By Judy Howard, BS, during her 30-year early education career, has raised two children, taught preschool, invested 14 years as the program director for Portland Christian Schools, and served for three years as the assistant director for early education services in the ACSI Northwest Region.
Looking at the ACSI accreditation self-study tool and learning about the process makes many directors cringe with thoughts such as, “I can’t add one more thing to my schedule!” Those who have completed the one to three years say, “The affirmation that my staff received, the new levels we are aspiring toward, and the confidence that parents have in us are worth all the efforts we put in.” It is a grand and satisfying accomplishment! But how do you get it done? Resolve, prayer, teamwork, delegation, financial commitment, and organization!
To succeed in the self-study process, you must stay organized. A good organization system that will help you get it done starts with the basics of identifying how, who, when, and what, with an occasional where. An initial meeting of the team is needed to agree on the plan—the how. Resolve together to complete the self-study, make a list, decide what the next action step is, and then do it. One action step leads to another, and the momentum will grow until the self-study is complete and you are sitting at the table with the visiting team for the accreditation review. You did it!
But first you should be aware of the many ways to get started and stay organized. Let me share a few with you. The computer system: computer-savvy people will gravitate to putting everything a Word document. ACSI has been very helpful in providing on a compact disc a manual for the accreditation self-study. The computer organization system is basically the same as that of paper files in a crate; an electronic file contains a summary page of documentation items, the people responsible for the tasks involved, and due dates. You can find, scan, or create documents and then place them in the section file under a main accreditation folder. The calendar component is especially helpful when it can notify users about dates in their schedule of tasks.
The crate system: a portable option especially helpful for those who lack empty file-cabinet space is a large plastic crate that can be purchased from a local store. Hanging files fit well in the crate. You can use clear, bold print to label eight files with the eight areas that will be reviewed in the self-study. It is also helpful to put on the label the name of the key staff person who is gathering the information. Then others will have an easy reference when they are adding to the files. For example, the label on the top of a file might say “Section 1 Philosophy—Jan.”
I am a “list person,” and I found it helpful to include in the front of each section of the hanging files a list that summarizes the self-study documentation needed for that section. The article “Accreditation: The Role of Policy Development” in CEE 6.3 is helpful for a partial listing. Print out copies of each section from the accreditation manual for the file and for the person responsible for that section. Other team members will be finding documentation for various sections through the course of their daily work. When a piece of documentation is placed in the file, it can be checked off the list.
One action step leads to another, and the momentum will grow until the self-study is complete and you are sitting at the table with the visiting team for the accreditation review.
The next step in staying organized is to determine who is going to gather the information and documentation, answer the self-study questions, and summarize recommendations and commendations. Many directors are good at what they do because their style is random, relational, and visionary. Projects like accreditation also require sequential, detail-oriented people. The self-study is meant to be a group project. Involve everyone and seek out more help when you identify areas that you can delegate. There is probably a teacher in your center who is good at child guidance and who can review the discipline policy and make recommendations to update it so that it will reflect the current practices of the center. A detail-oriented person can put the final documents together attractively in a binder. I know of editing to review policy and procedure statements.
Now answer the when question by agreeing on a timeline with your team and holding one another accountable. One method for accountability is to set up a partnership system, such as Sue monitoring Jay, Jan monitoring Marie, and so on. Monthly, the team reviews what has been collected, decides what needs to be created and revised, and defines the who and the when as needed for new action. I also found that having a small committee review one section a month helped generate additional momentum. These scheduled monthly meetings serve as incentives to keep the team organized and on track. Calendars are also an important organizational tool to keep the process moving forward.
Keep yourself organized—get a mentor and a friend! There is someone somewhere who wants to help you succeed. Get on your cell phone or use email; get connected. There are people who are also in the midst of the accreditation process, and there are directors who have achieved accreditation and would be honored to encourage another Christian school director through the process. Your regional ACSI assistant director for early education services, who is eager to be a praying colleague, can put you in touch with such a person.
Reward yourself and your team
regularly—and note the upcoming
rewards on the calendar.
Reward yourself and your team regularly—and note the upcoming rewards on the calendar. The late afternoon meeting could take place with coffee at a restaurant when all timelines were met that month, or it could take place in the workroom if they weren’t. Be creative with other rewards, encouragements, and reminders. Stick a $2 coupon in a file for the person responsible for the section; she’ll find it the next time she adds a piece of documentation. Hand out treats to parents when they turn in their parent survey form. Look for accomplishment points, and celebrate them!
Now that you have outlined and begun the accreditation self-study process, momentum is building. Momentum will keep you moving forward—organization will keep you moving forward in the direction you want to go and in the manner you desire. Keeping organized will take some time, but it is time well spent. The process of self-study for accreditation may look at first like overwhelming task, but with your team and some strategy, you will succeed. And more important than gaining success, you will bring honor to the Lord we serve through Christian early education.
Organized During Accreditation Process 7.3