Preschool directors know that every employee at the school contributes to the education and experience children receive. From the teachers to the aides to the cafeteria workers, every single person plays a role in making the school great.
National Child Care Provider Day is the Friday before Mother’s Day (May 11 this year), which is the ideal time for directors to show how much employees are valued. Here are 10 ways to celebrate this special day with the people who make your school so very special.
Gratitude board: Set up a whiteboard at the entryway with markers and invite parents who are dropping kids off to write a note of gratitude for staff. By the end of the day the board will be filled with thoughtful comments.
Cater breakfast: Start everyone's day off right by catering breakfast. Let staff know they can come in early and enjoy food and hot drinks before the kids arrive.
Give a hand: Skip the administrative work for the day and rotate going into each classroom to help out. Allow the aide to take a long lunch while you cover her duties. Scrub up and get chopping in the kitchen to help the chef out.
Favorite things: Set up a time during the day to excuse teachers for 20 minutes and have circle time with kids. Then ask each child to share their favorite thing about their teacher, writing each contribution on the chalkboard for when the teacher returns.
Local news or radio nominations: Media in many cities have programs that allow you to nominate teachers for special designations. Take the time to nominate a teacher that's made a big impact this year.
Thank-you's: Help teachers plan a lesson about just how many people are needed to make the school work. It's more than just teachers; it's the janitors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, recess monitors, etc. Then help students color pictures as thank-you's to hand out to these hard-working folks.
Chalk affirmations: Grab the kids' chalk and get up early to mark up the exterior walkways with kind words to show staff you care. For example, "Awesome staff enter here" at the entryway delights everyone in the morning.
Staff shout-outs: In the lounge or break room, create a board for staff to write shout-outs to each other. Write simple instructions and provide markers and sticky notes in a variety of colors. You may want to do a few for examples and then others will follow your lead. This creates a wonderful environment of support.
Yummy food gifts: Give teachers a bag of tortilla chips and salsa with a note saying, "Nacho average teacher." Another idea for all staff is handing out mints with a note that says, "Thanks for your commit-mint."
Balloons: Head to your local dollar store and get a helium balloon for each employee. Then use a permanent marker to write a message that will make that employee feel special. Deliver to work stations before they arrive for work the next day.
National Child Care Provider Day is the Friday before Mother’s Day (May 11 this year), which is the ideal time for directors to show how much employees are valued. Here are 10 ways to celebrate this special day.