As daycare owners and childcare providers fight staff shortage and think of all the creative ways just to remain open and continue providing childcare services, they must also ensure the remaining staff on board are well enough to continue providing much needed childcare.
The State of Childcare Staff
Childcare staff continue to go above and beyond to provide childcare in the midst of continuous staff shortage that have them working more hours, caring for kids right at maximum capacity. They must also fight against the fear of contracting the highly contagious coronavirus variant delta while protecting themselves and the children in their care.
While all of these are happening, it doesn’t help that they continue to be underpaid, not through any fault of childcare providers but through a systemic breakdown.
4 Ways to Provide a Fitting Social and Emotional Support for Childcare Staff
While running a daycare or childcare center has everyone busy from the moment the doors open until way after the kids go home, there are ways to keep child care staff’s social and emotional needs in check and supported while in the workplace. Here are some ways daycare owners and childcare providers can remain in sync with their childcare staff social and emotional needs.
Ask childcare staff for their take on closures and re-opening related to COVID-19.
Since they are the most affected when these temporary measures are put in place, giving childcare staff a voice helps in reassuring them of their place and importance within the daycare or center. They also spend almost all working hours with the children, making them more attuned to seeing symptoms of infection in the children they care for.
Create a survey asking them which social support programs will be most beneficial to them.
Introducing or including social and emotional needs support programs is one thing but if it does not correspond to childcare staff needs, it will simply act as a window dressing benefit that doesn’t actually benefit anyone.
Meanwhile, having a consultative process into which social support programs will guarantee that it addresses what the childcare staff is in most need of and interested in. Periodic surveys will also help in assessing which programs truly help the staff on a long term basis.
Introduce policies that promote social and emotional wellbeing in and outside of work hours.
Being in childcare is a demanding job that encompasses all aspects–from physical to mental and even emotional. Childcare staff must not only be strong enough to manage six or 7 toddlers with boundless energy but they must also have the wherewithal and emotional strength to assist these young developing children.
Thus, to lighten the load on these overstretched workforce, daycare owners and childcare providers must introduce policies that assure childcare staff stay off the clock when they’re off the clock. For example, one policy can be limiting or stopping all work-related communication after working hours.
Create partnerships with local businesses that can provide social and emotional support for childcare staff.
After identifying which programs childcare staff would benefit most from, seek partnerships with local establishments which can help you provide those services for a fraction of the price. Having these partnerships bolsters your childcare business reputation and also helps other local establishments in growing their business.
The Takeaway
The childcare industry has been crumbling even before the pandemic. And as more childcare staff choose to walk away and get employment elsewhere, it rests on daycare owners and childcare providers to ensure that those who continue to work in the childcare business get provided adequate social and emotional support in the workplace.
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