Acorn Early Years Training, the specialist early years division of CJ Associates, runs courses on:
* Communication skills. This two-day course covers practical business communication and team interaction, including questioning skills, telephone communication, listening skills and non-verbal signals.
* Health and safety in early years care. This is a one-day course for supervisors and managers.
* Personnel management. This three-day course covers such topics as recruiting and selecting staff, the induction process, employment law and contracts, motivating a team and carrying out appraisals.
* Effective supervision. This half-day course covers issues such as empathy and sympathy, constructive feedback, goal setting, identifying training needs and addressing conflict.
* Time management in early years. This one-day course includes individual analysis of time management, use of time logs, establishing priorities, delegation skills and planning and organising your time.
* Equal opportunities. This one-day course is to help supervisors recognise and deal with discrimination.
* Train the trainer. This three-day course is for room leaders, supervisors and those with responsibility for training others. It covers trainer skills, the trainer cycle, training methods and presentation techniques.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Support Services runs a number of management in early years courses. These include:
* Effective management skills.
* Recruiting and retaining staff.
* Team building.
* Time management.
Child Care Plus, a specialist daycare development consultancy, runs workshops including:
* Getting started in childcare.
* Recruitment and selection.
* Starting a nursery.
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) offers units within its Level 4 NVQ in early years care and education programme, including the following courses:
* Carrying out management responsibilities in child health, safety and protection.
* Managing the curriculum.
* Managing the observation and assessment of children's development and behaviour.
* Managing relationships with parents.
* Managing the use of physical resources.
* Managing the performance of teams and individuals.
* Assisting the organisation to develop and implement policies.
* Promoting services.
In addition, CACHE offers professional development management units within its other courses, including:
* Management in childcare and education settings.
* Management of early years services, settings and practice.
Common Threads Consultancy offers a range of training to practitioners in groups of up to 16. Common Threads has an in-house consultancy scheme and runs courses that are part of an in-house training scheme, as and when they are required. The main workshop topics for early years professionals are:
* Supervision and appraisal skills.
* Good recruitment practice.
* Policy development.
* Leadership skills.
* What is management?
* Effective team working.
* Creative problem-solving for managers.
Crechendo Training runs courses in London on:
* Management of early years practice. This 60-hour certificate in professional development course to enhance management skills has been developed by the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) and Crechendo has been validated to run it. The course aims to equip qualified or experienced early years workers with an understanding of the methods for communicating effectively in range of situations, both verbally and non-verbally, and the importance of listening and responding.
It will also give participants an understanding of group dynamics, the importance of effective teamwork, and team building and conflict resolution, as well as identifying key issues when managing child protection in an early years setting. The course is graded as a Level 3 qualification on the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) framework, and it is an ideal qualification for anyone working towards a management post.
* Management of early years settings. This course 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.
Direction Training and Management runs sector-specific training courses accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management, including:
* 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).
It also offers sector-specific consultancy and training on:
* A range of tailor-made IT training programmes.
* Business planning.
* Business development Level 4 NVQ.
* Recruitment and selection.
The National Children's Bureau runs courses on:
* Making effective presentations. This two-day course aims to enable participants to develop their skills and confidence when preparing and making presentations. Topics covered include how to present and project effectively, preparing and delivering a presentation, engaging effectively with audiences or groups, and using a variety of visual aids.
* Training for trainers. This three-day course aims to enhance the understanding and skills of participants in designing and delivering training.
The National Day Nurseries Association runs a number of courses including:
* Nursery management. This three-day course is for managers and senior supervisors working in group daycare who hold a childcare qualification but have no formal management qualification. A mixture of tutor-led and group work interspersed with case studies, it will equip delegates with the skills needed to recruit, select and retain staff using a range of procedures and techniques. Delegates on the course will understand how to manage people effectively; appreciate the benefits of investing time in valuing their childcare team; understand employment law and be able to relate it to childcare provision; understand how to recruit, select and retain staff; understand the benefits of appraisal; and feel enabled to prioritise and delegate time to manage the business effectively.
* Effective team leading. This three-day course is for practitioners in daycare settings in supervisory roles with significant operational and staff responsibility. Topics covered include how to work effectively as part of a team; understanding how teams work; understanding the role of team leader; the principles of effective communication; dealing effectively with difficult situations; and using assertion.
* Policies and procedures. This one-day course will encourage delegates to develop appropriate policies and procedures that will underpin legal responsibilities to ensure the welfare of children, staff and parents or carers. Topics covered include policies and procedures and their purpose; the minimum requirements of Ofsted or national standards; creating policies and procedures; risk assessment; and an appreciation of who needs to understand policies and procedures.
* Operational planning. This one-day course is for managers and senior staff in group early years daycare settings who have a responsibility to meet Ofsted requirements. Topics covered include understanding what is required by national standard 2; the nature of an operational plan and its key elements; some standard documents to use in an operational plan; how to create an operational plan that is a living document; and how to demonstrate the implementation, monitoring and reviewing of an operational plan.
Other NDNA courses include:
* Finding time to manage your own business.
* Cost versus quality.
* Moving into out-of-school care.
* From sessional to full-daycare.
* The socially responsible business.
* Voluntary management committees.
* Finance for the non-financial.
* Starting a day nursery.
* Childcare and schools working together.
* Presentation skills.
* Recruitment and selection.
* How to be the employer of choice.
* Managing change.
* Creating a learning culture.
* Team appraisal.
* Effective interviewing techniques.
NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation is an approved centre for a series of Institute of Leadership and Management awards. It runs a course in Northern Ireland on:
* Management training. This course is specifically designed to meet the needs of team leaders and managers in the early years sector.
Noel Quinn is a business skills training and development company for childcare and early years providers. Its training focuses on the needs of individuals, teams or organisations, and it has a number of business workshops that are tailor-made for business needs, such as:
* Business support training.
* Recruiting and retaining staff.
* Marketing.
* Management and leadership.
* Teams and team building.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance runs courses on:
* Growing your pre-school. This short course is designed for staff and volunteers in pre-schools wishing to expand and diversify their services for families. The aim is to increase confidence in undertaking pre-school expansion projects by focusing on key tasks, such as increasing the age range of children and creating out-of-school and breakfast clubs.
* Behind the scenes. This series of ten three-hour workshops will teach participants about the management of pre-schools, and how parents can be involved and take responsibility in pre-schools and parent and toddler groups. The workshops can be taken individually or in any combination.
The Riverside Early Years Training Centre runs courses on:
* Managing violence in the workplace, on 22 and 23 January, 9, 10, 19 and 20 February. This one-day course aims to examine current practices, particularly with regard to working environments and communication between staff, and teach practitioners how to develop a repertoire of effective non-physical skills and interventions that may be used in an aggressive or potentially aggressive incident.
* Employment law for private providers of childcare, on 20 March. This half-day course aims to give participants an insight into the legal requirements of employing staff. Topics covered include the statutory and contractual rights of employees, contracts, sickness benefit, holiday pay, family-friendly rights including maternity and paternity leave, and maternity benefit, and the termination of a contract of employment.
StaffBank Training specialises in providing training courses for early years staff. Some of their courses include:
* Team leading. This course is suitable for staff who are new to an advisory team or a team-leading role.
* Customer care skills. This course looks at how to deal with complaints and what good customer care is.
Training Packages designs and delivers packages of courses offering specialist professional training for adults working with babies and young children. Its training courses include:
* Planning, recording and report keeping. This course offers support for management and has been produced with help from the Gloucestershire Early Years team.
