Most child care leaders have no clue how to build a great work environment and are often killing their culture. What is work culture? Culture is the character, personality, beliefs, and behaviors of your organization that make up the regular atmosphere in your work environment. Here’s the reality…If you are not intentionally building your culture, you are slowly killing your culture.

Here are six child care culture-crushing mistakes child care leaders make, and by the way, I have been guilty of every one of them at some point in my business. So if you find your staff complaining a lot, unhappy and unmotivated, check to see if you are guilty of these culture killers too.

1. Hiring the wrong people out of desperation. Staff shortages are everywhere right now, and it is tempting to hire anyone that walks through the door. Although you may luck out and find a gem, hiring out of desperation will usually lead to hiring people not aligned with your business's values and beliefs. If this happens, you will quickly notice that this person is just not the right fit, leading to friction and frustration among staff. Taking your time to find people that align with your culture will save you tons of time and money in the future.

 2. Not making staff engagement a top priority. Many directors and owners get so busy with the day-to-day operations that they neglect the personal engagement with staff. Take the time to engage with your team daily. Do daily walk-throughs asking if there is anything that they need. Ask them about their families and their weekends. Schedule occasional outside-of-work activities with your staff to connect with them on a personal level. Talking with them and letting them know that you genuinely care will make them feel valued and loved. The child care business that truly succeeds focuses on both child development AND staff engagement.

3. Having no specific professional growth development plan for your staff. If your team feels there is no room for growth and promotion, they will lose interest and eventually look elsewhere. We as humans thrive in progress and need to be consistently progressing and growing. Schedule one-on-ones with each employee and ask how you can help them further their education or create a professional development plan. Promote from within when possible and offer your hard-working staff coveted positions as they become available.

4. Micromanaging. This is a big one child care leaders make. If you constantly fret over minor details and jump in to tell people what to do, child care staff will eventually become frustrated. Instead, trust your child care team enough to give them space and their tasks; it will pay off. This advice goes for child care managers, too - give them space and room to grow in areas with minimal input from you.

5. Failing to celebrate wins and accomplishments. Celebrating child care wins and achievements is a child care leader's must! If you see something happening in your child care business that deserves recognition, make sure you let your child care staff know they are great; always celebrate child care wins!

6. Having the "you are here for me" mentality. Too many leaders have the attitude of "I am the boss. You are here to work for me and do as I say!" Does your staff think they are working for you? or do they feel you are helping them do their best work? In our center, we always tell our team that we are here for them! We say to them regularly, "I am here to make your job easier. Let me know what I can do to help you!" Saying THIS will make your staff feel respected, loved, valued, and important!

 Conclusion: Watch out for these 6 culture killers and do things every day to encourage and support your staff! They will love you for it and your work environment will be one people flock to.

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Looking to start a daycare? Learn how in my article, Starting A Daycare Business.