Happy May! It was so amazing to see all the recognition you received during our Staff Appreciation Week! You were all spoiled with special treats from the PTO, families, co-workers, and the administrative team. I hope you all enjoyed the week of goodies! I believe that it is important to find qualified, nurturing individuals to work at Carelot. That is why we have all of you on our TEAM! We realize that we may not say it as often as we should, but, without all of you, we would not be able to offer the high-quality program and family atmosphere that we do. Keep up the great work and THANK YOU for all of your hard work and dedication!

I am always impressed when I see how many of you have been with Carelot for 1 or more years! It is wonderful to have a company that has a team of individuals committed to both Carelot, the Children, and the Families! I think the raffle was fun and hope we can do some more of these in the future.... I welcome ideas on how to get your name on the wheel!

Being a Carelot Employee involves more than just working with the children. Please be sure that you are:

• Communicating with your supervisor (needs for your classroom, family issue, staffing issues, supplies or toy replacements etc)
• Reading news and information that comes from HR, Corporate or your site managers
• Responding to requests for incentives, questions, feedback etc.
• Attending required meetings and trainings.
• Listening to your families - their needs, ideas ... be respectful of their requests and expectations.

These are just a few items that can make your jobs easier and your days more efficient and stress free. Thanks for being the best staff ever!!!

• All staff are scheduled breaks according to their work schedule. Please adhere to your scheduled times to allow time for everyone to get their well-deserved break! We also ask that staff do not take their breaks in the classrooms. Visiting a classroom can cause some distraction to the staff who are working with the children and therefore can become disruptive. You also deserve and need time away from the children in order to effectively do your jobs.

  If you are in need of a break at any time during the day, please contact your director/site manager so that we can arrange a time for you out of your room. We understand that everyone may need a break from time to time. Help each other out and a 5-minute break may be all you need to regroup and refresh again! Thanks for your help!

• Tours- Visitors: Many tours and parents have been visiting the center. At Carelot we have an open door policy which allows visitors and parents to stop in at anytime. It is your responsibility as a staff member to be respectful and considerate of visitors in the building regardless of who they may be. When someone is visiting or receiving a tour, it is not the time to discuss lunch breaks, issues, etc. with the administrative staff. Please be courteous and friendly to the visitors, welcoming them into your classroom and demonstrating what you do with your children. If you need to tell the administrative staff something, a quick “Hey, Could you stop back and see me when your done?” Or a simple little note on a post it would be appropriate. Thank you for your understanding

• Sunscreen should be labeled clearly with the child’s name. Sunscreen should be applied at Carelot due to excessive sweat, water play or if worn off for afternoon outdoor time.

• Non—Prescription Medication Forms- Please review all non-prescription med forms when they are returned to make sure that it matches the non prescription item that are br,ought in.

Thanks for your help!

Question of the Month:

"WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE CHILD PORTFOLIOS?"

Submit answers BY May 25th!

Last Month's entries:

WINNER: Congratulations to Tina Kelly from the Killingly Center! You won $20!

Last month's ideas for communication- looks like alot of families like the texting option in our Procare App!!!

• Text message/ message through Procare app
  
• I think it would be nice to have a box where you could anonymously put suggestions, tips, or even things that are bothering you in. People are more apt to be honest and open if they are doing it anonymously. Then during staff meetings the issues could be discussed. That way no one is being called out in front of anyone and the issue is being discussed and getting resolved for everybody.
  
• text
  
• Text
  
• Email. :)
  
• Email :)
  
• Texting/Email - easy to drop a line for a quick question or answer. Fast response time and able to refer back if needed.
  

Text

Email

TO: All Classroom Teachers

FROM: The Administrative Team

RE: Family Conferences- Part 2- June

We will be holding family conferences from June 1st to June 10th. Please be sure to review your conference paperwork and collect the required paperwork from your families. If you have any questions please feel free to see us. Take the time to continue to develop relationships with your families. Listen to the family’s expectations and comments with an open mind and enjoy the opportunity to share ideas and information about each of your special little people.

The key is being prepared. Utilize your planning time over the next few weeks to ready yourselves. Ask questions and use the resources available to you in the resource room, office and in your supervisor’s brains. Remember to be honest and address all issues you have, always include the positive with the negative and brainstorm together on appropriate solutions.

** Assessment Checklists are to be kept in your assessment binders to assist you in assessing the child’s developmental growth. These assessments are filled out at various times throughout the year to have a thorough grasp on the children’s developmental stages for planning lessons and activities in your classroom! See your director if you have any questions.

** Focused Portfolios™ sheets should be gone over when getting ready for your conference and child portfolios will be part of your parent conference.

**Family Conference summary form is to be used AT the conference to document any plans or ideas that come up with you and the child’s family regarding: Classroom ideas, family participation, ideas for future development, etc… Remember this is a partnership between home and school!

Most parents in your center are reasonable, rational, responsible, caring about their child, and sensitive. But there are a few parents in every center who are difficult, demanding, critical, irresponsible, or uncooperative.

This is the observation of Anne Stonehouse in her Exchange book, How Does it Feel? Child Care from Families' Perspectives. She points out...

"These people test the professionalism of teachers, especially home-based caregivers, where there is no relief and often no other adult present to provide support. With these parents, try to understand where the behavior may be coming from, what purpose it serves. For example, do they lack power in other areas of their lives? What image do they have of themselves as people, as parents?

It is often those parents who behave in ways that are least likely to elicit support and help, and are the ones most in need of it. For example, parents who are critical of staff and who make unreasonable demands may be uncertain about their skills as parents, and see this as a misguided way of demonstrating that they are good parents.
"In the same way that it is nonsense for staff to act as if they enjoy all children equally, it is not possible, not human, in fact, to like all parents equally. In an atmosphere of professionalism, it should be acceptable for staff to talk about parents they have a hard time getting along with or parents they just can't warm up to with their supervisor. Just as with children, the aim with parents is not to love them or even like them, but to respect them and to work with them on behalf of their children."

ALL staff will be required to take a mandated health and safety course. I have provided the link below. The state is tracking this so it is not a Carelot requirement. It will be recorded on CCAC for OEC. Everyone must have this class completed by the summer. The class is 5 hours online training if you hold a CPR/1st Aid and Medication Certifications. If you do not hold all of these certifications, you will be required to take an 18 hour online class. This class MUST BE COMPLETED to work in our program as per the CT OEC.

"Building Strong Foundations for a Lifetime of Learning"

Email: hr@carelot.net
Website: www.carelot.net
Location: 315 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT, United States
Phone: 860-739-1993
Facebook: facebook.com/carelotctr