How To Prevent Poor Classroom Preparation

Are you a childcare business owner, and you struggle with your team completing their lesson plans on time, working effectively in a classroom with the children, and being prepared for the next business day? If so, I know exactly how you feel, and I know exactly where you are.

I remember when I started my childcare business how I would go into my classrooms and feel overwhelmed because nothing in my classroom met my standards. My teachers would come to work, and they would do lesson plans that were not hands-on, and the lesson plans would be turned in late. As a result, my vision for the children was not coming forth as I wanted, as I thought it would be. Along my journey, I began to think of ways on what I could do to solve my problems. I realized that there was poor classroom preparation from my team.

In order for them to prepare to do exactly what I needed them to do, I had to become a better leader. I truly believe that proper preparation equals better performance. As that slogan and thought began to run throughout my mind during meditation time, it dawned on me that this is where my time needed to be put. It needed to be put into a place where I was properly preparing my team for success. To properly prepare my team for success, I created the 3-Step Process.

Within my 3-Step Process, you’re going to find clarity and insight on what you can do to help your team, and to help them become prepared for opportunities.

Step 1, I began to write out my plans. It was hard for my team at first to have me come to the table with only words. I did a lot of talking, but nothing was written down, and it made it very hard for my team. My team was not able to remember every single thing that I said. At the end of the day, some things I said I didn’t remember. That’s why I began to create my plans in writing. I utilized my Staff Quarterly Agenda to help me capture my ideas and capture my notes for what I want to be implemented in my classrooms.

I then give my standards to my team in writing so that they can execute it right away. I plan, usually, on Sundays for every single thing that I want to happen in my childcare business in the next coming weeks. By doing so, when I meet with my team, I’m clear. I’m organized. I can give my team a plan so that they can follow the plan and implement exactly what I want in the classrooms. Organizing my meeting, organizing my curriculum, organizing my plans has caused my team to be held accountable for their actions and to be clear on what to do to prepare my classrooms for success.

Step 2, Create a consistent path for staff to follow. One of the danger signs that I found that kept my team from performing up to my standard was an inconsistency in meeting with my team. Being inconsistent with meeting with my team caused my team to not take my directions seriously and to not meet my requirements. Can you imagine meeting with someone about your childcare business sporadically and how your results will be sporadic? That’s exactly what I learned. I learned that without a consistent flow from meeting with my team, it was causing them to be sporadic in their results. I am a true believer that it takes 21 days to develop a habit and 21 days to break one. I decided to work closely with my team and to stay on track with giving my team a path to follow so that they could develop the habits that come along with successful classroom setup and planning. By meeting with my team and creating a path for them to follow, throughout my meeting agenda, it caused me to see my team was more effective with me being a leader that created a path for them than it was without me being a leader that created a path.

Step 3, Created checkpoints for staff accountability. By utilizing my Staff Quarterly Agenda, it caused me to create dates for when I want things accomplished, times for when I’m going to come in a classroom, and to check for accountability. It also caused me to create an reward system for my team when they  do what they were asked to do. By doing this, my team was held accountable for getting things done, and I didn’t wait until the last minute to check to see if things were done. By creating my checkpoints, I could go into my classroom and check in advance to see what was done to be sure that we’re in preparation mode to get to the end result, to get to the completed goal that I’ve set for my team.

These checkpoints really changed how my team values my direction. Not only did it show them that I value what I asked of them, but it showed that their commitment level is the reason why we have the results that we have in our childcare classrooms. Had I not had my Staff Organizer/Quarterly Agenda, I would not have been this organized. I would not have had all of these solutions and tools in place to help my team with proper preparation in the classroom. One thing I know is that proper preparation leads to better performance and increased productivity.

If you want your team to get on one accord with your vision and with your goals for your childcare business, you must create a path that your team can follow. You must write out your plans, and you must create checkpoints.

By utilizing the Staff Quarterly Agenda, it will provide you as the owner with the path to follow so that you can then give the path to your team. This is one of the greatest tools that I’ve ever used in my childcare business to help me stay focused on what really matters, and to give it to my team in an organized and predictable way so that they can create the results that I believe I’m ordained to do in my childcare business. I truly believe that you should get your Quarterly Agenda today.