“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” –Philippians 4:13
Working with over a hundred and fifty employees, and six hundred children can have its joys and challenges. There are many working parts to the childcare center and keeping them all going in the right direction takes lots of different people. I am so blessed to have four of the best, most wonderful Center Directors to help me was definitely a gift from God.
Every week I meet with my Directors, and we try to brainstorm new ideas for the centers. We work on newsletters, parent and teacher communication, curriculum, and keeping ourselves well balanced.
We have started reading some books together that give us some guidance on managing the staff and day to day relations with parents, children and co-workers. The most recent one we are in the process of reading is called The Energy Bus (A book I highly recommend). Jon Gordon, the author based the book on his life, and it is a story of a man named George who has both personal and work problems. One morning his car breaks down, and he is forced to ride the bus to work. The driver of the bus is Joy, and along with all her passengers they help George to turn his life around both at work and at home with 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life.
As I was reading this book, (and it is a very easy read), some of the things he said really hit home with me. You have to have a purpose in your day to day life, some kind of goal to focus on daily. You have to have a team who is on board with your beliefs and values, and have the same end goals as you do. There will be people along the way that will not want to be on board with your plan, and it is your job to help them exit gracefully.
The book also says to love and care for your employees, this is a value we do well. Some of that love has to be tough love, but in the end, it will pay off as you believe in the staff, and develop them, and coach them to be the best they can be, invest in them, and they will strive to do their best work for your organization. Always remember to say thank you to your employees every day for the hard work they do, especially working with children. Remember to make a choice to help other people with encouraging words and always smile, it is contagious.
Is there someone’s day you can brighten with a smile or a thank you? Make it a conscious plan to do this every day, and you will definitely make a difference in someone’s life!
Gabrielle Moon, Executive Director St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
