Mandatory Skills All Childcare Teachers Need

Skill #1 – Health and Safety. You want to have a process that’s streamlined to ensure that before a team member walks into your classroom, they can meet your minimum health and safety guidelines. 

Skill #2 – This person should have effective communication skills, written and verbal. The reason why we say that is because utilizing our system here at the School Of Systems, a person must be able to effectively write and communicate effectively in the classroom because a lot of our training has to do with them being able to let us know where they are in the process, how they are doing and what they’re thinking.

Skill # 3- They must be fast learners. You know, just like I know that there’s so much information that must be taught in a childcare setting. So if a person is a fast learner, they’ll definitely be a great person to continue to train. 

Skill #4 – They must be finishers when it comes to these foundational skills. This is something that no matter where they’ve worked, if it can transfer over into working in a classroom.

A person must be a finisher, willing to finish what they start. Because in child care, we all know that tomorrow has enough business of its own. 

So it’s best to work with people who will complete their tasks, complete their assignments, complete their checklist, complete their opening processes, and complete their closing processes. If they are a finisher, then they’ll get it. They will get what you want to have done in your classrooms. 

QUESTION: HOW does this have anything to do with working with the children? 

ANSWER: These are interpersonal skills that you want for a person to come to your program and possess these skills in order to run a program that’s managed based off of systems. 

Secondary Skill Set

During this process you haven’t asked them anything about their skill set when it comes to working with children, that skill set is secondary. 

Because one thing I know is if you hire a fast learner, a great communicator, both written and verbal, a finisher, and if they have the basics health and safety knowledge then I know that you will be able to teach them your processes and systems.

You know, just like I know, we’ve gone the route of finding people who have worked in the childcare field, who have an educational background, and we’ve put them in the classroom, but yet, they’re not fast learners. They don’t have the proper communication skills. They quit on you and you like, ‘Why did you just quit? You’ve got a whole bachelor’s degree in early childhood care and education. Why didn’t you just talk to me?’ 

So I’m not just saying that because they have a degree. They’ll quit. Anybody will quit. 

However, I’ve learned that the positions that I needed to fill to have continuation and retain people in my organization could not be based on their educational background. It had to be based on skills and then became willing to create the proper leadership academy to give them the skills that they needed. 

I hope that I have inspired you in some way. Meet me live on July 13th for the School Is In Session event.

And as always, remember, if you manage the childcare business that you love, you will love the childcare business that you manage.