WHAT IS MO-SECA?
Missouri Supporting Early Childhood Administrators (MO-SECA) provides early childhood administrators across the state with the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to effectively lead and operate sustainable, quality programs.
MO-SECA is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Childhood (OOC) and provides professional development to support participants in their business and career growth. Through group training, participants connect with fellow child care providers in their area and 1:1 coaching supports reaching personalized, self-directed goals.
Program participants receive clock hours for state licensure requirements, free resources, subscriptions, and more.
MO-SECA PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Three major components of MO-SECA work together to set you up for success in your child care business and career: group training, one-on-one coaching, and resources.
GROUP TRAINING
MO-SECA group training offers a chance to connect with fellow early childhood providers and learn together about proven leadership and business strategies.
Interactive leadership training covers critical knowledge and skills in the Whole Leadership Framework, leading effective teams, sustaining early childhood programs, managing organizational change and serving as community leaders. MO-SECA’s robust business management training includes fiscal management, operations, human resources, and more, with different sessions tailored to larger early learning organizations, smaller independent early learning centers, and family child care businesses.
MO-SECA Academy
MO-SECA Academy delivers leadership and business trainings in two-day events across the state of Missouri. Attendees can earn up to 9 clock hours at Academy.
Virtual Trainings
Every month MO-SECA offers different virtual training sessions to meet your unique needs.
ONE-ON-ONE COACHING
Work with a highly trained early childhood specialist dedicated to supporting you and your self-identified goals in a personalized coaching experience.
Using the Practice-Based Coaching model, you and your coach will collaborate to implement strategies from your group trainings and respond to specific areas of need determined by evidence-based assessments. You’ll work together to cultivate your leadership and administrative business skills to enhance your child care business and career.
Assessments
Administrators will receive program assessments to guide their coaching experience. Targeted program assessments may include the Program Administration Scale (PAS), and the Business Administration Scale (BAS).
The PAS and BAS are conducted once for each engaged program rather than once per participant. These assessments do not impact your licensure.
Program Administration Scale (PAS)
PAS is used to gather information that measures the quality of administrative, management, and leadership practices of early childhood programs. The PAS helps a program dig deeper into the following aspects of program administration:
- Human Resources Development
- Personnel Cost and Allocation
- Center Operations
- Child Assessment
- Fiscal Management
- Program Planning and Evaluation
- Family Partnerships
- Marketing and Public Relations
- Technology
- Staff Qualifications
The PAS can be used for self-assessment or utilized with a Quality Coach. PAS assessments may include a tour of the child care space, an interview with the provider, and a review of the documentation required to rate some PAS indicators.
Business Administration Scale (BAS)
BAS focuses on the quality of business and professional practices in family child care settings. It helps a program take a deeper look into the following:
- Qualifications and Professional Development
- Income and Benefits
- Work Environment
- Fiscal Management
- Recordkeeping
- Risk Management
- Provider-Parent Communication
- Community Resources
- Marketing and Public Relations
- Provider as Employer
RESOURCES
As a MO-SECA participant, you will have access to many business development tools and resources including:
- A copy of Building on Whole Leadership: Energizing and Strengthening Your Early Childhood Program resource book
- A subscription to Show Me Child Care Resources which provides materials, information, and savings opportunities for child care educators
This collection of resources is curated to support you as you implement your MO-SECA learnings and as you grow your business beyond the program.
PROGRAM FAQ
If you’ve made it this far and still have questions, see if they are answered below. You can also check out the contact page to send the MO-SECA team a message or schedule a call with a program administrator.
How does MO-SECA participation work?
What happens after I register for MO-SECA?
After you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email to let you know your registration went through. After that, you can expect the following from the MO-SECA Team:
- An invitation to sign up for MO-SECA Orientation
- An invitation to sign up for trainings
- Show Me Child Care resources membership access information
Why should I register for MO-SECA?
While MO-SECA is designed as a wholistic experience, you are empowered to choose how you’d like to participate. By registering for MO-SECA you are signing up for the whole program and will receive information about each portion. From there, you can tailor your experience!
What is the time commitment?
On average, 30 hours over the course of the full program. These hours are distributed across the various components of the program:
Group training: There are 18 total hours recommended for participants in group trainings (leadership and business trainings) combined over the course of their time in MO-SECA. Most group trainings last 1.5-2 hours. Trainings take place throughout the state and we are happy to help you identify which ones are closest to you!
Coaching: We adjust our coaching timeframe to meet your needs and availability. On average, both virtual and in-person coaching sessions will last 45 minutes to one hour.
Assessments: Our program quality assessments are provided using the Program Administration Scale (PAS) or Business Administration Scale (BAS). These are collaborative interviews with your assessor and are scheduled at your availability.
Who is MO-SECA for?
Who is eligible to participate?
Administrators of Missouri child care programs. Multiple administrators representing a given program may participate in MO-SECA.
MO-SECA is for program staff who provide administrative, operational, and/or teaching leadership for their programs (e.g., child care business owners, directors, assistant directors, program coordinators, owners, and other leaders). MO-SECA is not a good fit for classroom teachers who don’t have leadership responsibilities.
Can I invite other staff from my program to participate?
Yes, if they have leadership responsibilities at your child care program and meet the working definition of “administrator” above.
Will MO-SECA count toward clock-hours for licensure?
The group trainings will count toward clock-hours within the MOPD registry. One-on-one coaching will not.