Analyst Team Reports

Developing Structures, Systems, and Policies

Staff Appreciation Day
E-mail pictures of child on their first day
Feedback from parents by e-mail
Exchange network for families moving to other countries
Government funded resource people to work with parents
Complaints department needs to be shared so no one burns out
Dale Carnegie courses to help staff communicate
If no solution to problem, tell parent that you would be pleased to take problem forward (not “I can’t help you”)
Random acts of kindness
Capacity building through training
Extending to community members and parents

Structure of organization very important
Must have a passion and commitment to children to provide the positive experience that children need
Multi-site operators need to give back to the community
Professional development — what they need, what they want
Program Directors don’t do paperwork
Every child that starts at the center gets five free swimming lessons
An interesting question, “Is evolution to structure vital to childcare?”
A structure for setting in place a shared set of values, capabilities, and offerings is required. However, over-regulation will be a stumbling block for growth and progress. As such, when developing structures and policies a degree of flexibility and feedback needs to be built in.
To attract future childcare provider professionals, recruitment talks in high schools are effective.

Administration exists to support staff who work with the children to deliver high quality care
ABC bought Children’s Courtyard but didn’t change the name of the centers
Lab schools have been set up in each region as a training center for teachers

Leadership development goes along with growth
Start with a leadership program — curriculum development
Promising parents what they will do
Accountability — doing what they promise
Development of problem solving skills
10 weeks, evening program within first 3 months of employment
Scholarships for children who had attended their center
Policy of requiring immediate staff feedback
Policies are important and must be staff-friendly enough to allow sincere participation from those involved. Motivation and retention of staff is also important.
Structure not as permanent — can’t be static
Leadership development
Grow their own leadership; career development
Critical factors: quality/empathy/efficiency/service
Keeping up with changing environment — regulatory
“Tell Us Back” — make sure new staff can talk the talk
Internal radar system — collective brain
Develop efficient problem solving skills — Think Tank
Stepping Stone University — mandated for all staff:
- 10 week training program
- 1 night per week during probationary period
- culture of consistency
- quality roadmap
- promise to parents — provide care as if for my own
Have a reward system when doing their quality review
Everyone considered a leader:
- What’s your decision-making system?
- What kind of push break did you exp. as you moved to alignment?

Four key values:
- quality
- empathy
- efficiency
- service
Critical success factors:
- incredibility common things
- quality
- empathy
- efficiency
- service
Facilities are the grounding factor in the service delivery
Structure, while it provides the framework, must be flexible to meet individual community needs
Policies must be relevant to the community they operate; important for multi-site services that it is not one size fits all
Exist to support the work of managers and front line staff
Lab Schools — services of excellence that are used for training staff
Master teachers to act as mentors for less experienced staff
Teacher Awards — rewards good work performance with staff development opportunities
Structure should not be permanent
Leadership is an essential ingredient
Needs to be a balance between education and business