You’ve gotten yourself ready for the upcoming school year at your childcare center. You've reflected on the past year and found things to improve on for the upcoming season. You’ve taken time for yourself and touched on training that can make your business efforts even more effective. Now, it’s time to turn your gears toward your staff.
Childcare providers of all levels can experience burnout, and it’s important to eliminate this as much as possible before the new school year begins. Below, we’ll dive into three easy-to-implement ideas to ensure each and every one of your staff members feel prepared and motivated for the back-to-school season.
This may be the most time-consuming step, but it’s absolutely essential to talk with your staff individually before a new school year begins. Remind them of the good that they’ve brought to your business and to the children they work with. Then, check in to see how they’re feeling about the new year.
Don't take it personally if a staff member is feeling burnt out or overwhelmed. After all, as rewarding as it is, childcare can be a difficult field to work in. Instead of letting it add to your stress, dig in to discover the root cause of their burnout and brainstorm how you can help.
Is your staff member feeling overwhelmed due to behavioral challenges that they aren’t properly trained to handle? Do they need a few days off before the new year begins to refresh their spirits or handle a personal concern? Do they not feel that their hard work is being noticed?
Once you find the cause of their struggle, it will be easier to see what the staff member needs to move forward happily into the new school year.
By offering training to your staff, you are not only providing a refreshed sense of motivation but also equipping your care providers with the skills that they need to create a happier and healthier childcare environment.
You could offer basic training like First Aid, CPR, and SUIDS so your staff members do not need to find the time and funds to complete the courses elsewhere.
You could also zero in on common concerns in your childcare business and offer unique training opportunities. Wonderschool, for example, offers the following videos and more at no cost:
Consider taking a staff in-service day to watch a few training videos as a group. Leave time to address questions after each session and provide tips to implement the information in your learning environment.
Gifts are one of the easiest ways to make staff members feel noticed, appreciated, and inspired. Consider providing something on the first day of back-to-school programming as a “thank you” for the hard work they’ve committed to putting in.
A few fun ways to welcome teachers back to school include:
All in all, a little effort goes a long way when preparing and motivating your childcare staff members for the back-to-school season. Make sure you understand how each and every one of your teachers is doing, as well as what you can do to best support them personally. Provide relevant training before the year begins and start the first day with a small gift. We’re confident that these efforts will make all the difference in your goal to create happy staff members and a smoother school year for all involved.
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