How to Build Connection with Daycare Staff

Who are the key members of the team at a SimplySmart location?

For every location, there are four major roles- the children and their parents, then the educators, then the site supervisor, and the executive director. Staff members and educators work hard to create and foster meaningful relationships with parents and children. In order to build a strong mutual connection with the people who take care of their child, a parent must begin to understand what each job entails.

Early Childhood Educators:

Our early childhood educators are extremely passionate about building a brighter future by nurturing the minds of your little ones. Their job is not an easy one, as they must set a foundation for learning by creating a suitable environment for our Montessori and play-based learning programs.

Types of educators include ECAs (Early childhood assistants), RECEs (Registered early childhood educators), OCTs (Ontario college teachers), MACTEs (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education), and CYWs (Child & Youth Workers). There are also additional resource consultants, who come into different locations and connect children with services they need outside of the center and advise educators. Each type of educator plays a different role within a daycare, while RECEs & MACTEs remain at the core of the teaching process.

A typical day in an educator’s job starts early and ends late, as they do everything it takes to create a beautiful space for the children.

The first three hours of their day are usually taken up by setting up the classroom for each child’s success. This includes-

Creating program plans for the day
Setting up activities
Fulfilling public health requirements, Ministry of Education requirements, and regional requirements.

The next four hours of their day consist of meeting program, play, meal, and sleep needs and requirements.

They do their daily programming activities in the morning- indoors and outdoors.
They then set up for lunch and serve it, and then initiate nap time and help children fall asleep.
After this, they must catch up and write all mandatory reports, including daily, process, and incident reports.
Disinfect every item

Every child comes with unique requirements that alter their job. For example, diaper routines and toileting routines change with each child. If a child is potty training, it is important for the child to be able to communicate that to their educator so they can take them to the washroom every as often as they communicate, while maintaining ratios and still teaching curriculum.

It is vital to remember that educators, unlike many of us at home, are not in charge of just one child- instead, a single employee works with three infants, or five toddlers, or eight preschoolers. They truly hold a strong place in their heart for the betterment of children’s learning, and it shows in their dedication to each individual child.

Supervisors:

Supervisors hold an equally if not more, detail-oriented job as educators. Their job consists of:

Answering inquiries
Conducting tours
Supporting staff
Scheduling for the day
Reviewing and acting upon all reports from staff members
Addressing parent concerns
Completing tasks head office has delegated to them
Check compliance with Ministry rules and regulations
Dealing with the city, ministry, and public health administration in the center
Being the Operations leader for the location

Supervisors do everything in their power to ensure that the staff is creating an optimal space for the children, all while reporting to the director. They are our vital middle-men and hold an important place in the organization and for the well-being of the children.

Executive Directors:

The director’s job entails overseeing all of the people listed above. This is inclusive of:

Paving the way for new curriculum and updated learning by attending ministry and association meetings
Overseeing the team
Following broad program requirements
Ensuring the maintenance and purchase of materials
Managing all financial accounting of the center
Purchasing materials for classrooms and furniture upon opening and replacement
Working with the Ministry of Education and the local region to participate in all federal and regional funding and other programs
Designating tasks to people they oversee
Training new supervisors
Hiring staff for all needs
And more…

Executive directors pile a lot onto their plate every day, and manage it excellently. We value our director team, as they manage their Centres.

Why is this important?

By knowing the jobs of everyone on the team at a childcare center, parents are better able to communicate with the right person based on their concerns. As well, to better understand what someone takes on gives parents a great insight into how we create a beautiful environment for their child every day. It additionally showcases the passion each of our employees has for their job.

How to connect:

There are a few key ways to build a great relationship with the educators at your childcare. They are as follows:

Remember they are only human. Educators, like parents, are only human and may make some minor mistakes when dealing with a child- these mistakes should never be major, but small mishaps may happen, and verbal abuse is never an appropriate response.
Remember children can be difficult. We have all dealt with the typical toddler tantrum, and we understand how difficult it is to effectively handle certain types of situations with children- SimplySmart educators are highly trained in this, and will always try their best to deal with things accordingly.
Remember that not everything is in their control. A great example of this is with sickness- one of the benefits of children attending childcare is how they build their immunity before entering the school system. When multiple children are interacting and play all day together, it is normal for them to get a cold. Educators are diligent with sanitization, and this occurrence is completely out of their control. Children will fall sick as they grow up, and their immune systems will build- this should not be a source of anger for a parent.

Remember- if you would not say it to your boss, do not say it to an educator. Verbal and physical abuse will never be tolerated from a parent towards an employee. Educators are people the same way everyone else is, and they will not be subjected to berating. If a parent has a concern to address, educators are very open to working with them toward a resolution together in a calm manner.

How this applies to SimplySmart Childcare and Montessori:

It is important to recall the fact that SimplySmart’s early childhood educators and assistants want the same thing as parents- to foster learning and create the best possible foundation for children to enter the school system. When the goal is common, and everyone cares deeply that it is met, forming a great relationship between both parties comes easily and is vital to the process here at SimplySmart Childcare and Montessori.