Course Overview

Course Overview

Welcome to the Leadership Essentials of Governance, Finance, and HR course!

There are six separate sections within this Moodle site, including: 

1. Welcome, and introductionDescribes the background and purpose of the course and further defines and establishes the resource’s parameters.
2. Module 1: Overview of Administration and Operation, Childcare Governance and Regulatory Bodies Examines the administrative, operational and regulatory responsibilities of a childcare center in British Columbia, Canada. 
3. Module 2: Human Resources Explores essential knowledge and skills required to effectively and ethically lead at a childcare center. 
4. Module 3: Financial Management in Childcare Settings Allows you to reflect on the knowledge and skills required to manage financial resources effectively in childcare settings, including budgeting practices, salary management, funding opportunities, and navigating ministry funding agreements. 
5. Course Wrap-up Offers a course summary highlighting key learnings and a curated list of references related to the course content.
6. Assessment: Includes the final assignment, which allows you to demonstrate what you’ve learned in the course.

Accessing the sections and modules in sequence is critical as the materials and activities are designed to be scaffolded to support your success and optimize your learning experience.  

To learn more about OERs at RRU, visit this RRU library resource which provides guidelines for finding, using, and creating Open Educational Resources https://libguides.royalroads.ca/OER

Navigating this Resource

This openly licensed resource is hosted within the Royal Roads University (RRU) open educational resources (OER) Moodle site. There are various instances of Moodle at RRU, and you can learn more about the versions used and how to navigate Moodle by visiting this RRU Moodle OERsite. 

Learning outcomes (LOs) serve as a valuable resource to guide your learning journey and ensure you can maximize your learning experience. The primary purpose of this section is to communicate the intended learning outcomes of the Leadership Essentials of Governance, Finance, and HR Course. 

By outlining these outcomes, you will have a roadmap of the knowledge, skills, and competencies you will acquire throughout the course. These outcomes are carefully crafted to align with the overall goals and objectives of the course, ensuring that you are equipped with the necessary tools to succeed.

The learning outcomes for this course align with the content, activities, and assessments you will encounter, enabling you to track your growth and identify improvement opportunities. Within each module's section, an overview is provided, including the respective LOs that are relevant to that module. You are encouraged to review the learning outcomes thoroughly and to refer to them throughout your learning journey to support your success in completing all provided activities and assessments.  

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing all activities and assessments (32 total hours) in this open course, participants will:

• Examine different childcare governance and operational models, such as private ownership, board-run, not-for-profit, corporate, and family child care. 
• Articulate the roles and responsibilities of key government regulatory bodies, including the Ministry of Education and Childcare, the ECE Registry, and Licensing authorities, and apply this knowledge to administrative operational processes in childcare settings. 
• Identify aspects of budgeting and examine different funding processes and ministry funding agreements, including subsidies, wage enhancements, and other financial initiatives critical to early learning programs. 
• Examine the administrative human resource responsibilities of employers related to record keeping, hiring, staff evaluations, B.C. labour laws, licensing staffing regulations and worksafe practices. 

Activities and Assessments

The activities and assessments within this course are designed to be engaged independently and asynchronously to spark curiosity and support your growth and development as you work towards achieving the learning outcomes. 

There are no formal grades awarded for completing the activities and assessments within this course; instead, embrace this experience as a unique approach to learning that is intended to support you in a more enriching journey of self-reflection and personal growth. You are encouraged to assess your progress and engage in reflective practice as you move through the activities and assessments to foster self-discovery and continual development as an ECE leader or manager. 

Specific activities and assessments will be listed within the overview of each course module.