Center

· Parental Letter

· Memo to Center Staff

· Humanmetrics. (2014). Jung typology test. Retrieved from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

· National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2011). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment (Position Statement Update). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/image/public_policy/Ethics%20Position%20Statement2011_09202013update.pdf

This assessment has two-parts. Click each of the items below to complete this assessment.

Part I: Leadership Inventory and Reflection

1. Complete the leadership inventory (Jung Typology Test) provided.

2. Using information gathered from the personality inventory and from your own experience, write a 2- to 3-page Reflection in which you:

a. Describe your own leadership style and temperament, along with the insights you gained from completing the inventory and how you can apply these insights to leadership in the early childhood field.

b. Explain how your own personal experiences and leadership style might influence your authentic leadership capacity.

c. Explain how emotional intelligence applies to leadership in early childhood contexts.

Part II: Applying Leadership Principles

For Part II of this Performance Task, you will explain how you apply emotional intelligence and authentic leadership to handle ethical challenges and manage change.

Imagine that you are the new director of Little Flower Child Care Center. Review the “Overview of Early Childhood Care Center” document to learn more about your staff and their leadership style and temperament. You are faced with two concerns from parents regarding staff at your center:

1. Families are concerned about the ethical reliability of a staff member who was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI). The DWI arrest was published in the local newspaper and a constituent of parents voiced outrage. Families of the children in the center are calling for the teacher’s resignation. (See the “Parental Letter” document.)

2. Another group of parents have voiced concerns about staff members who are texting on their mobile phones while caring for their children. You have issued a new policy banning cell phones during work hours, except in the case of emergency. Many of your staff members are unhappy with this change and have voiced their resistance to you during a weekly staff meeting. They say that it is an unfair rule that disrespects their personal freedom and family obligations. Nancy Ruiz, Leeza Knowles, and Danielle Freed are particularly vocal about their discontent with the new policy. See the “Memo to Center Staff” document.

Using the information from the three documents and your knowledge of the “Code of Ethical Conduct” in the early childhood care field write a 2- to 3-page response in which you:

1. Provide a detailed explanation of the strategies you will use to address the ethical dilemma of the DWI.

2. Explain how you will manage the change regarding cell phone use at the center.

3. Explain how your actions are informed by your understanding of authentic leadership, emotional intelligence, leadership style and temperament, and the NAEYC “Code of Ethical Conduct.”

It is strongly recommended that you review all Learning Resources and complete the Learning Activities prior to attempting the Assessment.

For Part II of this Performance Task, you will explain how you apply emotional intelligence and authentic leadership to handle ethical challenges and manage change.

Imagine that you are the new director of Little Flower Child Care Center. Review the “Overview of Early Childhood Care Center” document to learn more about your staff and their leadership style and temperament. You are faced with two concerns from parents regarding staff at your center:

1. Families are concerned about the ethical reliability of a staff member who was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI). The DWI arrest was published in the local newspaper and a constituent of parents voiced outrage. Families of the children in the center are calling for the teacher’s resignation. (See the “Parental Letter” document.)

2. Another group of parents have voiced concerns about staff members who are texting on their mobile phones while caring for their children. You have issued a new policy banning cell phones during work hours, except in the case of emergency. Many of your staff members are unhappy with this change and have voiced their resistance to you during a weekly staff meeting. They say that it is an unfair rule that disrespects their personal freedom and family obligations. Nancy Ruiz, Leeza Knowles, and Danielle Freed are particularly vocal about their discontent with the new policy. See the “Memo to Center Staff” document.

Using the information from the three documents and your knowledge of the “Code of Ethical Conduct” in the early childhood care field write a 2- to 3-page response in which you:

1. Provide a detailed explanation of the strategies you will use to address the ethical dilemma of the DWI.

2. Explain how you will manage the change regarding cell phone use at the center.

3. Explain how your actions are informed by your understanding of authentic leadership, emotional intelligence, leadership style and temperament, and the NAEYC “Code of Ethical Conduct.”

PV003

To the Director of Little Flower Child Care Center,

We are writing as a group of gravely concerned parents about a recently publicized incident involving Nicholas Rye, the head teacher of the 3- to 5-year-old group at your center. It was published in last week’s local newspaper that Mr. Rye was charged and convicted of a DWI (driving while intoxicated). While we understand that this incident occurred outside of work hours and away from Little Flower premises, we strongly believe that it is cause to believe that Mr. Rye is unfit to care for our children and provides grounds for his dismissal.

Many of us currently have children in Mr. Rye’s classroom and are shocked at the lack of action by Little Flower administration on this issue. We do not believe that a man who uses such little judgment, and is willing to put his own life and the lives of others in such danger, has any place caring for our children. We acknowledge that he has in the past created a fun and structured learning environment for children—we had come to trust and rely on Mr. Rye. This makes this news all the more devastating for our families. We are deeply disappointed in his actions and have lost complete confidence in him as a teacher. We understand that all humans make mistakes, but some mistakes are unforgiveable, especially when the well-being of children is at stake. We are, therefore, calling for the resignation of Mr. Rye.

A lack of disciplinary action from Little Flower administration on this issue may force some of us to seek childcare elsewhere. We hope for a clear and decisive resolution to this issue. Please make Little Flower safe for our children again.

Sincerely,

Concerned Little Flower parents:

Daniel and Luana Ruiz

Stephen and Mary Chase

Fiona Lawland

Diane Martin and Lee Harrison

Benjamin Wong

Carrie Inglebreed

Samson McConnell

George and Wendy Suthers

Gary Weissman

Nory and Eugene Perez

Nathaniel Louis-Charon

Bette Oliveira

PV003

Memo: To All Little Flower Staff

Re: Texting and Cell Phone Use

Over the past few weeks, we have received over 20 phone calls or in-person complaints from parents regarding the use of mobile phones by staff members during teaching and caregiving hours. They find it to be unprofessional and reflective of a lack of vigilance in the care we provide. While you are at work, your full attention should be devoted to the children under your care.

We understand that you may have family members or other issues that require your attention during the daytime hours. You each receive two half-hour breaks throughout the 8-hour day. During those breaks, you may use your cell phone to text, call, or e-mail in the staff room only . During all other times, you may not use your mobile phone. Your cell phone should never be visible in the presence of the children you care for.

A refusal or inability to follow these new guidelines will result in disciplinary action.

This is a very serious issue, and we have tried the informal approach of speaking to the individuals who have raised parents’ concerns. The lack of results from those conversations has forced us to implement a strict zero-tolerance policy. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

We will discuss details and concerns at next week’s staff meeting. In the meantime, please adhere to this policy as detailed above.