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Finding the right employee for your daycare business is an important task. The first step to finding a great employee is to write an effective daycare job advertisement.  The key is to be as specific as possible to avoid wasting both your time and the applicant’s time. Here are some key components of a daycare job advertisement.

Basic Information:

Include the name of the daycare, and the position you are offering.  Write a few sentences about your daycare’s philosophy and the type of programs you offer. This is important because it allows the client to assess if the daycare is a match for their interests and abilities.

Job description:

One of the important components of writing a daycare job advertisement is to describe the duties for which the daycare provider will be responsible.  Is this a permanent position or a temporary position? Is the job full time or part time?  What age groups of children will the child care provider be responsible for?

Qualifications

Be very specific about the requirements necessary to acquire the daycare position, without exception. This may include the number of years  of experience the applicant has worked in child care,  training required such as cpr or first aid, the ability pass a background check. You may also include qualifications as they relate to personality such as a love of children, a warm nurturing, attitude, creativity, attention to detail, etc.

Salary Details and How to Apply

Provide information about salary and any benefits if applicable. Also provide a statement that details how the applicant can apply for the job. Do you have your own application that you use? Do you require a resume? How will you collect the applications or resumes, by mail? By email? Provide a business phone number so that the applicant can address any questions that were not answered in the advertisement.

Finally post the advertisement in classified ads such as Craigslist, on bulletin boards in appropriate businesses, in the local paper. Then hold interviews for qualified applicants.

Sample Daycare Job Advertisement

Sunshine Daycare is a well-established childcare center in Oakville and we are looking for a childcare assistant to join our team.

This is a permanent part-time position and you will be taking care of children aged 6 months to 4 years. Your duties will include planning and implementing and evaluating high quality curriculum and assisting the daycare owner with providing high quality care.

To succeed in this position you will need:

• At least two years’ experience working in child care setting
• A first aid certificate
• A child and infant CPR certificate
• Ability to pass a standard background test
• A genuine interest in working with children
• A positive, friendly attitude
• A nurturing and loving disposition
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

We offer a salary of $13.50 per hour  and a positive, healthy, fun working environment.

To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to joan@sampleadvertisment.daycare

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How to Handle Daycare Provider Burnout

Children care providers will eventually experience some burnout from their daycare job.  According to Current Topics in Early Childhood Education*, “The quality of care children receive in child care centers is often threatened by “burnout”–the phenomenon defined as a loss of energy and interest in one’s job”.  Jeff A. Johnson, author of Keeping Your Smile and Finding Your Smile Again, discusses daycare provider burnout, its causes and its symptoms.

In part 2 in this OwnADaycare.com interview, Jeff A. Johnson, author of Keeping Your Smile and Finding Your Smile Again, discusses daycare provider burnout, a few tips for preventing child care burnout, and ideas for inexpensive stress relief.

OwnADaycare: What are some ways to avoid child care provider burn out?
Jeff A. Johnson: I am not a doctor, and I do not play one on TV or anywhere else, but my prescription is 10 selfish minutes a day doing something you truly love. If you are a gardener, make time to garden. If you love to dance to 80’s music, dance to 80’s music. If reading in your favorite chair with a cup of tea calms your mind, do that. Taking time everyday to feed your own needs is a great way to ward off burnout, but it is hard to make this a habit. My book, Keeping Your Smile, is intended as a guide to help caregivers avoid burnout.

OwnADaycare: What are some ideas for simple, inexpensive stress relief?
Jeff A. Johnson: Like I said, personal time doing something you love is a big help. That said, I also like meditation and yoga as tools for stress management. They help people find their center and connect to that inner voice that tried to guide us to good choice. (If you like I can dig out a short meditation exercise you can use in your article).

OwnADaycare: Do you have any additional comments/tips?
Jeff A. Johnson: Research says that 30-40% of caregivers leave the profession every year due to stress and burnout, so our profession loses many good people. Helping caregivers manage their stress and avoid burnout has been a big part of my work for the last few years. Aside from the two books I have written on the topic I do about 30 keynotes a year around the country. Another tool I have is a bi-weekly blog focusing on self-care. Many caregivers want to make life changes, but they get so busy with day to day life that they forget to.

