"STARS on the Internet"

 

Administration #1

Files & Portfolio

STARS 10 Hour Course

 

 

Before you begin this class ~ you must submit the On-line Registration form. If you have not yet done so click here.

 

 

 

Needed Resources - just click on each of these resources to download:

 

"STARS on the Internet" Administration #1 Workbook
 

 

"STARS on the Internet" Home Page

 

Study Links to help you with this class

 

To Do:

A. Now that you are ready to begin. Use your class workbook "STARS on the Internet Administration 1" as a resource, it has background information that can be helpful in completing your assignments.
The first project in this course is for you to set up a Business Portfolio about yourself and your child care facility. To put together your portfolio you can use your computer to create the needed pages. Please print out a Table of Contents, and Section pages if you plan to use them. If you would like, you can develop your own pages to fit you! This is a great tool for promotion of your facility and a reason to review and pull together all those important papers into one binder.
 

Building a Business Portfolio:

Please purchase a small (1-2 inch) three ring binder. The best type to start with has a clear cover area for your title sheet on the outside of the binder. This type will look more professional when you present it to parents, staff, or community members. It is also better to get a binder with “D” rings instead of round rings. Buy a package of plastic sleeves to put your papers in as you complete them. Buy a set of 4-5 tabbed divider pages. Plain white is best. Gather all your important papers (certificates, diplomas, licenses…) and make good color copies of each one to be placed in your binder. Do not put the originals in your binder, it is for display and review not for secure storage.
 

Now lets pull this binder together. Behind the first tabbed divider page is section one, it should be a self-introductory unit. As the first page you should write a “Letter of Introduction”. This should include;

A welcoming statement about yourself

What motivated you to run a child care facility

A quick overview of your background & training

Your philosophy of child care and child needs

Your belief statement on discipline

After the letter of Introduction, place the following pages in this first section:

Your updated Resume

Your current child care flyer

Facility information; hours, location, prices, ages, etc.
 

The second section of the binder should be Recommendations;

Gather letters from parents (past or present)

Ask professionals in the field to write one for you

Ask teachers, trainers, licensing staff for a letter

The third section should be copies of all your Records:

TB test clear

CPR card

First aid card

Food Handlers card

Background Clearance

Current State License

The last section should contain copies of all your Certificates;

High School Diploma

College Diploma

Teaching Certification

STARS Certificates

Now if you would like to personalize your binder with any additional sections, do so.

For your class assignment #1 please write a short evaluation on how you feel about your binder. What turned out great and what was difficult to complete. Please also list any changes and personalizing that you did with your own portfolio.
 

To submit:

Please complete your assignment summary on your computer and save as assignment #1.
 

Be sure to put your class title, your STARS ID number, & your full name on the assignment.

Please e-mail your *assignment to:
admin1@starstab.com  Due to an overload of Spam please mark your assignments on the e-mail subject line Please write out: Assignment #1

*Assignment Note:
If you are sending your assignment as an attachment please only use Microsoft Word. We cannot open or read anything else. Without Microsoft Word ~ just type the assignment directly into your e-mail text box, or copy & paste the assignment into the text box of your e-mail. Thank you.
 

 

To Do:

This assignment involves Office review & update. You will be spending some time in your office going over your files. There are three parts to this assignment; policies, staff files, and client files.
 

Part One:

Read over your current policies and procedures that you have in place at this time. Makes notes on certain areas you would like to change, look for policies that you no longer use and delete them, and thoughtfully consider areas for improvement. For most people as time goes by, many of these policies and procedures get changed in the way you handle day-to-day operations. Now is the time to align those changes into a new set of policies and procedures for your Child Care Facility.

Once these are complete - be sure to show a copy to your state licensor at your next review.
 

Part Two:

Pull out all your staff files to review that all your information is current and updated for each one. You may want to develop a check sheet that you staple inside each file to quickly mark off the required information. A good start would include:

Application form

Background clearance

TB test - date

CPR/First Aid -date

Blood Borne transmission training - date

20 Hr STARS certification - date

10 Hr STARS annual renewal - date

Food Handlers - date

You may want to add more to the list about your facility; policies, safety, fire, health, medications, hand washing, and discipline.
 

