Are you ready to create a happy and productive teaching team? The 5 Day Team Transform Challenge Click here for audio.

My name is Tish Nilan and I have been a successful childcare center owner, director, and preschool teacher for over 20 years! I have studied early childhood education and motivational psychology for years and have become and expert in this area. I have learned though the years that the key to a successful and positive program is your staff. Managing a childcare center involves wearing so many hats; staff support, licensing, marketing, finances, facility maintenance…the list goes on and on and staff support and training can fall to the bottom of the list despite our best intentions.

Day # 1 Challenge Understanding Why Staff Appreciation & Motivation so Important. The Cost of Staff Turnover Financially and Emotionally. Learning the Keys to Creating Great Culture & Teaching Teams. Day #1 Worksheets Calculating your staff turnover rate. Where are you now and where do you want to be?

Why is Staff Appreciation & Motivation so Important? In a childcare and preschool environment our staff are the face and voice our families meet with every day. Our staff members are our “ambassadors” to our families. For them to demonstrate a school environment that is caring, warm, and stimulating they need to be happy, positive, and enthusiastic about their jobs and the program. Strong emotional attachments allow children to develop a sense of trust and to build healthy relationships with other people. Staff turnover has high costs for owners, directors, co-teachers as well as the families in your early childhood program.

The Cost of Staff Turnover The cost of hiring and training new employees. The extra work your other staff members must do to compensate from staff who leave. The disruption in consistency of care and education of your students. The potential loss of families due to upsetment with constant staff changes.

The Financial Cost of Staff Turnover It is estimated that the average cost for an $8.00 an hour employee is $5,500.00 The childcare industry has one of the highest turnover rates in the United States, it is estimated to be between 30%-40%.

The Keys to Creating Great Culture & Teaching Teams The childcare industry typically offers a low pay rate and low level of benefits. The good news is that people who work with children are there for more than money. It is commonly believed that money is the most important motivator for employees. Financial rewards do matter but people are truly motivated by other factors. Doing Something Meaningful: It is crucial that your team members know that what they do has true value and importance. Educating and caring young children is a critically important job. Your team needs to be reminded of the importance and value of their work. Career Advancement: To sustain high levels of motivation from your employees you must develop programs and systems where career advancement is a possibility. Trusting Leaders: If you believe in your staff show them! Independence at work is a big motivator for many employees. Our staff members educate kids, they aren’t kids! Trust your employees; make job expectations clear and then allow your staff the freedom to decide how they’ll do it. You may be surprised at how much you are able to develop talent when you stop micromanaging. Encourage your staff to share ideas to improve school operations and children’s learning.

Regularly Recognize: A common thing many great managers do is to regularly offer recognition to their employees. Recognition does not need to be grand; verbal praise, notes, and little treats are effective. The most important factors are to do it frequently and public ally. Build Relationships: You may not be able to offer high end compensation or quick career advancement, what you can offer is a workplace that fosters friendship, support, and caring. It is crucial to develop a workplace that is fun and engaging. Sponsor events that develop team building. It is simple to offer Pizza Lunch Fridays, Teacher Night Out and other fun and friendship developing get-togethers. Goal Setting and Applause: You and your team should set both short and long-term goals. Goal setting creates expectations and improvement. When goals are achieved celebrate and acknowledge everyone’s hard work and success. Applaud the team effort and benefits of the goals accomplished.   No-No Negativity: One bad apple can ruin the bunch! If you have a staff member who is constantly critical and negative, you must be proactive and address the situation. Your staff needs to be a team that supports one another and tackles challenges head on. A staff member who does not want to work towards improvement is a detriment and will bring down your whole team.

download the day 1 worksheets. Ready, set, go… download the day 1 worksheets.