Jeff A. Johnson has more than 18 years of child care experience. A former director of a child care center, Jeff A. Johnson became a Family Child Care Provider in 2003 with his wife, Tasha. Jeff travels around the country presenting on topics such as combating stress and burnout in family child care and inexpensive, easy-to-make toys that promote learning. Jeff is the author of the best-selling book Do-It-Yourself Early Learning: Easy and Fun Activities and Toys from Everyday Home Center Materials.

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Daycare Provider Burnout

Eventually, childcare providers will experience some burnout from their daycare jobs.  According to Current Topics in Early Childhood Education*, “The quality of care children receive in child care centers is often threatened by “burnout”–the phenomenon defined as a loss of energy and interest in one’s job”.  Jeff A. Johnson, author of Keeping Your Smile and Finding Your Smile Again, discusses daycare provider burnout, its causes and its symptoms.

OwnADaycare: What is child care provider burn out?
Jeff A. Johnson: Burnout can be a feeling of angry frustration, or a sad emptiness that won’t go away, or a persistent physical ailment. It can be a real smile replaced over time by a forced smile and then a forced smile replaced by no smile at all. It can be waking up and not wanting to go to work or it can be walking into work and quitting. Burnout is a failure to balance your personal needs with the demands you feel the world is placing on you. It is a signal that change is needed, a sign that you are out of balance.

Own A Daycare What contributes to child care provider burnout?
Jeff A. Johnson: Long work hours, low pay, lack of respect for their profession, gaps in training, limited personal and professional support networks, and lots of other things can contribute to burnout, but at its core lack of self-care is the main culprit. Caregivers are incredibly gifted at taking care of other people. In fact many of them are so devoted to caring for others that they neglect their own care. They don’t make time to feed their own needs, to replenish their souls, to follow their dreams, and to live their lives. Caregivers are constantly giving themselves away and very rarely take time to fill up, recharge, and replenish.

OwnADaycare: What are some symptoms of child care provider burnout to look out for?
Jeff A. Johnson: Insomnia, dependence on escape activities, tension with family and friends, headaches and muscle tension, physical ailments, and feelings of boredom or apathy can all be signs of burnout if they become part of daily life. A headache once in a while or a bad night of sleep from time to time is life, but when these things become daily life, there is a good chance burnout is rearing its head.

Part 2 of our interview with Jeff A. Johnson discusses how to prevent daycare provider burnout and simple, inexpensive stress relief. Stay tuned.

* Current Topics in Early Childhood Education, Vol. IV, Lilian Katz (Ed.), Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corp., 355 Chestnut Street, Norwood, NJ 07648.

Jeff A. Johnson has more than 18 years of child care experience. A former director of a child care center, Jeff Johnson became a Family Child Care Provider in 2003 with his wife, Tasha. Jeff travels around the country presenting on topics such as combating stress and burnout in family child care and inexpensive, easy-to-make toys that promote learning. Jeff is the author of the best-selling book Do-It-Yourself Early Learning: Easy and Fun Activities and Toys from Everyday Home Center Materials.

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Once you have some experience and education under your belt, your next question may be “where can I find job at a daycare center in my area”? There are a variety of ways to find a lucrative childcare job.

There are two ways to go about finding daycare jobs online. One is to post an advertisement on an online classified ad website like Craigslist.com.  You may also post your resume on general employment websites such as Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com or HotJobs.com. Posting your resume on the internet is a great way to let a variety of employers know that you are ready and available for work.

Another way to find childcare jobs online is to search in childcare job directories or join on online service that specializes in connecting qualified childcare providers with families, daycare centers, and preschools.

Childcare Job Websites

OwnADaycare: Here you will find an extensive directory of current childcare jobs listed by state and then further searchable by city.

Jobs.net:  A directory of current daycare job listings search able by city and state.

CareProviders:  Childcare providers can create a free online profile, set their own rates and hours. Child care providers can respond to job postings or let families contact them about potential job offers.

Nannyjobs.com: If you’re looking for a nanny job, this is the website for you. First create a professional resume then search for jobs. One you select a job, the service then sends your resume to the nanny agency associated with the job.

GoNannies.com: Register with GoNannies.com. One you have completed your online profile you have the ability to search for jobs and contact families directly, removing the middle man. While membership is free, if you purchase an enhanced membership you will have more member privileges.

