Argues that child care centers must be welcoming to fathers and other men. Describes six areas of father- friendly service: (1) checking your attitude; (2) knowing the men; (3) communicating with the men; (4) scheduling services; (5) evaluating the environment; and (6) recruiting male staff. (SD)

Provides survey findings from 54 adolescent hotlines, and presents an organizational case study of an existing peer listening phone program. A brief discussion of the role of professionals is also explored in relation to the use of adolescent volunteers. The case study suggests that volunteering is beneficial to both customers and adolescent…

A survey of 142 information technology (IT) managers, CIOs, and CEOs in manufacturing, government, financial services, education, health care, retailing, aerospace, chemicals, and wholesaling examined business use of the Internet and found that although 85% of respondents are using the Internet, the perception is that their customers and vendors…

When the 1991 Pennsylvania Legislature decentralized its special education funding process, it created a crisis for the commonwealth's 29 educational regional service agencies. The Chester County Intermediate Unit responded entrepreneurially by downsizing the department; surveying customer satisfaction levels; instituting staff training programs;…

Describes a follow-up program for enrolling day care center prospects. Follow-up within the center utilizes contact management software and a prospect profile system to record information about potential customers. External follow-up includes a telephone call to confirm an appointment to the center or to provide additional information to the…

In order to broaden its sources of funding, a child care resource and referral agency must follow several steps. First, the agency must identify its customers, who are typically children, parents, providers, employers, and the government. Next, the agency must define its functions, which may include advocacy; education and training; day care;…

Provides suggestions for effective web site marketing for child care and early education programs. Includes key considerations in designing a web site, specific elements that cause visitors to stay on and return to the site, use of interactive sites, web-site updating and revision, and use of traditional marketing activities to direct prospective…

This module on owning and operating a day care center is one of 36 in a series on entrepreneurship. The introduction tells the student what topics will be covered and suggests other modules to read in related occupations. Each unit includes student goals, a case study, and a discussion of the unit subject matter. Learning activities are divided…

Branding in the early child care and education marketplace is very similar to branding on the farm. It refers to the specific image the company develops and promotes to make services unique, recognizable, and memorable in the minds of prospects and customers. This article discusses how to establish a niche in a business, develop a brand, and…

This brief article focuses on the career and accomplishments of Coordinator of Information Services, New York Public Library (NYPL), Jane Fisher. Her professional and academic career has spanned the fields of librarianship, health care, and public administration. Based on her most recent experiences and advancements, she has learned how libraries…

A study sought to identify what the public thinks about the appropriate level of education and training for opticians. A 10% random sample of 1,510 New York State customers (n=151) of a large multinational opticianry corporation was surveyed. Two categories of data were social background (combined annual family income, age, marital status, race,…

The SCORE project developed and delivered workplace literacy training to employees and/or job candidates in the customer service and telephone sales industry at the AT&T Corporation. The work was done in partnership with the Florida Community College (FCC) at Jacksonville. Of 259 adults served, 39 percent became employed as a result of the…

Administrators sometimes let themselves get locked into the "front end" of their buildings. There are phone calls to take, emails to answer, payments to post, and events to plan. It's easy to find the day coming to a close and they haven't even taken time to grab lunch or venture beyond the lobby of the building. In this article, the author…

This document lists core standards and occupational knowledge and skills that have been identified/validated by industry as necessary to all Georgia students in secondary-level health care occupations programs. First, foundation skills are grouped as follows: basic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic/mathematics, listening, speaking); thinking…

COPE (Client-Oriented, Provider-Efficient) methodology, a self-assessment tool that has been used in 35 countries around the world, was used to improve the quality of care in family planning clinics in Kenya. COPE involves a process that legitimately invests power with providers and clinic-level staff. It gives providers more control over their…