PENFIELD CHILD CARE EXPECTATIONS EXPECTATIONS Hours To monitor

PENFIELD CHILD CARE EXPECTATIONS

EXPECTATIONS - Hours To monitor and utilize earned time off appropriately! DO NOT make last minute requests to be off, come in late or leave early! BEFORE setting up appointments, check with Renee or Jess about good dates and/or times. DISCUSS with Renee or Patricia about making up time – i. e. skipping breaks, coming in early etc. – you CANNOT assume you can just do it! Provide proper documentation for appointments, absences, funeral leaves etc. , as needed.

EXPECTATIONS - Hours 40 Hours a week is NOT guaranteed! Overstaffed – you could be sent home or we’ll ask for volunteers to leave and it’ll be up to you if you wish to use PTO time or not! BE AT YOUR ASSIGNED POST ON TIME!!! Frequent tardiness can and will lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination!

SW IT HO CH UR IN S G EXPECTATIONS - Hours Need to fit in an appointment and you don’t want to use PTO, if possible, check with a co-worker about switching hours – HOWEVER, switching hours does NOT necessarily mean you assume the other persons role, i. e. covering their room and kids vs. yours! – IT DEPENDS on overall program needs and what makes the most sense!

EXPECTATIONS - Hours Any issues with the time clock or any adjustments in your schedule are to be logged on the clipboard in Renee’s office. #1 Goal – is to take your BREAK Skipped a break without notifying us or writing it on the clipboard = expect your time sheet to be adjusted to reflect a break! Overtime is to be avoided, unless specifically requested by Renee or Jess.

EXPECTATIONS - Hours • 30 minute lunch breaks ONLY – longer breaks must be pre-approved! • Bathroom breaks or needs to leave the classroom, i. e. laundry MUST be quick (2 -3 min. ) due to ratios and MUST be communicated with your classroom partner!

EXPECTATIONS - Hours • Unpaid Time – SOME unpaid time is allowed by Child Care Teachers, but cannot be used in excess and will be monitored. – If you call in and calling in poses a challenge and added demands on the program, unpaid time cannot be used!

WANDERING Our priority is the children, thus, leaving the room repeatedly for minor reasons, to hang out in other rooms, to visit with other teachers – any reasons other then for the betterment of our children and families is unacceptable! - Need help with coverage – contact Patricia or I, or a room that is experiencing less then normal attendance, for the day to assist for a few minutes! There is nothing worse for mortals than a wandering life - Homer

EXPECTATIONS Communication Read the Staff Notebook (Patricia’s office) and check your mailbox on a DAILY basis. Best to read the book before going home and again when you are about to go to your assigned post – THINGS CHANGE! Something in the notebook doesn’t make sense – ASK! Don’t ASS-U-ME!

EXPECTATIONS Communication Address issues directly and professionally – TAKE IT TO THE SOURCE! Don’t like something? Then YOU are the one being affected & YOU need to do something about it – but do it in a tactful and PROFESSIONAL MANNER! ACCEPT FEEDBACK If someone has a concern about you or your room, you MUST listen, take it seriously and actively work to rectify it and improve upon your actions/behaviors and/or classroom routine/environment/curriculum etc.

MATURITY To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity. -William Arthur Ward Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. - Joshua Loth Liebman

EXPECTATIONS – Communication Communicate with parents and family members on a regular basis – directly, via notebooks and telephone calls and through memos and notices – all done so in the most professional manner possible!

EXPECTATIONS – Communication Treat all co-workers, supervisors, and agency staff members with respect, even in situations of disagreement.

EXPECTATIONS – Communication Inform the kitchen immediately if: • • There is a dietary change for one of your kids! Of your EXPECTED meal numbers – DAILY! If you are getting too much or not enough food! Doing a food experience activity and don’t need snack – let the kitchen know immediately. • Snack is provided – do not purchase, store or serve your own food! • Of any concerns or issues!