Great AuPair: Registration with GreatAuPair is free.  Free registration entitles you to receive free FastMatch and Hotlist emails and allows paid members to contact you directly. Paid members receive direct email and a host of other benefits.

Sitter City: Sitter city connects caregivers and families in need of childcare. Once you fill out a profile, you can search for jobs as well as receive daily job alerts sent to your inbox. This site is great for finding babysitting jobs.

Another way to find child care jobs is through nanny agencies.  Going through a nanny agency is a great way to find a high-quality, stable childcare job. Contact the nanny agency to schedule an interview. The nanny agency will match you with an appropriate family. The family will contact you and you will then complete an interview with a family to make sure you are a good match.

Schools, universities, learning centers, churches, and gyms are also great sources for child care jobs. Many schools and universities have onsite child care centers.   Churches are always in need of childcare before, during and after services. Many gyms offer childcare to their members while they are using the facilities.

Good luck in your job search!

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When searching for nanny jobs or child care jobs, one of the most important tools is your child care resume or CV. The resume is what you will give to potential employers before they ever meet you. This document lists your skills, experience, and education and explains why you are qualified to care for young children.  Creating a resume is fairly simple and an excellent resume can lead to excellent child care employment. Be sure to include the following information on your resume:

Personal Information: The personal information on your resume should include your name, address, home and mobile telephone numbers, and email address.

Objective: Here, you will briefly list the type of job or experience you are looking for.  For example, “Seeking a challenging and rewarding position as a preschool teacher’s aide that will provide the opportunity for me to utilize my experience, training, and creativity to foster growth in young  children”.

Summary of Skills: List the skills that make you a qualified and unique daycare provider. Some examples include having a strong background in early childhood education, your ability to develop age-appropriate curriculum and activities, or your nurturing and mentoring capabilities. List 3 to 4 of your strongest skills in this section.

Experience: Here, you will list the previous daycare jobs you have held. Include the name of the daycare, organization or family you worked for, the location (city and state) and your job title.  You will also include the dates that you held the position. For each daycare job you will create a short bulleted list of the duties and responsibilities that you performed for the job.  For example you may list, “Organized field trips for 20 preschoolers to education venues such as the library, the aquarium, and the petting zoo” or “Developed daily lesson plans” or “Observed and assessed the development of children ages 2-4”. Be specific and succinct.

Education: Be sure to list your high school and college experience. List any degrees you have earned. Also mention any child care certificates or early childhood education units earned from workshops and seminars.

Special Skills: You may want to include a section that lists your unique proficiencies or qualifications that would make you stand out from others. For example, if you have experience working with special education children, if you are Infant CPR and First Aid certified, or if you have special creative talents, be sure to list them in this section.

At the bottom of the resume, include a statement that says “References: Available on Request”. Then, on a separate piece of paper you will create a reference list.  The reference list is a list of former employers or families that you have worked for that can attest to your skills and education and work ethic. List the reference’s name or name of the business, phone number, and email address. An employer will request your reference list if they are interested in gathering more background information about you.

Most importantly, keep your resume short and simple. If a resume is too confusing or too wordy it can easily end up in the round file before the employer ever gets to meet you.  Let your resume let child care centers know that you will be a valuable asset.

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One of the most important child care jobs within a daycare center is a daycare center director. The daycare center director is responsible for the administrative, programmatic, and fiscal operations of the daycare or preschool.

Daycare Director Job Description and Duties

The most basic duties of a daycare director are:

• Staff management Daycare director is directly responsible for hiring, training, and supervising all daycare staff. The daycare director runs background and criminal checks.

• Parent communication: Daycare directors must enroll families and keep clear communication with parents, making sure they understand the daycare program, and keeping them abreast of any issues. The director advising parents of scheduling or routine changes, or implementing new policies.

• Programming and Scheduling: The director is involved with planning schedules, lesson plans, special activities and field trips. They review and approve the activities of all faculty like teachers and teacher’s aides.

• Administrative duties: The daycare director handles billing, budgeting, marketing, advertising, purchasing, and collaborating with community agencies. The director is also responsible for licensing, certification, and accreditation matters.

