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Staff meetings are an important time for everyone to share in the successes and challenges of your child care program. Successful child care businesses have staff meetings at least once a month, but you can also have them more often if needed. Use team meetings to relay important information, share ideas, and discuss areas that need improvement.

Although the owner or director often is the facilitator, staff meetings shouldn't always be one-sided but rather a time for sharing, interacting, and brainstorming. If your team dreads monthly staff meetings, you need to change it up. Try these six must-dos to have your staff feeling challenged and motivated after your meetings.

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1. Set clear expectations before the meeting begins.

A clearly defined purpose is essential for staff meetings. To prevent employees from feeling uninterested or uninvolved, start by explaining what you hope to achieve during the meeting, what topics you want to cover, and how long the meeting will last. Letting them know the expectations at the very beginning will help keep them focused and engaged.

2. Allow ample time for group sharing during the meeting.

Staff meetings are not just for the director to talk. A successful meeting will include everyone's voice, so be sure to encourage team members to share their challenges along with ideas and expertise to help one another. Sharing can help strengthen staff morale, promote innovative thinking, and increase the team's respect for each other.

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3. Give positive feedback and shout-outs when it's deserved.

Do your research before each meeting and make a list of any upcoming birthdays or work anniversaries. Give special recognition to these people during the meeting. Also, give shout-outs to those who are doing an exceptional job, working extra hours when needed, furthering their education, or going above and beyond what is required.

If a parent has expressed their appreciation for a team member, let it be known. It's also an excellent opportunity for you to say something you appreciate about each person. Make it unique to that person, letting them know that you pay attention and "see" them.

4. Acknowledge areas that need improvement.

Do talk about areas in your program that need improvement and brainstorm ways individuals or groups could improve their performance moving forward. Then, ask everyone to do a self-evaluation of their performance and commit to making a plan of action for improvement.

5. Find a way to inspire or encourage your team.

Take time to let your staff know that what they do is essential. Let them know that you care about their well-being and personal life. You may want to elaborate on a real-life topic every month and give an inspiring story or tips to help with what they may be dealing with. For example, provide ways to deal with stress or overwhelm in the classroom. Talk about the importance of focusing on the positive instead of the negative in their life. Encourage them to choose gratitude over grumbling. With this topic, I like to give each one a motivational bracelet and challenge them to move it to the next wrist every time they complain. Have them do this for one week. This activity allows them to see just how often they complain and murmur. Think of this time in your meeting as your "Ted Talk" and aspire to inspire.

6. Finish with a fun activity.

To conclude a successful staff meeting, have a fun activity. It doesn't have to be anything complicated or extravagant, but it does need to get the team laughing and having fun together. You can use this time as an ice breaker before returning to daily routines. You can play two truths and one lie or draw names for prizes. I love using a spin wheel of prizes to end staff meetings. To use a prize wheel, draw a name and have the winner spin the wheel to see what it lands on. You can buy an inexpensive dry erase prize wheel off Amazon and write the goodies you want to give away. It's always a big hit. Some prizes I include are five breakroom goodies, 4 hours PTO, $25 Visa gift card, $15 Dunkin card, $20 cash, etc. End your meetings on a big high, and you will have your staff anticipating the next one!

Implementing these six ideas into your monthly staff meetings will encourage productivity, teamwork, and great culture!