Abstract:
This study had three objectives: 1) to study the components of smart early childhood development center management under Ban Klang Subdistrict Municipality, Chiang Mai Province ; 2) to study the current conditions, problems, and needs of smart early childhood development center management under Ban Klang Subdistrict Municipality, Chiang Mai Province ; and 3) to develop and validate a management mechanism for the smart early childhood development center under Ban Klang Subdistrict Municipality, Chiang Mai Province. The study was divided into three phases. Phase 1: The study of management components by synthesizing concepts and theories from 10 scholars and validated by 5 experts through focus group discussion. Phase 2: The study of current conditions, problems, and needs through in-depth interviews with 11 target participants, consisting of 1 Director of the Education Department, 4 teachers, and 6 child caregivers. Phase 3: The development and validation of the management mechanism by 5 experts who verified its accuracy, appropriateness, and feasibility. The study results can be summarized as follows: 1. The components of smart early childhood development center management under Ban Klang Subdistrict Municipality, Chiang Mai Province consisted of 5 main components: 1) digital era leadership, 2) efficient management, 3) qualified personnel and professional development, 4) quality curriculum, and 5) innovative media and information technology. All 5 components were validated by experts through the consensus method. 2 . Current conditions, problems, and needs from in-depth interviews revealed that Ban Klang Subdistrict Municipality Early Childhood Development Center had good management conditions and basic technology use, but faced problems with high administrative workload and shortage of support staff (IT, finance), and administrators still lacked clear digital vision and goals. The needs included a comprehensive information system (ERP), increased IT personnel, advanced digital skills development for personnel, and procurement of necessary technological equipment such as tablets and interactive boards. 3 . The smart early childhood development center management mechanism developed consisted of 4 parts: 1) principles and rationale, 2) objectives, 3) management process based on the Deming Cycle (PDCA) covering all 5 components, and 4) success conditions. The validation results by experts showed that the developed mechanism achieved consensus in all aspectsaccuracy, appropriateness, and feasibility indicating that the mechanism is consistent with academic principles, suitable for the context, and practically implementable.