The Child Care Business Owner Institute

Celebrating 16 Years of Inspiring and Empowering Child Care Business Owners

The “Bear” Necessities of Choosing the Right Staff

08 03 12

Seek to hire people who loved their previous Job

I titled this blog post after a book that I am reading called, The Bear Necessities of Business, written by Maxine Clark. Just in case you do not know who Maxine Clark is…She is the Founder and Chief Executive Bear at Build a Bear Work Shop.

I bought Maxine’s Book, The Bear Necessities of Business about five years ago while on vacation in Chicago from one of the Build-a-Bear Workshops. In fact, I was inspired to buy Maxine’s book, because I was quite impressed with the company that she created with the help of a great team.

Earlier this year, I went on a field trip to the St. Louis Galleria Build-a Bear Workshop with my preschool graduates and I was loving the spirit of excellence throughout the store. Moreover, I really enjoyed working with the staff at the Build-a Bear work shop. The staff was so friendly, very knowledgeable about their job and seemed to really enjoy working at Build-a-Bear Workshop. Furthermore, the trip to that store, inspired me to read Maxine’s book again, because I really enjoyed the experience and that’s what I want to give my customers…an Experience.

The night before I wrote this blog post, I was reading a chapter of Maxine’s book and came across a statement that inspired me to evaluate the questions that I ask applicants during the interview process. Maxine wrote: “I am not interest in bringing on people who hated their last job. I want to hire those who loved where they worked and came to us with great habits and ideas they have learned on the job.”

Maxine, also suggested that you hire people who have worked for great businesses that you respect and admire. In my case, that would be Kinder care Learning Centers, Head Start and any Accredited Child Care Facility, because I know that the teacher has worked in a Quality environment.

Also, Maxine recommends that you ask those you hire this question: “What are we not doing that your previous employer did?

WOW!!! I think this is the answer to the job turn-over in the childcare field. What do you think? Do you know how much trouble that you and I can save ourselves if we simply ask the question: So, how did you feel about your last job?

I agree with Maxine 100%, because I recently hired a teacher that loved her previous job and she came to work with me for the summer and she loves her job. In the past, I hired teachers that hated their previous jobs and they hated working for me.

In summary, I think Maxine shared a golden nugget by mentioning the fact that she does not seek to hire people who hate their previous jobs. So, now when you schedule your next interview, be sure to ask: So, how did you feel about your last job?

What do you think about Maxine’s Philosophy about not seeking to hire people who hate their former jobs? Do you plan to ask the questions mentioned above during your next interview? I look forward to your comments below.

Be sure to get your copy of Maxine’s Book, The Bear Necessities of Business Today! Don’t forget to schedule your next field trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop!

With your business in mind,

Shiketa

Category:

Employee Management, Staffing

EarlyChildhood Education Helps to Improve the Quality of Care

07 30 12

In recent news, a school-age boy in a Mississippi Child Care Center was left alone with some infant/toddlers. During the time that the 9-year old was left alone with the toddlers, he repeatedly hit and kicked the toddlers.

As I watched the video, I felt sick to my stomach. In fact, after watching the video, I became angry at the fact that this abuse happened in a childcare facility. Then I thought about the qualifications of the caregiver that was responsible for those infant/toddlers.

In my years of working with children, I have discovered that hiring qualified early childhood professionals assures that the children will receive high quality care and education.

In most states, the requirements for teachers are very minimal. For example, in the state of Missouri where my childcare center is located, the bureau of childcare only requires the following for childcare workers to work in a childcare center: (not including directors)

12 training hours a year
Hepatitis A
PPD Skin Test
Back Ground Screening
Physical

You may have already noticed that college education is not a requirement to work with children. However, in the public school system, the teachers must have a Bachelor’s Degree along with continued professional development hours.

Studies have shown that the most crucial ages of brain development is between the ages of 0-5; however, our young children are in the hands of under educated professionals everyday.

When I started my home daycare in November 1998, it took me a little over a year to realize that I must go to school to be educated on how to effectively care for young children. In 2000, I enrolled in a Child Care field based program through a Local Community college, which paid for my early childhood education. After completing nine college credit hours in early childhood education, the quality of my program improved dramatically. Furthermore, after only completing 12 college credit hours in early childhood education, I was ready to move my preschool out of my home to provide quality care to more children.

I shared my story with you to say, that I believe that having formal early childhood education improves the quality of care that children receive.

If you own a childcare center, I want to challenge you to reflect on the educational requirements of the staff. If you are not happy with the quality of care that your staff provides; raise your educational standards.

Are you a home provider? If so, I challenge you to consider taking some early childhood classes or work toward receiving a CDA Credential. As you further your education, you will feel more like a Preschool teacher and the quality of care that you provide will begin to improve as you begin to implement the knowledge that you receive for a formal education.

If you are worried about the cost of a formal college education, I suggest that you check with your local Child Care Resource and referral agency for some financial assistance . **Be sure to inquire about a T.E.A.C.H Scholarship.

Also, the United States Government offers Pell Grants to help pay for college and you or your staff members just may qualify.

Finally, I want to leave you with this formula that I developed about 6-years ago and I strongly believe it is the key to quality care:

Educated+ Trained Early Childhood Professionals =Quality Child Care

I look forward to reading your thoughts about this blog post. Feel free to share your goals to improve the quality of care in your childcare business. Thanks for all that you do for young children!

Shiketa Morgan

Resources to Improve the Quality of Care

Naeyc

NAFCC

Quality Child Care Center eClub

7 Steps to High Quality Care eCourse (Free )

Family Home Child Care Empowerment eClub

Early Childhood Investigations (Free Webinars)