EXPECTATIONS – Communication • Communications with the children are to be positive, i. e. feet on the floor please vs. get your feet of the table now. • Absolutely NO YELLING, shouting, or “barking” of orders to the children. • Communication will NEVER be humiliating, i. e. you are acting like a baby, or negative, i. e. you are bad/naughty. • No child will EVER be told to “shut up!”

EXPECTATIONS – Communication • WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? • WHAT DOES THIS SOUND LIKE?

EXPECTATIONS – Communication Renee and Patricia have an open door policy and are available for any of your needs! Make sure you are communicating your needs to Renee and Patricia – we can not fix what I do not know about (and we may not always be able to fix it). Renee and Patricia are unable to discuss circumstances regarding other staff members, i. e. whether they have been spoken to, written up etc. THUS it may appear as if we have “done nothing” to “fix” some situations that develop.

EXPECTATIONS – Curriculum A well – planned lesson will be turned into Patricia every Friday for the upcoming week. Plans will be tracked and monitored to be incorporated into your annual review, i. e. only 65% of expected 100% of lesson plans were turned in during this review period. Plans will be clearly written so any staff member can understand carry out the activities, if needed.

EXPECTATION – Curriculum Teachers will initiate creative activities with the children in the Gross Motor Room and during outdoor play – DAILY! State regulations mandate DAILY outdoor time, unless weather does not permit. Teachers will move around the areas closely supervising and participating in the children’s play.

EXPECTATIONS – Curriculum When planning art activities, teachers will create situations in which the focus is on the PROCESS of the activity – not the end PRODUCT. Art activities will be open ended, allowing children to freely explore with the materials and to make an item that is unique to them – not everyone’s “frog” looks the same type of situation! Children’s art is to be displayed throughout the classroom and on hallway bulletin boards.

EXPECTATIONS – Curriculum • Anti-bias pictures, books and materials are to be present throughout the classroom! • Take pictures of the kids in action to enhance your classroom environment!

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom Teachers are engaging in the children’s play – not just sitting and watching (unless doing so for observational purposes).

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom Teachers design a classroom setting with clearly defined learning areas (ALL AGE GROUPS) – that are labeled – a rich, exciting environment to stimulate learning! • • • House Keeping/Dress-up Reading/Group Art/Sensory Block Building/Trucks Computer

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom • Shelves are open and accessible to the children. • Plenty of choices available! • Areas are not to be closed off just because teachers don’t want to deal with the mess!

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom Cleaning is a priority – making full use of the nap and down periods for regular cleaning. Chairs & Tables must be clean at all times!

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom MUSIC – no adult music will be played. Music of different cultures, jazz, lullabyes, nature music etc. are appropriate, not sure, ask Renee or Patricia!

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom Even with the best music collection in the world, nothing beats singing to your baby, playing instruments with your toddler, dancing with your preschooler, or reciting nursery rhymes to them. In fact, until they've reached an age where they can comprehend "appropriateness, " feel free to keep up the one-on-one musical activities with your child and don’t even bother with CDs.

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom • Infant Classroom – Infants must be put to sleep, ON THEIR BACKS, in a crib!!! Once placed to sleep on their backs they can resume their own positions. – If an infant is in a crib, crib sides must be up and in the locked position at all times.

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom • Infant Classroom cont… – Bottles are NEVER to be propped – if an infant cannot hold their own bottle, they must be held during feeding. – Tummy time, tummy time! – Daily highlight sheets are to be completed on each infant informing the parent of their feeding, napping and elimination schedules!

EXPECTATIONS – Classroom • Infant Classroom cont… – Monthly goals are to be determined for each infant that must include 2 – 3 activities to help that infant to achieve that goals – all goals are to be determined with the parent or posted for the parent to view. – Parents are to introduce all new foods to their baby first – we should never be the ones to introduce new items, in the event of allergies etc.