Daycare Center Director Qualifications

Education and experience required to become a daycare director varies from daycare center to daycare center. Generally, a daycare director should have at least an Associate’s Degree in early childhood education or a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education or Education. He or she should also have about 3 to 5 years minimum experience in daycare administration.

Desired Characteristics of a Daycare Center Director

A daycare director should be able to work well with individuals and organizations as they frequently come in contact with families, staff, government enteritis, volunteers, etc. Therefore he or she should have good interpersonal communication skills. A daycare director should be a good leader and also be energetic, nurturing, well-organized, detail oriented, comforting, flexible, creative, responsive, compassionate, efficient, and culturally sensitive and aware.

Daycare Director Salary:

Finding daycare jobs online is easy! Find daycare jobs and daycare centers to submit applications to in your local area. Browse the daycare directory.

The latest statistics show that the average annual salary across the states for a daycare director varies between $25,000-40,000. As with most jobs, salary will vary depending upon experience and education; more experienced and educated candidates will receive a higher salary. The salary for a daycare director is also higher in states with a higher cost of living.

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Day care centers are one of the places where security is highly valued. With all the children being taken care of each day, it is the day care facility’s responsibility that they make sure that each and every child they handle are in good hands. Especially in these times, it is so hard to trust people. There are news which are coming out involving children who are abused as well as abducted each day. This is why as a day care operator, you need to ensure that you staff members are highly trusted and will not do any harm to the children.

Through technology, you will be able to ensure the safety of the children. There are child care background check tools in the internet which will provide you with the information that you need. There re free websites but there are also some which charge a fee per search. It is highly recommended to search through those websites which as for a fee since they are able to provide you with more information that you need. Do not worry because the fees only range from $29.95-$89.95 which depends on the information that you want to have. The more information, the higher the fee you pay.

Depending on the website, you need to supply them with the information that they are asking for. Most of the time, these websites only require the name, birthday and birth place, but be ready with other information if they are needed. In a matter of few minutes, you will be able to see the information that you need.

What are the information that you will be able to view?
There are so many information which you can view when you conduct background search. If you are wondering what these are, here are some of them:

Criminal Records
This is the top thing which is being looked at buy the employers. These criminal records will give an idea if there are such felonies that the employee may have committed. If the person has been charged by child molestation or sexual abuse, these will be shown in the criminal records. This will help you in deciding.

Credit Report
If the employee has any problems when it comes to finances, this should be looked at. This will prevent theft or kidnap for ransom cases that might happen. Even if he has little money, as long as he is able to manage his finances properly, then there is nothing wrong with that.

Court Records
Court records will provide you with the list of the things he might have done in the past that will affect the way that he works. You will be able to view records for civil judgement, bankruptcies as well as liens.

Social Security Number
This is very important since this will help you in determining if the employee has a valid social security number. You need to know that you are hiring someone who is a registered employee whom you can trust. There are sometimes aliases which are associated with such social security number this is why you need to check these things.

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Hiring staff members for your day care center is not as easy as your think. A day care center is in charge of taking care of children this is why each and every staff member should be screened carefully. Part of this screening is an on the job training that each and every staff member must go through. This will make sure that the staff members have the right knowledge when it comes to dealing with the children. This is very important since childcare mainly focuses on practical skills so each staff must know what they are doing. What should the staff members be trained at? These are some of the things which you should train your staff members in:

Child care and supervision
You staff members should be trained well enough when it comes to supervising the children. Since children can get rowdy and hyper most of the time, it is important that they develop a skill to be able to take care of each and every child. Also, when a child has a problem, they need to be able to provide solutions to these problems such as disabilities or injuries.

Nutrition and Menu planning
Children should be fed with the right amount of nutritious food everyday. This is essential to their development as a growing child. Each staff member should be able to know the principles of the food pyramid and be able to prepare meals properly. Even if they want to have junkfood, the staff members must be able to give them proper food to eat. Besides from this, giving the children the right amount of food will increase improve the development of their bodies. This will make the children healthier.

Safety precautions
Since children are prone to accidents, staff members should be ready and alert all the times. The day care center must always be checked for possible danger zones. They need to be able to think ahead before these will happen. If they see that there is a potential cause of danger coming, they need to do something about it. They should never wait until an accident will happen before they do anything about it. This will only cause more trouble for your day care. Safety is very important especially when it comes to childcare.

