When owning a daycare, finding someone who loves children, gives great care, and who is reliable and trustworthy seems near impossible these days. For years, I would just tell anyone and everyone to come in for an interview. I wasted so much time having lengthy face-to-face interviews knowing in the middle of the interview that they weren’t right for our daycare center. It wasn’t until I changed my approach that I finally started maximizing my time and finding quality people.

Here’s what I started doing and what you can do to make the hiring process so much easier.

1.     Know what positions you’re hiring for. When starting a daycare, take a few hours if needed and plan out your classroom coverage and your teacher’s schedules ahead of time. Know what positions need to be filled and what hours are needed.

Whenever you have a position open up, perform a mental assessment of all your current employees. Do you have anyone who would want to move to that position? Always promote the faithful from within first, especially if the hours are better or if you know a particular teacher who would love to work with that age group. Keep your current staff happy.

 2.     Post on social media, job sites, and ask for referrals. Once you know what positions you are hiring for, post everywhere to get the word out there. Tell your best employees that you are looking for someone just like them. This will make them feel great and hopefully, they will have a friend who may be perfect for the job.

Post or advertise on your Facebook page, Instagram, or other social media. Require applicants to apply through a job site or stop by for an employee application.

I post my available positions on Indeed.com. You can create an account and advertise jobs for free. When posting on Indeed, be very specific about your qualifications. If you need someone at least 18 years old with a CDA, 2 years of experience, and a clean background, list that! Don’t be afraid to disclose that you are looking for someone dependable and trustworthy. List the hours for the position.  I would even list the starting pay or pay range. If you are “full” and do not have child care available for someone with children, put that in the description. Be as specific as possible. You don’t want to be flooded with people who are not right for your center and who will waste your time.

3.     Sort through your applications. Once you have some people apply, sort through the applications and only choose the candidates that meet your criteria. Although you are very specific, you will still have a few people ignore the qualifications and apply anyway. Don’t waste your time with these applicants.  

You may want to use an assistant to help with this process if you are fortunate to have one.

4.     Schedule phone interviews with qualifying candidates. I always time block to perform phone interviews. For example, I will schedule all phone interviews between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm on the same day in 10-15 minute intervals. Indeed makes it very easy to communicate to applicants, set up phone interviews, and face to face interviews.

Before each phone conversation, go over the applicant’s info and have your questions ready. Once the interview starts, make detailed notes on each candidate so that you remember everything when reviewing your notes later. Keep the interview brief but make sure you ask the important questions…age, criminal history, experience, education, availability, transportation, etc. You don’t want to fall in love with their personality, then later find out they have can only work 3 hours a week on Tuesdays. Remember, you are weeding out those who do not meet your criteria. If you’re not sure what to ask, you can download my interview guide and questions here for free.

5.     Schedule face-to-face interviews with your favorites. Pick your top phone interview applicants and schedule them to come in for a face-to-face interview. By this point, you should only have highly qualified individuals sitting in front of you. The face-to-face interview will allow you to see them in person, get a better feel for their personality and the overall presence they bring into the environment.  This is where you will ask more detailed questions about their experience and competency to really dive into what kind of person they are.

If your state allows, consider having a “working interview”. This is where you place them in a room with a qualified employed teacher and see how they interact with the kiddos and parents.

Once you have chosen your ideal candidate/candidates, you can start the hiring and training process and welcome them to the team!

By following these tips, you are sure to find qualified dependable individuals who will give great care and hopefully be a part of your team for years to come. Once you find that special someone, hold onto them and treat them right!

If you need other employee daycare forms such as an employment application, handbook, separation letters, time off requests, or other helpful forms, check out my Daycare Employee Bundle here.

For team building and bonding, download my free Secret Pal Letter and Getting To Know You Flyer!