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General Description of 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 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Childhood 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 a stipend for participation, clock hours for state licensure requirements, free resources, subscriptions, and more.
Project Partners
MO-SECA is sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Office of Childhood and is supported by a collaboration across the University of Missouri System and critical early childhood supports from Child Care Aware(R) of Missouri.
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), the Business Administration Scale (BAS), the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES), and the Organizational Equity Assessment (OEA). Administrators will be able to self-evaluate their capability with the Administrators Role Perception Survey (ARPS).
The PAS, BAS, ECWES, and OEA 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
Organizational Equity Assessment (OEA)
A survey, developed by the YMCA of the USA, that assesses perceived practices and policies within early childhood programs at the site-level across seven domains: organizational practices, organizational culture, supports, community-informed practices, resource allocation, linguistically and culturally appropriate practices, and long-term equity development.
Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES)
The Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES) helps you assess the organizational climate of your early childhood program. The resulting Work Environment Profile summarizes staff perceptions about different organizational practices and can serve as a springboard for creating a great place to work. Since the ECWES was developed in 1985, more than 40,000 early childhood practitioners working in 3,500 programs have completed the survey and received their summary profile.
Administrators Role Perception Survey (ARPS)
The ARPS Profile is used to provide administrators with information about themselves as leaders and how leadership is exercised in their centers. The ARPS Profile focuses attention on how closely their current positions resemble their ideal. Finally, the ARPS Profile identifies administrators’ developmental career stages based not on years of experience but rather on their perceptions of mastery of key early childhood program leadership competencies.
Group Trainings
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 training is delivered in-person throughout Missouri. Participants receive a $25/hour stipend for in person trainings and $16.66/hour stipends for virtual trainings. They can earn up to $450.00 for 18 clock-hours of training. Follow up on the information in these sessions occurs in your individual coaching sessions.
Family Centers
CAPACITY UP TO 10
Whole Leadership: Examine the interdependent domains of leadership: pedagogical, administrative, and essentials. (3 hours)
Sustainability: Learn to diagnose individual and organizational challenges while fostering staff and family collaboration. (3 hours)
Leading Change: Apply the six key components of the Entrepreneurial Operating System. (3 hours)
Fiscal Management & Record Keeping: Focus on budgeting basics and the unique financial considerations for family child care businesses. (2.5 hours)
Financial & Business Risk Management: Understand the nuances of operating a home-based business including insurance, space allocation, and more. (2.5 hours)
General Business Practices and Supports: Understand the components of a small business including marketing, operations, policies, and income beyond fees. (2.5 hours)
Group Technical Assistance: Apply the concepts in the previous business sessions alongside other participants. (1.5 hours)
Small Centers
CAPACITY 11-99
Whole Leadership: Examine the interdependent domains of leadership: pedagogical, administrative, and essentials.
Sustainability: Learn to diagnose individual and organizational challenges while fostering staff and family collaboration.
Leading Change: Apply the six key components of the Entrepreneurial Operating System.
Writing a Business Plan: Current business owners learn the basics of writing a business plan and how it can be used as a management tool. Attendees get a free 1-year subscription to LivePlan
Understanding Financial Statements: Learn to identify key business information on income statements and balance sheets so you can make fact-based business and management decisions.
QuickBooks Online for Childcare Business: A QuickBooks certified instructor presents basic accounting knowledge. Attendees get a free 1-year subscription to QuickBooks Online.
Large Centers
CAPACITY 100+
Whole Leadership: Examine the interdependent domains of leadership: pedagogical, administrative, and essentials.
Sustainability: Learn to diagnose individual and organizational challenges while fostering staff and family collaboration.
Leading Change: Apply the six key components of the Entrepreneurial Operating System.
Supervision and Human Resources: Learn techniques to manage teams, set effective goals, and develop implement human resources policies.
Strategic Financial Management: Ask the key strategic questions to drive your center’s sustainability and scalability. Learn to create productive discussions with financial and programming staff.
Strategic Communication Strategies: Consider techniques to effectively communicate with center staff, families, and the greater community that help you build trust and positive relationships over time.
MO-SECA Regions
Trainings are organized by region across the state of Missouri. You’re welcome to attend any training you’d like, but to aid in finding trainings close to you, you can find your county to determine your region:
Region A Trainings: Andrew, Atchison, Bates, Buchanan, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Dekalb, Gentry, Holt, Jackson, Nodaway, Platte, Vernon, Worth
Region B Trainings: Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Douglas, Greene, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Ozark, Polk, Stone, Taney, Webster
Region C Trainings: Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Jefferson, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, St Francois, Ste Genevieve, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Washington, Wayne
Region D Trainings: Benton, Camden, Cole, Crawford, Dallas, Dent, Franklin, Gasconade, Henry, Hickory, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski, St Clair, Texas, Wright
Region E Trainings: Boone, Callaway, Cooper, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Montgomery, Pettis, Saline, Warren
Region F Trainings: St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Louis City
Region G Trainings: Adair, Audrain, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Daviess, Grundy, Harrison, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan
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
- Year-long subscriptions to LivePlan and QuickBooks
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.
Supporting leadership and business excellence in Missouri’s early childhood programs.