If you’re like me, you may not be stocking up on school supplies, organizing carpools, or planning lunch box menus for the start-up of the school year. But perhaps you are gearing up to find the right child care center in the near-future.
The process of finding a good child care provider – especially for the first time – can be incredibly daunting.
One of the best periods of my life was the four years I worked in a child care center. I didn’t yet have the responsibility of having my own children, but I spent my days immersed in the lives of other peoples’ kids. It was then that I became convinced that not only is excellent child care out there, but under many circumstances it can be extremely beneficial for children.
Now when I think of child care, I think in terms of my perspective as a mother and my perspective as a former child care provider. I’ve written before about how to choose a child care center, but I wanted to narrow it down a bit today and share about a specific aspect of choosing your care: what to look for in the employees of a child care provider.
I’ve actually modified (with permission) the following points from a comment that my former boss left on my original post. Based on Sue’s 35+ years of experience, she believes that good employees can make or break a child care center, and I could not agree more. I thought her insight was too good not to share.
4 critical areas to consider when evaluating the employees of your child care provider:
1. How long have the current teachers been working there? The security and consistency that comes with the same teachers year after year is huge. Many children these days have enough change going on in their own homes, so they desperately need continuity from their caregivers. It’s not uncommon for childcare workers to burn out after 3-6 months {think hard work, often with minimal pay and no benefits}, so finding a center with long-term employees speaks volumes about the employees and the center as a whole.
2. What has the director done to ensure that she {or he} has attracted the best employees? What are some of the things that encourage longevity of employees? How does their pay/benefits/etc. compete with other centers in the area?
3. What is the highest priority that the director is looking for in an employee? Education? {Note from Sue: Sure, education is a good thing, but is it the most important? I’ve hired people with master’s degrees and let them go after a few weeks.} Natural affinity for children? Understanding of child development? Sense of humor? Commitment to the children? Ability to work with others in a confined space? Patience, kindness, nurturing?
4. How do the adults work together? {This one is perhaps best observed, not just asked.} Is there warmth and affection between people? Is there a lot of sarcasm? Are the employees cynical with each other? Is there understanding and friendship and support between staff members?
More than schedules and menus and curriculum {although of course these things are important}, having confidence in the staff of the center will be what really puts your mind at ease when determining if it’s a good fit for your family or not. Child care employees are not just teachers and music leaders, booger-wipers and craft-instructors; they are our children’s role models.
Friends, what was most important to you in finding a childcare center for your kids? If you’re new to the search or haven’t quite begun but plan to soon, what is your biggest concern with choosing?
P.S. My former boss, Sue, is the founder and director of The Cottage Daycare in Bend, Oregon. In my opinion, it’s the very best child care center I’ve ever seen in operation.
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