THE CALIFORNIA EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTOR PROGRAM

A statewide effort to improve the quality of child care, the California Early Childhood Mentor Program offers training and support for early childhood professionals, so that they, in turn, will be able to provide high-quality services. Through the Mentor Program, community college early childhood departments develop a mentor selection process and mentoring networks for students, caregivers, and directors.

The California Early Childhood Mentor Program provides resources and support to aspiring and experienced teachers and administrators in programs serving children birth to five and before- and after-school programs. Through Federal and local funding the Mentor Program provides stipends and professional development support to Mentor Teachers, who guide college students in Early Care & Education, and Director Mentors, who provide resources and expertise to directors and administrators.

The largest mentoring program for child-care professionals in the U.S. and one that links improved compensation with the Mentor’s professional development, since 1988, the California Early Childhood Mentor Program has provided advanced training for experienced child-care workers who wish to become Mentors to new practitioners.

The Director Mentor Program

Director Mentors hope to share their expertise and experience by providing support and guidance to new directors, seasoned directors facing new challenges, and persons administering family child care programs.

The Director Mentor and Protégé Director work together with the local Mentor Program coordinator to identify the Protégé’s needs and develop a customized plan. The Director Mentor and his or her Protégé then meet in person, talk over the phone, and/or communicate via email. The mentoring occurs in a one-to-one relationship and may last as long as 20 hours or as briefly as an hour or two. This mentoring is provided without cost to the Protégé because the Director Mentor receives a stipend from the Mentor Program, which is funded by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division.

ACDS vice-president Tim Craig was recently re-certified by the Program as a Director Mentor. During the past few years, he has worked with several pre-schools in the San Fernando Valley providing guidance in a variety of areas. He has enjoyed the opportunity to draw on his more than 30 years of experience as Director of Children’s Circle Nursery School to help Director Protégés with everything from initial assessment of their facility and staffing to planning a yearly budget, and from leading staff workshops to parent and community outreach.

To find out more about becoming a Protégé, Teacher Mentor, or Director Mentor, please contact your local participating college early childhood department (www.ecementor.org). You may also contact Tim Craig directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 818-782-9060.