Celebrating 16 Years of Inspiring and Empowering Child Care Business Owners

It’s Time To Give Your Menus a Healthy Heart Evaluation

02 22 13

February is heart health month, what a great time to think about how to add more heart healthy foods to your menus!

As a child care provider, you are in a great position to assure that children are provided with foods that contributes to healthy hearts.

After all, what you do shapes the future and your decision to serve heart healthy foods will only lead to the world having less heart disease.

Moreover, when parents know that you serve lots of  healthy foods to children; it will cause your childcare business to be more marketable to parents who want their children eating healthier foods.

Today I am going to share with you a list of heart healthy foods to add to your menus:

  • Tuna
  • Brown Rice
  • Blueberries
  • Carrots
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Oranges
  • Tomatoes
  • Cantaloupe
  • Black Beans
  • Oatmeal

That was a small list of heart healthy foods to add to your menus. However, my goal is to give you some ideas of foods to serve to children that leads to kids having healthier hearts.

Here is a “One-Day” Sample Heart Healthy Menu

** Menu meets the Child Adult & Food Program Guidelines

Breakfast

Oatmeal

Blueberries

Skim Milk

Lunch

Tuna Salad (with Light salad dressing)

Romaine Lettuce/Tomato Slices

Canteloupe

Whole grain Brown Rice

Skim Milk

Snack

Carrot/Broccoli

Light Ranch Dressing

Whole Grain Crackers

Tip: Be sure to post menus where they are visible to parents and uploading your menus online is a great way to market your program. Visit: http://www.scribd.com and get those menus online!

Happy Menu Planning,

Shiketa

If you need more menu ideas, be sure to download a copy of my Healthy Child Care Menus eBook.

Category:

Menu Planning

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Staff Turnover in Child Care Centers

02 21 13

staff

In my 10 years of  being a center owner, I have noticed that the child care industry has a very high staff turnover rate. In fact, sometimes I get very irritated at the lack of commitment from many of the staff members, however, I know that I must grow as a leader in order to effectively deal with the challenges that come along with operating a center.

Moreover, I do not look forward to seeing the look on a parent’s face when their child’s teacher leaves the center, however, you must remain professional and  reassure the parent that you are seeking to hire the best teacher for the job.

I  have seen many staff members come and go; some employees have stayed for 3-weeks or less, my longest employed staff member was with me for over 7 years and several employees were on my team for two or more years.

As I think back on what inspired my employees to stay with me; I was  inspired to share with you, what I believe contributes to a High Turnover  and what causes employees to stay with you.

Why I believe that there is a High Turnover in Child Care Center

There are many factors to consider in terms of the staff turnover rate in child care centers and I believe that the top six are as follows:

  1. The Owner or hiring manager must be able  to select the right person for the center. *Every one is not a perfect match for your center
  2. When enrollment is low, Owners are forced to cut hours and this could lead to staff members search for new jobs.
  3. There is a need for more trained early childhood professionals
  4. The Staff members may not respect management
  5. Centers can use more financial assistance to help pay for higher salaries for Early Childhood Professionals
  6. We as Owners must develop vital leadership skills, so that we are empowered to handle staff issues that may lead to a high turnover

7 Ways to Make Your Center a Great Place to Work

  1. Pay your employees more than what they have made at a previous Job.
  2. Offer paid Holidays and Vacation Time
  3. Conduct an Orientation that introduces your new staff members to your center and the other staff members. ** be sure that it is full of excitement
  4. Hold Monthly Staff Potlucks
  5. Plan a fun event for all the staff to come together once a year. (shopping trip, visit a spa, etc)
  6. Be a Positive boss and your employees will be positive
  7. Offer opportunities or financial assistance for the staff to enhance their education
  8. Provide a cool and relaxing place for breaks
  9. Buy lunch 3-4 times a year, your staff members will love it!

For more tips on how to effectively manage staff or tips on how to build a Successful Child Care Center, Check out my ebook: The Art of Owning a Child Care Center.

With Your Child Care Business in Mind,

Shiketa

Category:

Business Management, Child Care Center, Hiring Employees, Staffing

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