EXPECTATIONS – Volunteers • Volunteers cannot be counted in ratio, change diapers etc. or be alone with any child! • While volunteers are in your classroom, you act as their direct supervisor! If they say or do something inappropriate, please address it in the moment and then bring it to the Volunteer Coordinator’s attention. • Introduce new volunteers to your room, introduce them to the children and outline the schedule of events that they will be assisting with. • If volunteers are not engaging in activities with the children, you may need to draw them in and show them different things that they can do. • Have things ready for them to do – what can they cut out for your bulletin boards? Cabinets to reorganize? Books to repair?

EXPECTATIONS – Paperwork Upon arrival and departure from the program, children will be logged on the attendance clipboard (clipboard is kept with you at all times). When a child is expected to be in attendance and does not arrive, contact the front desk to see if the child is a cancel and / or contact the parent for reason of absence.

EXPECTATIONS – Paperwork • Log meals served at POINT OF SERVICE only (immediately after it has been offered). • Child DOES NOT have to eat meal items, just offered. • Forms are to be turned into the kitchen after the weeks end or end of month for infants. • Crissie, Patricia and I have to process a monthly food report by the 5 th of each following month!

EXPECTATIONS – Paperwork • ASQ’s must be done on each new child within 45 days of start date. • All other paperwork, i. e. self-evaluations etc. will be turned in according to dates outlined.

EXPECTATIONS – Licensing & Accreditation Licensing and Accreditation standards will be followed at all times! Ratios will be maintained at all times and you will communicate with Renee and Patricia if there is a problem with the total number of children present.

EXPECTATIONS – Licensing & Accreditation SAFETY FIRST: Unused outlets will be covered at all times. No accessible cords! No sharp knives or other such items are to be accessible to children! Before and after use – tables / diapering areas will be washed with the 2 STEP PROCESS - #1 Soap & Water and #2 Quat!

EXPECTATIONS – Licensing & Accreditation Teachers will complete required inservice training hours – MANDATORY MEANS MANDATORY! Will know total number of children in your care at all times – even who is in therapy! Will supervise and monitor children at all times! We will do this by staying alert, moving around and engaging with the children – AT ALL TIMES!

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism Teachers will not discuss personal information about co -workers, children and / or their families unless it will benefit them in some way. Who gossips with you will gossip OF you – Irish Quote Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down - Bible

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism LEAVE PERSONAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS AT THE FRONT DOOR SO 100% can be given to our children and families!

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism Teachers will not use personal cell phones during work hours – THEY WILL BE TURNED OFF AND PUT AWAY while in ratio! THIS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE! OTHERWISE …

EXPECTATIONS – Professionalism • We may need to resort to what other centers do regarding cell phones: – i. e. all phones are turned into the office upon arrival for shift and only released on breaks and upon end of shift… » This IS NOT how Patricia & I function, thus, respect THE POLICY!

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism Limit personal calls on agency phones to minimum necessary and to break periods. Check your messages!

EXPECTATIONS – Professionalism • Despite your personal feelings or opinions of others in the department and/or Center – we are all here for one reason – THE KIDS! • Don’t waste your time getting stuck on petty, minor things OR address it and work it out so you can focus on the big picture – THE KIDS!

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism TOURS – some will be announced and many others will not! Some tours may be potential parents but you may not know this so NO MATTER WHAT – each person on the tour will be greeted warmly and welcomed to your room!!! You will make sure that the visitors get a good first impression of you, the room and the program! YOU WILL NOT assume that this IS a family for your room and that you are “getting another kid, ” since this could be far from reality!

EXPECTATIONS Professionalism Teachers will change their behavior and their attitude, for the positive, when something is not working well, it is a stressful day, when things are chaotic or personal issues are overwhelming – it must be about the kids when at Penfield!

EXPECTIONS – Finally… Teachers will dedicate themselves to providing quality care for the children and families we serve and will strive to work with each individual child to help them to reach their fullest potential.

PLAY! MAKE THEIR DAY! BE PRESENT! CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE!