* The effective early years manager: five-day course exploring management skills and techniques and how to apply them. These include planning, objective-setting, questioning skills, communication, reviewing performance, influencing skills, managing stress, monitoring and control, effective meetings, leadership and time management.
* The effective deputy manager: three-day course for inexperienced deputies. Topics include the supervisor role, presentation skills, effective communication styles, identifying staff development needs, developing thinking skills and strengthening assertiveness.
* The effective room leader: one-day course for those new to this role.
Topics include motivating your team, training students, introducing a child to your room and customer care.
* Personnel management: three-day course for inexperienced managers. Topics include recruiting and selecting your staff, induction process, introduction to employment law and contracts, motivating your team and appraisals.
* Negotiating skills: one-day course aimed primarily at developing the negotiating skills of staff who have had little or no previous formal training in negotiation.
* Employment law: one-day course giving line managers an appreciation of how employment legislation impacts on their day-to-day activities.
* Selection interviewing: one-day course on how to recruit the right person without wasting time or money.
* Budgeting: one-day course for all managers with little or no training.
* Managing meetings: one-day course for anyone who has to lead or attend business meetings.
* Managing and living with change: one-day course aimed at those with little experience of making decisions about change.
Common threads training
* What is management? 21-hour course covering topics such as setting aims and objectives, understanding staff motivation, positive team meetings and time management.
* Creative problem-solving: two-day course looking at how to approach difficult situations creatively.
* Effective teamworking: three-day course.
* Good recruitment practice: two-day course.
* Improving practice through evaluation: two-day course, endorsed by SkillsActive.
* Policy development: two-day course.
* Supervision and appraisal skills: three-day course.
* Leadership skills: two-day course.
Crechendo Training
* Management of early years practice: 60-hour course equips qualified or experienced practitioners with an understanding of effective verbal and non-verbal communication, group dynamics, effective teamwork, team-building and conflict resolution.
* Management of early years settings: covers all aspects of professional business management. It offers tuition on policies and procedures relating to the inspection and regulation of daycare settings under the Children Act 1989.
* Effective communication and assertiveness: interactive workshop looking at all the different forms of communication and their effect on inter-personal relationships.
Direction Training and Management This company runs various sector-specific business, professional and managerial day courses accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). These include:
* Introductory team leader certificate (NVQ Level 2 equivalent)
* Team leader certificate (NVQ Level 2 equivalent)
* Introductory certificate in first line management (NVQ Level 3 equivalent)
* Certificate in first line management (NVQ Level 3 equivalent)
* Introductory diploma in management (NVQ Level 4 equivalent)
* Diploma in management (NVQ Level 4 equivalent)
* Introductory executive diploma in management (NVQ Level 5 equivalent)
* Executive diploma in management (NVQ Level 5 equivalent).
Early Education training and resource centre
* Encouraging and supporting other practitioners to develop their practice: one-day course on 27 June for teachers advising other Foundation Stage practitioners. The course will include areas such as building collaborative relationships and planning.
Experiential play
* Time management for managers: one-day course looking at how to build on strengths and adopt new skills and techniques.
* Managing change: one-day course looking into the types of strategic and operational changes that could occur and how to deal with them effectively.
* Quality assurance in management: one-day course exploring quality and the manager's role as a leader. Looks at quality assurance schemes as a method for monitoring quality.
4Children
4 Children, formerly Kids' Clubs Network, offers a range of business support services, including:
* Payroll services
* Budget services
* Monthly accounting services
* End-of-year accounts services.
Kidscape
* Personal development: includes programme development, circle time, friendship skills, self-esteem, assertiveness, handling conflict, pupil support, and guidance and welfare.
* Staff development: includes stress management, developing team work, counselling skills, assertiveness training and working with parents.
National DayNurseries Association
* Nursery management: two-day course for managers and supervisors with no formal management qualification. Topics include how to manage people, employment law and how to relate it to childcare provision, how to recruit, select and retain staff and the benefits of appraisal.
* Effective team leading: three-day course for practitioners with operational and staff responsibility. It covers how to work effectively as part of a team, how teams work, the role of team leader and the principles of effective communication.
The manor tree group
* Looking after your staff: one-day course focusing on how managers can improve staff morale and create a positive work environment.
* Managing people: one-day course on 4 February for existing or newly-appointed managers including indentifying leadership style, the role of a manager and effective delegation.
Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin
* Management and organisation: will help volunteers in Welsh-medium settings to be effective members of management committees. Topics include appointing and supporting staff, financial matters, caring for the buildings and resources, constitutions and policies, marketing and publicity.
NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation
* Management training: specifically designed to meet the needs of team leaders and managers.
NOEL QUINN
* Good leader, best team: an introduction to management and leadership skills: topics include staff motivation and delegation, working with others, developing the team and managing time and quality. It is ideal for first-time managers.
* Right person, right job - a guide to recruiting and selecting staff: workshop for those involved in recruitment. Topics include job descriptions and person specifications, equal opportunities, the application process and interview techniques.
* Employing people - a guide to good practice and the law for employers: looks at key legislation, and examines how the law and good practice is changing.
* Finders keepers - strategies to help you retain good staff: looks at the costs to a business of losing staff and strategies to retain staff.
northern ireland childminding association NICMA provides courses for developing a childminding business including:
* Business development
* Development policies and procedures
* Good business practice.
Playgroup Network
Contact regional associations direct for details of any training on:
* Operational planning
* Administration
* Managing staff
* Committee work.
Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA)
* Behind the scenes: 13 three-hour workshops for all staff, volunteers, committee members and parents who want to develop new skills and cover aspects of managing pre-schools and parent and toddler groups. Topics covered include: money matters, roles and responsibilities, the importance of written policies, appointing staff, health and safety, behaviour policy, insurance and the operation plan.
* Ready for action - creative manageable and practical action plans for your pre-school: six-hour workshops for all staff and committee members looking at the benefits of action plans and how to develop, implement and monitor them. Topics covered include: how action plans can help to make the changes required after an inspection or as part of a cycle of continuous improvement, and how to write an effective plan.
SRL Training
* Management and leadership skills for early years settings: one-day course looking at good practice guidelines in leadership and management, to explore recent and relevant research such as the matrix system of management, and to identify qualities and skills needed for good leadership.
* Staff supervision and appraisal for the early years setting: aims to develop support, supervision and appraisal systems, strategies for dealing with conflict and key performance indicators.
* Written policies for early years settings: aims to offer guidance on developing and using written policies as part of the effective management and administration of a setting.
training packages
The following one-day courses are suitable for managers:l Effective leadership
* Ensuring your staff matter
* Working with parents
* Effective systems.
