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Archive for the ‘Staffing’ Category

Men Can Make Great Child Care Business Owners Too!

The first childcare center that my son attended was owned by a man. In fact, the Owner was very active in his facility and I was quite comfortable with him.

Moreover, he was very nurturing with all the kids and the parents seemed to really connect with him. However, I could not help but to notice that his staff was predominantly made up of women and this caused me to wonder why there are so few men working in childcare.

In 2000, My uncle decided to care for children in him and my aunts home and offered to babysit my daughter Chasity; while I operated my home daycare. I was excited that he offered to babysit her. In fact, he was more than a baby sitter, he completed his CDA Credential, we attended childcare classes together and I gained lots of insight from him on how to be more understanding with my toddlers.

My husband is a co-owner of my center and he loves to stop by the center to give the children high fives. Moreover, he provides me with great business advice and the kids usually see him working around the building. Also, the kids do not hesitate to point out any broken items around the building, because they know that he does all the building maintenance.

According to Men in Child Care Network of Ireland, Children grow up in a society that is focusing more than ever on equality issues. However, many of the children in Childcare are left in a situation where they have no contact with men between 8 am and 5 pm. In fact, The Child Care Network  Ireland believes that there are many benefits to children working around men and they are as follows:

  •  Children benefit because men bring new ideas and ways of working into childcare.
  • Fathers benefit because they have someone to relate to and may feel more at home.
  • Staff benefit because more gender balanced staff
  • Teams gives different ways of looking at issues facilitating different approaches
  •  Having men working in childcare shows children that manliness can include caring

Do you have men on your staff?Do you know of any men that own their very own childcare businesses? If so, what are your thoughts about their childcare program?

Be sure to check out my eNewsletter: The Missing Element in Child Care!

With men in childcare in mind,

Shiketa Morgan

Source article: http://www.childcareonline.ie/files/1237391358.pdf

Category:

Child Care Center, daycare, Men in Child Care, Staffing

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Staffing Your Child Care Center This Summer

Every summer my enrollment increases and this creates a demand  for more staff during the summer time.  In fact, as the enrollment increases during the summer, I see the importance of assuring that my staff is trained on field trip safety, Playground/Water safety and are effectively supervising young children.

Has your enrollment increased? Are you fully staffed? Don’t know where to find qualified applicants? I want to share with you where I find the majority of my teachers……Craigslist!

Craigslist is free and it is an easy and quick way to post your job openings. However, I must say that you must be very specific about what you are looking for in an applicant. For example: Be sure to indicate the amount of pay; education required; hours; if the position is for the summer only; the age group that the applicant will be working with; be sure to list licensing requirements; and request that the applicant sends you a resume.

Before wasting your time scheduling interviews, I find it to be easier to schedule a telephone interview with the top three applicants and screen for the following:

  1. Recent Experience working in a childcare center
  2. Education in early childhood or youth development
  3. Passion for working with children
  4. Classroom management Style and knowledge of health/safety of young children
  5. Positive Attitude!

If your center is not already fully staffed for the summer, I encourage you to give Craigslist a try and my hope is that you find the perfect teachers for your summer program!

With Quality Staff in Mind,

Shiketa Morgan

If you have not already downloaded your copy of the Summer Camp Planning eGuide, get your copy today!

Category:

Staffing, Summer Program

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