Let's talk Childcare!

Hey families,

I've worked in Early Childhood for over 15 years across three very different centres, this has given me an extensive insight in to the day to day runnings of a service from working with the most amazing educators you'll ever meet to being forced to work alongside some of the worst.

The purpose of this blog is to help you know what to look for when looking for the right care environment for your babe along with little red flag indicators because at the end of the day we shouldn't have to settle for less when leaving our children in the care of others.

SIGNS OF AN AMAZING CENTRE

1. Google Reviews - If it's amazing people will talk about it.

2. Customer Service - How was the first initial point of contact with the Centre? What value did the administration assistant or Centre Manager provide you with? - Stressful/Negative energy = Stressful/Negative service.

3. Orientation (eye opener) - ALWAYS visit the service before enrolling your child and ensure to meet the Centre Manager on your visit. Now orientations are a funny thing, it's a selling point for a service so you're probably going to hear what you want to hear right?! Everyone will be on their best behaviour so you'll have to put on your inspector gadget glasses at this point.

4. Interactions - I've always found that the best Managers really go above and beyond in forming relationships with their team and children. They are usually very down to Earth and you won't feel like your being sold something. They state facts, engage with their service and make you feel like you're at home.

Things to look for when visiting a centre ⬇️

ENGAGEMENT

• How are the educators engaging with the children?

• How are the educators engaging with one another?

• Are the educators engaging with the children at all?

• How do the children engage with one another?

• How do educators react to an upset child?

• Does the Centre Manager acknowledge or engsge with their team? Do they engage with them at all? The best Centre Managers that I've worked with always made the effort to do this it was a true reflection of their Leadership and was key for staff retention because at the end of the day if we as educators are valued and supported we deliver.

• Questions - Write down a list of questions that you have and ask away you are well within your rights.

THE ENVIRONMENT

• Is there an outdoor environment? (Essential for child's well-being)

• How often do the children get to spend outdoors?

• Are their sufficient resources?

• Are children engaging in play with the resources?

• How often does the centre purchase resources?

• Is the environment safe? If you're questioning the safety of an environment that is considered a red flag.

RED FLAGS (exit the service IMMEDIATELY)

• Educators "supervising" with zero engagement to the children

• Ratios - There should never be only one educator with a group of children. This is a legal requirement for your child's safety and for the wellbeing of that educator.

• The sweet talker Manager - The sweet talkers talk absolute poop they sell you the business for their own benefit. Did you know that most Centre Managers get a commission based on occupancy? There is a clear difference between a Centre Manager striving for personal gain versus a Centre Manager that is there to make a difference.

• Staff Engagement - This is a non negotiable if the staff are not engaging with the children that's a serious red flag...exit the centre immediately.

• Phones - Somebody call 000 at no point should anyone apart from the administration assistant be on their phone.

If you have any further questions or queries about Childcare in general I'd be more than happy to chat with you via email at themessyfolk@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for our next blog post as I'll be sharing my favourite local centres with beautiful values shortly 🌸✨