Leading with Kindness in a World of Chaos and Negativity

Welcome📋😊

I am so grateful you are taking a few minutes to read the newsletter this week!

Did you know that today, November 13th, is World Kindness Day?

We all have noticed that children have been struggling to express their feelings, often doing so in hurtful ways. This has led to some teachers leaving due to these outbursts. World Kindness Day presents a valuable opportunity for us to discuss, demonstrate, and implement intentional kindness in our programs, among the children, our employees, and, of course, our families.

Incorporating intentional kindness in the workplace is essential for creating a positive and productive environment, as well as improving employee and family retention.

As a leader, you need to lead by example, so that kindness is modeled by your teachers in the classrooms. Here are 5 ways I cultivate kindness in our early childhood programs…

1. Recognize acts of kindness, such as giving shout-outs in the weekly memo or highlighting our "High Five Guy of the Week." 🫸🏻🫷🏻

2. Provide training that focuses on fostering awareness of kindness💗, as well as developing empathy and emotional intelligence. I have used the book “How Full is Your Bucket” with my employees. 

3. Kindly communicate with employees: be mindful🤔 of the words you choose and your body language. 

4. Adopt a Cause: consider volunteering as a group, raising awareness for an issue, or making donations🪙

5. Make it a point to give positive feedback daily➕

By deliberately practicing kindness, we can enhance collaboration, boost morale, and cultivate a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. This can lead to significant improvements in team dynamics within your early childhood program. When your early childhood team collectively demonstrates kindness, they will pass this intentional kindness on to the children in their classrooms

Let's prioritize kindness in the workplace. Not only does it enrich our professional relationships, but it also contributes to our overall success. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. I challenge you, as a leader of your early childhood program, to be intentionally aware of how you demonstrate kindness for the next 21 days. By the end of this period, being kind will come naturally to you.

Till Next Time,

Jen Sprafka

P.S. Click here to get started on the 21 Days of Kindness Challenge 🌟