Recognizing Symptoms of Illnesses
The staff must be trained to recognize any symptoms to sickness or such. By being able to do this, the child can receive the proper care and rest that they need so that condition of the child will not get worse. They will also be able to give the right medication to the child and ensure that he will get better.

Medication Assistance
Staff members must be trained to give medication to the children. If the children need to drink medicine, the staff members should give the child the proper dosage of the medicine. They are the ones who are in charge in giving the children their medicines to drink so they should also know when to give it to the child.

See: How to start a daycare business

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It’s is time to hire new staff for your day care and you might be getting confused from all of those that might be submitting resumes. As the owner, even if you had 34 applicants, you have no choice but to interview them all. How are you exactly going to pinpoint which are the people who should land a job in your day care? This might seem to be really hard to do, but if you really understand how a day care should be run, you would know what to look for. Here are some of the things that you should check should anyone apply for a job in your day care.

Language Use
Children are such innocent people that those who choose to work in a day care should always be mindful of the language that they use. They should be able to teach the children the right language as well as the right way of constructing sentences and phrases since this is the age where they get to learn how to really talk straight. The staff should always keep this in mind and never use slang or even cursing. As well as the language use, you should always be able to gauge if the person is using child-friendly language that they children can understand.

Tattoos and Piercings
Time has permitted people to accept that there is nothing really wrong with these things. This is a form of expression that we should not care so much about. Unless this would involve your day care, you might want to care about this. Parents are really particular with the neatness as well as the clean appearance of the people who will take care of their children. This is up to you if you are willing to risk this when you accept your applicants. Just make sure that you are going to make sure that parents will not complain for accepting these people.

Practicality
Anyone can be a staff of a day care. Honestly, this is one of the things that people can do in their everyday. Although this may seem to be case, not everyone can be a good day care staff. It is very easy to get a long and know how to watch children everyday but what happens when the staff is faced with an emergency or a situation that need to be addressed right away? You should be able to gauge the ability of your staff that they are going to be ready should there are any situations that calls for instant solutions. You might want to test for their practicality in such situations.

Looking for a day care staff might not be that complicated to do. All you have to do is to remember the things which you have to look for in a staff member. Sometimes you might want to add or lessen you qualifications. As long as you will be sure that you are going to give the best care for the children, then there is no problem about it.

See: How to start a daycare center

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Generally, the hiring process is such a hard thing to go through. As the employer, you may really need to do your research when you hire someone. Expect that you will be receiving a couple of applications from the people and it is important that you know how to hire the right the right people as your day care staff. There are certain qualifications that you have to set when you hire someone in your day care. This should be strictly followed because once you bend the rules, then you might make a mistake when you hire somebody.

The number one people you should beware of are charismatic people. They instantly get the attention of interviewers and since their charisma is very strong, they might get hired because of this and not because of their competency in the field of day care. Don’t get me wrong because there is really nothing wrong with being charismatic, it is just that you need to understand that this is not the only thing that matters when it comes to your day care staff.

For most employers, their success in hiring someone comes with looking for the right people. This means that whoever they are hiring is someone who will be able to pass all the challenges that their work calls for. Should accidents happen, your staff must have the right knowledge when it comes to dealing with these. They should be very well prepared with whatever situation that they are faced with. It is more important that your staff knows the real situations that might happen in your day care rather than knowing if they are highly qualified in as a staff. There is really no use if a person has the best resume or the best personality but will risk the safety of the children in your day care.

I would really suggest if you do have an interview or a test that would allow you to assess the competence of the applicant when it comes to these situations besides from their qualifications. Once you do this, this is when you will understand why you need to hire staff who will know what to do. There are people who might have the most impressive resumes but will not know what to do in such situations. You will find others who may have average qualifications but do know what to do in such events. They would even give or suggest ways that may seem to be very effective.

As the employer, you should always be aware of how you should hire your staff. It is more than important that you ensure that the staff you hire are the best because they do contribute to your day care’s success. Even if you do have the most impressive day care services, your day care will still be affected if your staff will not know what to do. Trust me, this is a proven fact that you should always be aware of so do not just settle for those who might seem to be charismatic or highly qualified, choose the ones who will be able to bring out the best in your day care.

See: How to start a daycare business

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