Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) directors are crucial for sustainable quality ECCD centre management, leading to a focus on efficient 21st-century practices. Planning principles are essential for managing the complexity of early childhood education services. This paper aimed to explore how ECCD directors plan management activities in their centres in Ghana. The study was conducted in sixteen ECCD centres located in five metropolitan and municipal districts within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study involved 20 participants, including directors/head teachers and board members, selected using a purposive sampling strategy. Data were collected through interviews and document reviews. Although evidence from the study showed that ECCD directors put much effort into managing their centres, the study found that ECCD directors experience various challenges concerning applying the basic management principle of planning at their centres. In this article, the authors contend that planning is a crucial management function that sets achievable goals in line with the ECCD centre's vision and provides direction for actions to achieve ECCD goals. In addressing the identified challenges, the researchers developed a systems-based planning framework to guide directors in their planning roles at the ECCD centres.

This study investigates the organising practices of directors in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres, focusing on Ghana and offering insights applicable to global contexts. The research examines how directors manage resources, define tasks, delegate authority, and align organisational functions to achieve operational and educational goals. From the findings, four key themes emerged: resource allocation and management, task definition and role assignment, delegation and authority, and functional integration and task alignment. Public centres demonstrated greater efficiency due to clearer role definitions and effective delegation, while private centres faced challenges such as limited resources, role ambiguity, and reluctance to delegate authority. Task alignment with organisational goals and resource optimisation were found to be critical for maintaining operational coherence and meeting educational objectives. As a major contribution, the study develops an Integrated Organising Framework to guide ECCD directors in addressing these challenges. The framework offers practical strategies for improving resource allocation, clarifying roles, and fostering organisational alignment, particularly in resource-constrained settings. By addressing identified gaps, this framework provides a systematic approach to enhancing service delivery, staff performance, and operational efficiency while remaining adaptable to policy changes and diverse community needs.