Frequently Asked Questions and Answers from A&D Coaching and Consulting

While the terms mentoring and coaching are used interchangeably with many people using the terms as if they were synonyms. Both approaches provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their own skills/practices and receive support in a non-punitive, safe environment with the purpose of improving skills; they are also fundamentally different with Mentoring being a long term relationship and Coaching a short term partnership with a specific goal focus.

A & D Coaching and Consulting can support you with a research based, Practice Based Coaching plan and implement it with fidelity to maximize the return of your professional development dollars. Make lasting quality program improvements by investing in your staff and increase their professionalism.

Mentoring is defined as a friendship with a mentor or trusted advisor who has experience and is qualified to provide guidance and support in order to build the confidence and strengthen the skills of the mentee. The mentor may advise what the mentee needs to do to implement a universal practice associated with the job.

Mentoring is best done by members of the management team employed by the program. They have a day to day ongoing understanding of program operations and expectations beyond the general job duties. A & D Coaching and Consulting can provide support to developing mentoring plans that would compliment a coaching plan.

A coach provides short term intervention on a targeted skill with regular meetings and goal specific feedback. The coach and coachee are equals with the coach managing the process and advising behavioral changes needed to achieve a targeted goal that was established or chosen by the coachee.

A coach may see the coachee once or twice a month and for a specific goal driven purpose. Whereas a mentor would see a mentee at least weekly or in some cases daily if officing onsite and available to do informal walkthroughs and emotional support if needed.

Much research has been done to determine the effectiveness of coaching as it relates to child outcomes, staff turnover, and the social emotional well-being of both adults and children. Research conducted by Mathematica with funding from the Department of Education has shown when a research based coaching model is implemented with fidelity, improvement is demonstrated in the areas of social and academic learning for students and can be, over time, a more cost effective professional development and staff retention strategy than reducing class sizes, increasing pay, and other bonus incentives.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Nov. 2020) the average fringe benefit rate is 30% of the employees salary (may be higher in 2024) . If you are paying a full time employee $30,000 the fringe would be $9,000. Consider this when hiring an outside consultant as well as how many employees can be reached with one consulting contract not only for coaching but any area where you want to make a targeted impact and increase overall professionalism of staff.

Be proactive providing opportunities for teachers to have a solid understanding of child development by knowing the behavior expectations for the age they are teaching. “It is important that behavior we expect from young children and support strategies we use are developmentally appropriate. If children are unable to meet expectations, they will find creative ways to express themselves and get their needs met. Sometimes these behaviors can be perceived as challenging.” 2019 Cultivate Learning at University of Washington. Circle Time Magazine Edition 5

Establish an environment both physical and emotional (adult interactions) that is developmentally appropriate for the age of children occupying the room. Young children thrive when they feel safe and trust the adults caring for them. Relationships with both adults & other children are critical to helping them manage their own behaviors.

Develop a strong home school connection so parents also understand developmental milestones and what to expect of their child and can support the classroom expectations in a way that is developmentally appropriate.

Parents are a child’s first and lifetime teacher... They need to understand their child’s development and be included or informed of the classroom activities and experience.

According to the Mayo Clinic (2018) Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. Job burnout is a special type of job related stress resulting in a state of physical or emotional exhaustion and results in a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of self esteem.

Symptoms or signs of burnout include:

• Exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed
• Disconnection from others and indifference
• Feeling like a failure
• Feeling like you are not doing your job well
• Being cynical, defensive and pessimistic

Coping strategies might include:

• Talking about it with a supervisor or coach
• Prioritizing what to slow down on or give off your plate
• Seek social support from a coworker or mentor
• Take a break
• Evaluate your work/life balance
• Consider other job options
  

A & D Consultants hold certifications in Mindfulness and are experienced wellness, mindfulness and behavioral coaches. An investment in staff wellness can be the key to preventing so many

Developing an individual professional development plan for each employee's input, although time consuming, is
critical when considering Adult Principles of Learning according to Malcolm Knowles research:

• Independence to choose what they want to learn
• Consideration of previous experience
• Readiness to learn - Topics must resonate with personal and professional growth
• Focused on problem centered rather than content centered
• Motivation to learn is internal rather than external

As former T/TA Consultants with The Office of Head Start A & D Consultants are well versed in the vast amount of
resources on the Head Start ECLKC and have been trained by The National Centers
on implementing these resources through Process Consultation consulting.  Finding and applying these resources for
individual professional development planning would be very confusing and time consuming without the knowledge and experience of a OHS T/TA Consultant.  If interested in developing an individual professional plans for all staff contact A & D Coaching and Consulting to see how they can provide support to utilize the free resources from OHS to offset training dollars for training not available through The Office of Head Start.