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Putting the PRO in Protégé:
A Guide to Mentoring in
Head Start and Early Head Start

Chapter III: Mentors and Protégés: Identification, Selection, and Matching

Agencies determine the structure of their mentoring programs on the basis of the goals of their program, the program setting, their own organizational structure and resources, and the needs of their staff. The system for identifying, selecting, and matching mentors and protégés can be nested within the agency's overall human resources management system. Each structure has advantages and disadvantages, depending on its "fit" with the organization. Some of the most important questions to consider are included in the sidebar on this page.

This chapter looks at the factors that agencies need to consider in putting together a mentoring program:

• Understanding the roles that mentors play and the characteristics of effective mentors

• Identifying and selecting mentors

• Identifying and selecting protégés

• Determining mentor/protégé ratios

• Matching mentors and protégés

• Determining the length and the frequency of mentoring interactions and the duration of the mentor-protégé relationship

Mentors' Roles

Mentoring is a complex process, and mentors play a variety of roles at different times. Thinking about the many roles that mentors play is the first step in defining mentor competencies. The chart on page 20 shows some examples of the roles that mentors play.

Individualizing mentoring to meet agency needs requires thinking about the issues:

• How to select mentors
• How to select protégés
• How to match mentors and protégés
• What ratios are best
• How mentors and protégés will work together
  • How often
  • How long
  • Where
• What other responsibilities mentors will have
• Whether mentors will be current center-based or family child care teachers

Mentor Qualifications:

• Strong educational background
• Knowledge of mentoring content areas
• Skills and experience in working with adult learners
• Related professional experience
• A commitment to a code of conduct in which all interactions with the protégé are conducted in a professional manner and all information about the protégé is handled confidentially

Characteristics of a Good Mentor

Having competent mentors, with strong content knowledge, excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle issues raised in a changing relationship, is crucial to the success of a mentoring program. Individuals who are excellent teachers, center directors, home visitors, or family child care teachers aren't necessarily good mentors. Good mentors have mastered the art, skills, and techniques of working effectively with adults. They are able to use their knowledge and expertise to create a learning environment for their protégés.

Mentor Skills

A mentoring program is built on the shoulders of competent mentors, capable of forming strong, supportive relationships with protégés. Head Start mentors, therefore, need to be skilled in working with both children and adults. As mentors, they use their skills with children to model best practices in the center-based and family child care setting. They put their understanding of adult learners into practice as they help their protégés become masters of these best practices in their own right. The chart on page 22 defines the skills and knowledge areas needed by competent mentors.

Educational Background and Experience

Qualified mentors need a strong educational background and relevant experience with children and adults. Their education grounds them in a theoretical understanding of child development, early childhood education, family support, and so forth, that they can pass on to their protégés. Their experience with young children enables them to help protégés translate theory into practice. Expertise in adult learning helps them learn how to do both.

In defining mentor qualifications, keep in mind the qualifications for content area experts and for education and child development services staff that are spelled out in the Head Start Program Performance Standards (45 CFR 1304.52(d) and 1304.52 (d)(1)). Mentor qualifications include education and experience in child development, support for adult learners, and supervision. In addition, mentors require experience with the appropriate age group (infant and toddler, preschool, or mixed age groups) for which they are mentoring. Because mentors have had the experience of being teachers, they are in a good position to empathize with the needs and challenges of the teachers they are mentoring.

On page 23, the Stanislaus County Office of Education Teaching Center in California (formerly Stanislaus County Migrant Head Start) provides an example of how mentor qualifications are defined.

Take Stock!
What competencies and backgrounds will mentors in our agency have?

In regard to qualifications of content area experts, the Program Performance Standards say... Education and child development services must be supported by staff or consultants with training and experience in areas that include the theories and principles of child growth and development, early childhood education, and family support. In addition, staff or consultants must meet the qualifications for classroom teachers as specified in section 648A of the Head Start Act and any subsequent amendments regarding the qualifications of teachers. (45 CFR 1304.52 (d)(1))

Each agency needs to think about the roles that mentors will play in the mentoring relationship and the qualities and skills that mentors need to carry out these roles effectively.

Identifying and Selecting Mentors

Organizations vary in how they identify and select mentors and protégés. Depending on size, geographic location, and so forth, some agencies may be able to identify mentors internally, whereas others have to look outside their agencies. In some cases, mentoring may already be occurring informally within an agency, and these "natural mentors" may form the beginning of a mentoring pool. Agencies also can tap the expertise of experienced teachers who are ready for a new challenge.

Two questions need to be resolved by agencies in selecting mentors. The first is whether mentors should be current center-based or family child care teachers. The second is whether mentors should also supervise their protégés. These questions are discussed next.

