Author Description

Mentoring programs offer new teachers and providers a practical and supportive way to learn and grow on the job. For experienced teachers and providers, mentoring programs create an opportunity to remain in the field and advance in their profession. This guide is one part of the Early Childhood Mentoring Curriculum designed by the National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force (NCECW); the second part is a handbook for mentors. The curriculum consists of a 5-day mentoring course outline, in 10 half-day modules, for covering the eight units: (1) introduction to mentoring; (2) becoming a mentor: options and opportunities; (3) building the foundation for mentoring: key areas of knowledge; (4) growing and developing as a teacher or provider; (5) building relationships between mentors and proteges; (6) skills for effective mentoring; (7) mentors as leaders and advocates; and (8) planning a learning session for adults. This trainer's guide contains: goals and objectives for each of the eights units in the handbook; suggested training activities, with handouts, for each unit; a sample 5-day mentoring course outline; a chapter on conducting effective group learning sessions; and a concluding chapter, with activities designed for the end of the mentor training course and the end of the mentors' work with their proteges. (EV)