Early Childhood Mentor Project of Tompkins County
What is a mentor?
An experienced early childhood teacher or family child care provider who wants to grow professionally by helping other early childhood practitioners become more effective in their work and more committed to their profession. A mentor guides and coaches a mentor partner in a two-way relationship in which both learn and grow.
What is a mentor partner?
A novice teacher or provider who is committed to the mentor/mentor partner relationship and who wants to learn new skills, reflect upon teaching and learning styles and grow as an early childhood professional
Why should you be a mentor?
Mentoring provides an opportunity to meet and talk with others who know from experience what you are dealing with in your work. It also gives you a chance to share what you have learned over the years with others in the early childhood field.
Who can become a mentor?
Center staff who work with infants through five year olds and family child care providers who are registered or group licensed are eligible to participate, if they have all the following qualifications:
- Minimum of an Associate degree in Early
Childhood Education, an Associate degree in a
related field or the Child Development
Associate (CDA) credential.
- Minimum of three years experience in an
early childhood field.
- Minimum of one year working in current place
of employment..
How will you benefit?
- You will learn how to more effectively meet the needs of all the children and communicate with parents and co-workers.
- You will strengthen your ability to articulate what the children are learning and why you teach as you do.
- Assessing your strengths and learning goals, then developing a plan for reaching your goals will be part of the course.
- Your self-esteem and pride in the early childhood profession will be enhanced through this program.
- Mentors continue to be paid by centers or parents for meetings with partners and visits to other centers and programs during work time. Substitutes for these visits are paid by the Mentor Project.
- Mentors have the option of receiving college credits and/or training credits.
- Mentors receive a stipend of $650 at the end of the mentoring program.
What's involved in becoming a mentor?
- Complete and return the mentor application for the course "Leadership and Mentoring Roles in Educating Young Children" by November 1, 1999.
- Participate in the course "Leadership and Mentoring Roles in Educating Young Children," January-May 2000, one evening/week for three hours, classes meet at various centers
.
- Confirm that you still want to become a mentor. Selection of ten mentors will be determined at the completion of the course. Selected mentors participate in a one-day mentor orientation.
- Meet with your partner during work hours for 18 visits from September 2000 - June 2001 to observe each other working with children, discuss what happened and share ideas.
How are mentors and partners matched?
The Mentor Project Coordinator will review applications from mentors and mentor partners and observe applicants working with children in their classrooms or homes. She then will match mentors with mentor partners, taking into consideration the children with whom they work, requests for a particular mentor or partner and the logistics for getting together.
How will your employer or your business be involved?
Center staff will be asked for a letter of recommendation from their center director who will also need to agree to find substitutes during the times the mentors and mentor partners meet. Family child care providers will need to arrange for a substitute, notify parents and get a waiver approved by the Office of Children and Family Services.
Can you take the course for college credit?
The course can be taken for college credit or for professional development (non-credit). Those who want college credit may work out an individualized program for undergraduate or graduate credit with Empire State College. It is also possible to receive additional credits for actually mentoring a partner. For more information on receiving college credit, call Xenia Coulter, Empire State College, (607) 273-4536.
What does it cost to take this course?
Those taking the course for professional development (non-credit) pay a $100 non-refundable fee, payable to the Day Care Council.
Those taking the course for undergraduate college credit pay $137/credit hour, payable to Empire State College, 3 or 4 credits. Graduate students pay $213/credit hour.
Course material is approximately $40.
Possible sources of financial assistance for the course include NYS TEACH Scholarships, NYS Child Care Educational Incentive Program (EIP) and the Day Care Council's Early Childhood Professional Development Fund. Call the Day Care Council at 273-0259 for more information.
Who to call if you have questions?
Contact Jayne Kemp at the Day Care Council,
273-0259 or E-mail her at: jayne@daycarecouncil.org
"It gave me a sense of support. I liked that the class was not taught in the traditional way, where the learning just comes from the instructor - we learned from each other."
Taisha Dickerson
Mentor in Pilot Project
"One of my teachers with 12 years of experience was asked to participate as a mentor in the pilot program. She began with a high level of apprehension, but with each class she became more and more excited with the instructor and with the opportunity to share common experiences with her classmates. This long time teacher has been challenged by new ideas and techniques, willingly tried them in her own classroom, and has begun incorporating those things that work for her. I have watched with delight as she has grown tremendously in knowledge, self-confidence and professionalism."
Ilene Lambiase
Director, IACC Day Care Center
"I came full circle. First I was concerned I could not be an effective mentor, but now I see mentoring as a partnership of two colleagues supporting, sharing, listening and understanding the roles we play in children's lives."
Sue Rakow
Mentor in Pilot Project
Mentor Project Advisory Committee
Eva Cochran, Denise Gomber, Jayne Kemp, Wilma Martin,
Janette McCord, Carolyn McPherson, Judy Ross Bernstein, Shawn Smith
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