Take Stock!
What are some issues our agency may face in identifying and selecting mentors?

Should Mentors Be Current Teachers?

In designing a mentoring program, it is important to decide whether mentors should be current center-based or family child care teachers. On the one hand, mentors who continue to teach have opportunities to model best practices and may have greater credibility. On the other hand, mentoring may be more efficient and able to reach more people with dedicated, full-time mentors. The following charts provide some things to think about in making this decision.

As with any issue, input from supervisors, teachers, mentors, and protégés themselves is especially valuable in making this decision.

Should Mentors Supervise Protégés?

Mentoring and supervision have different functions. Supervisors have the power to hire, evaluate, and fire staff. Mentors, in contrast, do not have authority over staff. Rather, they seek to promote staff development through coaching. The box below highlights some of the differences between mentors and supervisors.

The mentoring relationship is most valuable when it is nonevaluative and confidential. Protégés must feel comfortable sharing their strengths and weaknesses with their mentor, without fear of being judged. They must feel safe enough to take risks, to admit mistakes, and to ask simple questions. Some feel strongly that this relationship cannot be developed with a mentor who also has authority over the protégé. Others believe that supervisors who use "reflective supervision" techniques make excellent mentors.

If mentors and supervisors are different people, both must understand the roles, responsibilities, and boundaries of their positions. At the same time, they need to work in tandem with each other, complementing each other's roles. For example, it is important for supervisors to "check in" with the mentor to recommend mentoring strategies or to stay aware of the protégé's progress in reaching mentoring goals. Also important, if mentors and supervisors are different people, is avoiding the "good guy/bad guy" trap, with mentors being seen as supportive and nurturing, whereas supervisors, who bear the responsibility for performance appraisals, promotion, hiring, and firing, are cast in a negative light.

Supervisors must respect the confidential nature of the mentor-protégé relationship, but feel comfortable knowing that they will be made aware of any issues that put children and families at risk. Mentors may sometimes be asked to intervene when protégés are having difficulties with a supervisor. In these cases, mentors can help protégés learn to use appropriate communication channels or can help them practice conflict resolution skills. However, it is important that mentors not take sides with protégés against their supervisor. Understanding the similarities and differences between mentoring and supervision and the interplay between the two helps agencies decide which model works best for their structure.

Each agency needs to resolve the issues related to mentoring and supervision on the basis of its supervisory structure, potential mentors, and target protégés. Some programs - depending, for example, on size and location - may not have the luxury of separating mentoring and supervisory roles, even if they wanted to. Regardless of how agencies resolve issues related to mentoring and supervision, it is important that mentor-supervisor dialogue be done openly and with sensitivity. Below are examples of how some Head Start programs have resolved the issue.

Reflective supervision is a term borrowed from the medical, mental health, and social work fields. In these fields, supervisors meet regularly with staff to help them reflect on their work experiences and their reactions to these experiences.

The approach is one of respectful collaboration, dealing openly and honestly with issues that arise in the course of dealing with complex work situations.

Promoting reflective practice is the heart of mentoring - whether done by a mentor-supervisor or a mentor-mentor!

Program
Bi-County Community Action Program Head Start Program (MN)

Are Mentors Also Supervisors?
Yes. Three classrooms at this program's Bemidji site are involved in a mentoring program in which the classroom coordinator supervises and mentors three classroom teams.

Program
Miami Valley Child Development Centers Head Start Program (OH)

Are Mentors Also Supervisors?
Yes and No. Some mentors have supervisory responsibilities, while others don't. The staff development coordinator and the four staff members she supervises in the human resources department serve as mentors. In addition, management staff (program developers for Early Childhood Development, Family and Community Partnerships, and Health/Disabilities) often take on a mentoring role.

Program
Stanislaus County Office of Education Teaching Center (CA)

Are Mentors Also Supervisors?
No. This program uses a teaching center model. Protégés travel to the mentoring site from around the country, almost always without their supervisors. Mentors participate in the initial assessment of each protégé and document ongoing progress, but they do not evaluate protégés in a supervisory sense.

Take Stock!
How will our agency identify and select mentors?

Selection Processes
Some organizations have a structured or formal process for selecting mentors. Others, especially those that choose mentors from within the organization, have a less formal process, one that is based on recommendations by supervisors or colleagues who know the potential mentors well.

The selection process that many organizations use includes the following elements:

• A formal application, which may include a statement from applicants explaining why they want to be a mentor and describing the skills they believe they would bring to the role
• Recommendations by people who know the applicant's work well, such as supervisors, colleagues, parents, the program director, and so forth
• A formal observation of the applicant's classroom, often using a standardized observation tool such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
• A selection committee that reviews the application and chooses the mentors.

