We know it can be hard to manage permits, licenses, and certifications for your daycare, preschool, or child care center staff.
There is a lot to take into consideration. Not to mention it can be difficult to find qualified staff whose salary expectations are in line with your budget. What can you do?
There a few things that you can do to make sure you are providing your school and students with the best care you can possibly have. Some things are as simple as making sure they complete first-aid and CPR training, while others could be a few hours of professional development.
To make it seem more manageable, let us help you out. Get organized with our list of simplified how-to’s to make your job easier and set your business up for success, and of course, your students too.
Qualify Your Child Care Assistants
The reality is, depending on your state, child care assistant staff- that is, not the director, lead teachers, instructors or providers- actually also need certifications and training. According to Child Care Aware, your child care staff could need most or all of the following permits:
- A full child care license
- A background check
- CPR certification
- Emergency preparedness certification
- A food handling permit
- Fingerprinting
- Family engagement training
Be sure to make the requirements clear in your job posting, and ask your applicants about these briefly in your first interview. It is up to the urgency of your search, but applicants don’t need to be fully certified when they apply so long as the training and background information (as listed above) is obtainable by their first day on the job with your child care facility.
Streamline Child Care Staff Permit Processes
Due to the comprehensive nature of certifications needed, even formally educated applicants with relevant degrees may still not have a food handlers card or CPR certification. Plus, as with the examples listed above, certifications often must be obtained from specific providers. The reality is, in some areas you may find educated applicants who still lack all of the state-mandated permits.
An easy solution: Gather information on what permits are needed and which providers you can use to get those permits, then put it in a packet with the relevant website and contact information, and hand it to applicants as a condition of hire. You can even sign your business up with a permit provider and get a special link to give to your employees, or even pre-pay for them to get certified.
Make Sure Your Staff Get All Their Permits
Some licenses, like a food handlers permit, require only a day’s worth of training and passing a straightforward, knowledge-based exam. Others, such as a Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) accreditation, require weeks to months to process and are very in-depth.
The easy way? Simplify how to get your staff through the shorter, straightforward (but not less important) permits and licenses, so you can focus on the more complex permits. For instance:
- Group training for CPR
- Team packages First Aid training
- Centralize food handler card testing
If possible, find a way you can independently monitor an applicant’s progress or results, so you can be sure your future staff is taking the necessary action to become employees and your current staff can maintain employment with you.
We know that staffing can be a stressful endeavor for many teams wanting to make the right choices for their institution and students, but we are here to help you manage the work involved. Here is a guide to help you on your way.
Additionally, we created a handy requirements checklist just for you, so you can see what you need at a glance. Click below to download your list.
Need food handler training for your staff? Head to our website to learn more about setting up a business account so you can ensure you are staying on top of all of your training and compliance.
