This is a practical resource for early childhood professionals who want to understand the role of leadership in early childhood settings. In the second edition of this best selling book, the author tackles the task of defining what leadership means in early childhood using terminology that practitioners can understand.

With community insistence on quality early childhood care and education in a time of diminishing resources, professionalism has become a major issue. Drawing on her extensive experience in the field, the author presents a framework for understanding the demands of leadership and for developing skills that are relevant to the wide range of early years settings, including: communication and interpersonal skills; building and leading an early childhood team; decision making; conflict management; promoting early childhood professionals' unique contribution to the welfare of children and families in the community.

The second edition has been extensively revised and updated throughout and contains new material on:

* the ethics of leadership

* women as leaders