The chart on the following page shows the mentor selection processes at five organizations.

Identifying and Selecting Protégés

Although new teachers are an obvious focus for mentoring, an agency can benefit from considering experienced teachers as potential protégés as well. In addition, Head Start programs have many teachers who are transitioning to new roles in the agency. For example, teachers may move from infant/toddler classrooms to preschool classrooms or vice versa. These teachers, too, are a natural fit for mentoring.

Take Stock!
How will our agency identify and select protégés?

Teachers, like children, pass through recognized stages of professional development. And, like children, teachers vary in how long they take to move through each phase. The developmental tasks and training and the mentoring needs of teachers are different in each stage. The stages are as follows:

• Survival
• Consolidation
• Renewal
• Maturity.

Lilian Katz's Stages of Teacher Development (1972)

Potential Protégés

New Staff

New teachers are in the midst of what has been called the "survival stage" of teacher development. They are navigating through the many difficulties of being beginning teachers - handling challenging child behaviors, conducting parent conferences, planning curriculum and activities, and dealing with other complex issues. A mentor can provide a life raft for these new teachers during the crucial first year of teaching.

Experienced Staff

An experienced teacher may volunteer to be a protégé, or a supervisor may ask the teacher to try it out. Experienced teachers who self-select may have passed through the "survival stage" of teacher development and entered what Lilian Katz calls the "consolidation stage." During this stage, teachers begin to identify problems that they would like to solve. Having a mentor may be particularly helpful for teachers in this stage of growth, because mentors can guide them through problem solving, explore resource materials, and help them build reflective practice.

Other experienced teachers who volunteer to be protégés may be in the "renewal stage," which usually begins during the third or fourth year of teaching. In this stage of development, teachers are likely to be able to identify issues they want to work on. They are likely to approach the mentor, rather than have the mentor take the initiative in the relationship. They are looking for new ideas they might gain from visiting other classrooms or family child care homes, watching videos, being videotaped, or reading articles and books. Teachers at this stage are interested in learning from each other, so collegial mentoring works well.

Not all experienced teachers who might benefit from being mentored will volunteer to be a protégé. Some agencies, therefore, may want to include mentoring on the menu of options for teachers whose performance reviews have revealed some areas that could use professional growth and improvement. In addition, some experienced teachers may feel bored with their jobs and will benefit from some new ways of thinking about what they do. Others may have learned some bad habits and may require some supervised practice to get back on track. Experienced teachers who have not volunteered to be protégés may resent being mentored, and this attitude may present some challenges for the mentoring relationship. The mentor may need to work hard to build trust and confidence.

Transitioning Staff

Another category of teaching staff who are potential protégés are those making professional transitions. Teachers in a preschool program may decide to move to an infant/toddler program or vice versa. Head Start agencies support career development, so experienced staff may find themselves accepting the challenge of a new position in Head Start - one with greater responsibilities. Assistant teachers may become teachers, for example, or teachers may become home visitors or education managers. These "transitioning" teachers also will profit from mentoring support in their new position.

Protégé Selection

Although agencies may wish that they could provide a mentor for every teacher who wants one, resources and logistical considerations often put a cap on the number of protégés an agency can realistically support. In such cases, agencies need to develop criteria to narrow the pool of potential protégés and to design a process for selecting protégés that is similar to the process for selecting mentors. Protégés may have to complete an application, meet certain qualifications, be observed using an objective observation tool, or be willing to take a college course. Supervisor recommendations may be a factor. Whether an agency needs a formal process depends on its potential protégés and whether it has a sufficient supply of qualified, trained mentors to meet the needs of protégés.

How agencies identify protégés varies. The chart on the next page shows how protégés are identified at two Head Start programs.

The Washington, DC, Public Schools' Head Start Program has four mentors who work with both beginning and experienced staff, gearing their mentoring to each level. Teachers are divided into three levels:

• Beginning teachers receive more intensive, mentor-initiated mentoring. Mentors really roll up their sleeves and work with these new protégés in their classrooms.
• More experienced teachers also have mentors. These experienced teachers take the initiative in their mentoring relationships, seeking out their mentor's assistance in solving problems.
• Mentors serve as a resource for senior teachers who need new ideas and could benefit from "a shot in the arm."

In addition to offering full-time mentors, the program encourages collegial mentoring whereby teachers share their special areas of expertise with their peers.

Take Stock!
What mentor/protégé ratios will our agency use?

Determining Mentor/Protégé Ratios

Just as teacher/child ratios and class size are important considerations for quality programs for children in Head Start, mentor/protégé ratios are important considerations in developing a mentoring program. A ratio of one mentor to one protégé is the most commonly used ratio for part-time mentors, especially those who are full-time teachers as well as mentors.

Some programs create a position for full-time mentors who work with more than one protégé. These mentors may work with protégés individually or as a group. Sometimes the group consists of a classroom team that has as a mentoring goal an increase in the group's effectiveness in working as a team.

One advantage to having mentors work with protégés as a group is that protégés learn from one another as well as from their mentor. Groups can be designed to bring together people in similar roles with similar cultural experiences and levels of experience or, in contrast, to be as diverse as possible so that they include viewpoints from different ages and genders and from different levels of the organization.

Matching Mentors and Protégés

Both tangible and intangible factors make the mentor-protégé match successful. Some of these factors are obvious. Age group and the setting in which the mentor and protégé work are two defining factors. Infant and toddler teachers need mentors who have experience with infants and toddlers rather than with preschoolers. The content area in which protégés need mentoring is an important factor in matching mentors and protégés. In some cases, protégés may need mentors with expertise in a specific area. Finding the right match is crucial because mentors serve as models for their protégés.

Location also can be an important factor in matching mentors and protégés, especially if they need to find time to meet together for joint observations, planning, feedback conferences, and so forth, although the creative use of modern technology can overcome geographic barriers. Other factors sometimes considered in making the match include protégé goals, and mentor and protégé age, gender, race, culture, and teaching style.

As in all relationships, the subtle, intangible factors that make a mentor-protégé relationship successful are more difficult to define. Personality, that indefinable gray area, definitely has an impact, but it often is unpredictable. Sometimes mentors and protégés click; sometimes they do not. Some relationships that seem tenuous at the beginning develop well as time goes on, whereas others that seem bound for success veer off course.

Some programs have a formal process for matching mentors and protégés, whereas in other programs, the matching is more informal. The chart on the next page gives two examples of mentor-protégé matching.

One useful idea for matching mentors and protégés is to ask protégés what their ideal mentor would be like. A young protégé might enjoy working with an older mentor, thinking to benefit from the wisdom gained from years of experience. Some young protégés, however, might feel that an older mentor might not remember the struggles of being a beginning teacher. Since everyone brings different beliefs and values to a mentoring situation, a good way to find out is to ask!

"We like to match our family child care teachers with mentors who have the same kind of home. We try not to match teachers who have a 'homey home' with teachers whose home is set up more like a classroom."

N.W. Arkansas FCC Association Mentoring Program (H.U.G.S.)

One way to cope with mentoring relationships that don't work out is by designing a "no-fault divorce" that allows mentors and protégés to end a mentoring relationship in a graceful way.

Even if mentors and protégés are matched informally, the process needs to be spelled out:

• Will there be a "meet and greet event" so that potential mentors and protégés can get to know one another?
• Will the agency provide names and profiles of mentors' skills, areas of expertise, interests, and experience to protégés to help them make appropriate choices?
• Who makes the first contact?
• Can either mentors or protégés bow out if they do not feel comfortable with the situation?

Agencies have to design a process that works best for them.

Determining the Length and Frequency of Mentoring Relationships

The frequency, time, and place of mentor and protégé interactions vary according to the protégés' needs and the organization's goals. More structured mentoring programs usually require mentors to spend a given number of hours each week or month with their protégés and have guidelines for how to spend that time. Some organizations have mentors and protégés sign mentoring agreements. Less structured mentoring programs may not have any requirements, leaving mentors and protégés to work out their own arrangements. As mentor-protégé relationships evolve, the amount of time and frequency of contact will change. As protégés become more skillful, they usually require less of the mentor's time. In developing guidelines, think about the following issues:

• How often will mentors and protégés meet? Monthly? Weekly? Daily?
• What kinds of activities will take place during these interactions? (The "Strategies" section of Chapter V gives more in-depth information about how mentors and protégés use their time together.)
• Will other types of interactions, such as group meetings, telephone consultations, e-mail messages, or chat rooms, be used to supplement mentor-protégé meetings?
• How will mentoring be documented?

Take Stock!
How will our agency match mentors and protégés?

Take Stock!
What will be the duration and frequency of the mentor-protégé relationship?

Frequency and Duration of Contact

Factors that influence how often mentors and protégés can meet include the mentor's overall responsibilities, the number of protégés with whom the mentor is working, the protégés' needs, and the location of mentoring.

• Mentor's overall responsibilities. One key factor is the mentor's overall responsibilities. Is the mentor also a fulltime teacher who needs to be free from center-based classroom or family child care responsibilities to observe and confer with protégés? Does the mentor have other responsibilities related to the mentoring role, such as publishing a newsletter or identifying resources? How much paperwork is associated with the mentoring role? Mentors with multiple responsibilities need to schedule and clear time to work with their protégés.

• Number of protégés. A second factor is the number of protégés with whom a mentor is working. Is the mentor working with several protégés at one site? Is the mentor working with several sites? Obviously, the mentor's caseload has an impact on the amount of time a mentor has to work individually with each protégé.

• Protégés' needs. Another factor is the needs of the protégés. New teachers usually need more intensive mentoring than more experienced teachers, which requires a greater time commitment from their mentors.

• Location of mentoring. A fourth factor is the location of the mentoring and whether mentors and protégés are at the same site, are located in close proximity, or must travel to meet. Mentoring can take place at the mentor's site, at the protégé's site, or sometimes at a specially designed teaching site. Again, each option has advantages and disadvantages. If mentors and protégés work at the same site, they may have the option of seizing the "mentoring moment" together, perhaps over lunch or during planning time. But it is sometimes easier to set aside time when a mentor is coming specifically to work with a protégé. Then mentoring has a special time and place and doesn't show up at the bottom of the day's "to do" list, overrun by the seemingly more immediate things that must be checked off first.

The mentoring site for the New Horizons Training Center (NC) is the Training Center facility. Protégés from various programs visit the facility at the start of the mentoring process to meet with their mentor and observe classroom setups and mentor-child interactions. In addition to in-class observations, individual classrooms have observation windows that allow protégés to see classroom interactions without being disruptive. Protégés spend a full day at the facility initially and visit at other times when it is convenient to travel.

Take Stock!
How can our agency support communication between mentors and protégés?

Communication Between Mentors and Protégés

Forms of mentor-protégé communication vary. Face-to-face contact can be supplemented or augmented by telephone calls, e-mail, or even interactive video. The form of communication often depends on the time available for mentoring and on the proximity of the mentor and the protégé.

• Face-to-face contact. Where mentors and protégés are located at the same site or in geographically close proximity, interactions generally are face-to-face. In the Canon City Early Head Start Program in Colorado, for example, mentors spend approximately three to ten hours a week mentoring. In addition, they meet individually for one hour once each month, and every six months mentors visit their protégés for a process evaluation.

• E-mail. In programs with a high mentor/protégé ratio, it is not feasible for mentors to meet face-to-face, which necessitates using e-mail to supplement in-person contact. At the Teacher's Network in New York, for example, which has a mentor/protégé ratio of 1:30, mentoring is accomplished largely through e-mail. This approach fits well with a goal of the mentoring - helping teachers integrate technology into the curriculum.

• Interactive video. When mentors and protégés are geographically dispersed, programs use technology to supplement in-person contact. At the New Horizons Training Center in North Carolina, the Training Center's classrooms are equipped with ceiling microphones and a camera that can zoom in on various activities. Four or five remote protégé sites can view the Training Center classroom at one time in real time. After the observations, mentors and protégés reflect on and discuss what the protégés observed. Discussions occur by means of distance technology. At a later date, mentors and protégés may meet in person. Protégés and mentors also maintain telephone contact.

Duration of the Mentoring Relationship

Another variable in mentoring programs is the duration of the mentoring relationship. Some organizations have a finite time for the mentoring to take place. For example, in the Associated Day Care Services, mentoring lasts for seven months. The Stanislaus County Office of Education Teaching Center in California runs 11 one-week training sessions each year, with continued telephone contact as needed. In other organizations, mentoring continues until the goal or goals are accomplished.

In thinking about this issue, it is important to remember that change takes time and that relationships develop and deepen over time. Although the issue of the duration of the mentoring relationship is certainly intertwined with the issue of resources, developing skills in reflective practice won't happen overnight. It is important to design the program to make sure that protégés have mentoring support until they feel secure.

In some cases, mentoring continues after the formal mentoring relationship ends. In Stanislaus County (CA), for example, mentors remain in contact with their protégés, helping them to accomplish the goals protégés identify at the end of the weeklong training.

Putting It All Together: Mentors and Protégés - Identification, Selection, and Matching

A mentoring program can be put together in many ways. The most important element is having qualified mentors who can play a variety of roles. This section looked at issues to consider in identifying, selecting, and matching mentors and protégés. These issues include such important concerns as whether mentors should be current teachers or supervisors, mentor/protégé ratios, and how mentor/protégé interactions are structured. Each agency must decide how to make its mentoring program fit the agency's unique needs and goals.

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