Back to School: How to Ensure Another Wonderful Year

Welcome Back😊

While scrolling through my social media, I have noticed lots of excitement from parents and educators about the new school year starting.

This got me thinking 🤔...

As we gear up to kick off a new school year, and our summer camp program ends, how do I facilitate this transition for the current teachers and families within our program?

As leaders, we need to reflect on this past year…

• How well did I listen to teachers and allow them to feel heard?  

• How did I delegate so that I can find work life balance?

• Did I lead by example?

Here are some questions to ask ourselves as we look👀forward to elevate our program for the upcoming school year…

• What do I want this school year look like?

• How will I empower and grow teachers as leaders?

• Should I encourage risk taking for the teachers? What does this look like?

Our answers to these reflective questions will help to guide us on how we will lead a successful 2024-2025 school year!

Here are 3 guiding principles that I developed:

1. Look at the new year as an opportunity to evaluate and change things to make the program stronger and more inviting.  

   1. Identify what is working and not working: this can be done with surveys and observations

   2. Teaching staff: is everyone in the right seat (classroom) where they are going to grow and flourish to be successful? If not, what changes need to be made?

   3. Environments: don’t just look at the classroom environments but also the staffing areas, and the building as a whole.

   4. Policies and procedures: Review and adjust to what is current within your early childhood program; handbooks, apps, etc.

2. Create a strong vison for the 2024- 2025 school year

   1. Cultivating building culture though strong relationships💪

   2. Involve parents/families 

   3. Help teachers find joy in their work😄

3. Establish clear expectations for the school year!

   1. Define how communication will work to teachers and families.

   2. Make sure all meetings are meaningful and purposeful, and on the calendar!

   3. Understand the importance of daily preparation for teachers and children to be successful, which provides consistency within our program!

Now that we have identified these three areas, meet with your employees, collaborate on new your new ideas, and make the vision of this new school year come to life.

If you would like further guidance how to facilitate you ideas with your team, send me an email: [email protected]

“A successful Early Childhood program builds a culture in which change is good, learning is growth, and strong relationships are powerful.”

Till Next Time,

Jen🖍️

P.S. Here is a great ice breaker that you can do during your fall kick-off meeting that will help teachers reflect on why they have a passion for their early childhood teaching career!