Part Three:

For the last part of this assignment you will need to review and update all your client files. Again developing a checklist to attach to each file is a very handy way to be sure that you are complete & up-to-date. Your list should include at least the following:

Up to date Immunizations for their age

Current emergency information form

Registration/enrollment form

Developmental records

You may want to personalize any or all of the three parts to this assignment. Do what really benefits you. Make any changes.

Please spend some time going to the websites listed at the "Study Links" section.
 

For your assignment #2 report, please write a short statement about your review and update for each of the three parts completed above. Please submit your 3 short written statements.

To submit:

Please complete your three part summary on your computer and save it as assignment #2.
 

Be sure to put your class title, your STARS ID number, & your full name on the assignment.

Please e-mail your assignment to:
admin1@starstab.com   On e-mail subject line Please put Assignment #2
 

To Do:

For the third and final section of this course you will complete a “Professional Growth Plan” by setting up both personal and professional goal setting plans. Goals are very important to the improvement of a business and also for self-improvement. Most success can be tied to good planning, time management, organization, and goal setting. This section can also be included and used in your overall business plan.

Part One:

Write up 5 key goals for self-improvement, as it relates to your business. Divide these goals up into three categories. Short-term goals; ones you plan to complete in one year. Mid-range goals; ones you plan to complete within three years. And, the Long-term goals; goals five years or more down the road.
 

For many people it is best to start with the overall long-term goals. See where you really want to go and then plan out the small steps to get there. Things to consider when planning your future goals are;

Educational plans

Specialized training

Organizations to join

Conferences to attend

Communication skills

Leadership training

Items to purchase

Programs to start, set up, or improve on

Part Two:

Now write up 5 key goals for improving your facility. Again divide these into the three time categories; Short term, Mid-range, & Long term goals. Items that you may want to consider when planning these goals are;

Projected income / projected number of children

Staffing improvements

Professional organizations to join

Staff specialties

Parent contact & communication

Public relations

Promote Cultural Diversity

Create flyers, business cards, advertising

Facility promotion
 

Before you complete your goals please go the “Study links” section and spend some time looking through the websites. Most will help with your professional development. It may also be helpful to complete the Director Self Evaluation questionnaire at the end of your STARS on the Internet Administration 1 Workbook.
 

For your assignment please submit a written summary of your “Professional Growth Plan”. This should include the goals from above as well a short overview statement about your facility goals and plans.

As your last assignment you are to evaluate this course. Please use the 1-4 ratings (1 being -strongly disagree, and 4 being -strongly agree) for each of the following questions:
 

This course displays knowledge about this topic?...........1-2-3-4

The content provided matched the class description?.......................1-2-3-4

The content & methods were presented in a way to honor

      my culture and learning style?...............................................1-2-3-4

I can apply this information to the diversity of the

     families I serve?...............................................................1-2-3-4

I increased my knowledge base by taking this course.................1-2-3-4

1. In addition to these scores please write out 3 ways that you will use this course  information at your current work site, with children and/or families.

2. Please write out any additional comments about this internet course and any suggestions for improvement.

 

3. For future trainings please tell us about any specific child related topics that you would like to see in a future STARS class.

 

4. For future trainings list any of the topics below that you would be interested in:

Administration/ Child Growth Development & Learning/ Child Guidance/ Communication/ Cultural & Individual Diversity/ Curriculum Development/ Environmental Design/ Family Systems/ Health, Safety & Nutrition/ Observation & Assessment/ Professionalism

To submit:

Please complete your Professional Growth Plan summary & the Class Evaluation on your computer and save as assignment #3.
 

On this last assignment be sure to put your class title, your STARS ID number, your complete mailing address, & your full name so your certificate can be processed faster.

Please e-mail your assignment to:
admin1@starstab.com   On e-mail subject line Please put Assignment #3

All your completed assignments will be forwarded to the instructor at "STARS on the Internet".  A certificate will be mailed to you once all assignments have been reviewed and approved.