In this industry, I see too many of you hire out of desperation because you are in fear of being out of ratio. The people you hire in order to quickly meet ratio usually are not vetted to be sure they are aligned with your school’s culture and values, and they rarely undergo a proper onboarding process to set them up for success.
Hiring quickly just to make sure you can meet ratio will inevitably lead to high staff turnover, resulting in families leaving because they are unhappy with the instability of care their child is receiving. I know no one in the child care business can afford to simultaneously loose staff and families, so we need to break the cycle of falling victim to hiring out of panic.
In today’s video, I share with you one of the biggest game changers for your school – having a thorough onboarding process. If you implement the onboarding tips I share with you in this video I can assure you that you will drive stability and the quality of care in your child care business.
Here Are the Key Takeaways From This Video:
- Two core hiring principles are 1.) always be hiring and 2.) never hire out of desperation or fear
- Once you have your onboarding system in place, always explain it to candidates during the interview process. This way the candidate knows what they are potentially getting themselves into and can better determine if they truly think they will be a good fit for this position and business.
- Always strictly follow the onboarding process that you shared with candidates during the interview process and do your best to avoid throwing them surprises throughout it. By doing this you will create an instant sense of trust between you and your new hire and they will see first hand the importance of carrying out the policies and procedures put into place at your school.
- Create an interview checklist or interview scorecard of some type that is unique to your school’s culture and values and use the same one during every interview. If you have multiple locations make sure that everyone on your leadership team that is conducting interviews is using this same checklist/scorecard as well to accurately measure the desired qualities of candidates.
- Relationship Roadmap: Real-World Strategies for Building a Positive, Collaborative Culture in Your Preschool by our very own Sindye Alexander, with over 25 years of experience in early childhood education, is a powerhouse resource of tips and ideas to choose from to incorporate into your onboarding process.
