Welcome back to “Daycare Onboarding Made Simple,” our course on onboarding that will have your staff excited and ready on day one. This is Lesson 4: Creating a Daycare Staff Handbook.

Recap from Lesson 3

In lesson three, we talked about:

• Things to include for better onboarding
• How to customize onboarding
• Tools to use
• How to automate the onboarding process

In this two-part lesson, we’ll discuss what you should include in a daycare staff handbook. We will dive deep into six areas you want to include in the handbook to make onboarding and training much easier. I’ll walk you through what to include and policy recommendations. First, we’ll cover Parts 1 through 3, and then in the next video, Parts 4 through 6. Don’t worry; I’ll also include a workbook to help you create each section. Ready? Let’s get started!

Section 1: About the Daycare

• Welcome Paragraph: Much like the welcome video we talked about including in the staff starter pack, include a welcome paragraph in the handbook.
• Expectations: Clearly outline expectations for all employees, such as exemplifying excellence as an employee of the center.

Section 2: Staff Information

• At-Will Employment: Indicate whether your daycare is an at-will employer.
• Non-Discrimination Policy: Explain that your daycare does not hire based on age, gender, race, religion, creed, national origin, marital or veteran status, or disabilities. Guarantee fair treatment of all employees.

Section 3: Delegation and Decision-Making

• Delegation of Responsibilities: Explain how responsibilities are delegated within the daycare.
• Decision-Making Process: Create a chart showing the different levels of daycare administration to clarify the grievance procedure.

Section 4: Program Details

• Mission Statement and Philosophy: Include your daycare’s mission statement and philosophy.
• Curriculum: Describe your curriculum and the rules and mandates your business follows.
• Primary Care: Explain what primary care is and why you use it in your center.

Section 5: Guidance and Socialization

• Discipline Procedures: Outline your procedure for disciplining children, emphasizing the importance of never using physical punishment. If timeouts are used, explain how and under what conditions.
• Confidentiality: Stress the importance of keeping sensitive information confidential and sharing it on a need-to-know basis only.
• Positive Environment: Emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive environment.

Section 6: General Policies and Procedures

• Daily Schedules: Include inserts of all rooms’ daily schedules.
• Teacher Expectations: Cover expectations of lead teachers and assistant teachers regarding planning time, parent-teacher conferences, primary caregivers, etc.
• Outdoor Policy: State the high and low temperatures that will prevent children from going outside and emphasize the importance of daily outdoor time.
• Field Trips: Explain staff expectations during field trips or outings.
• Meal Time Procedures: Cover procedures for meal times, including sanitizing tables, keeping food covered, washing hands, and using gloves or tongs when serving children.
• Napping Procedures: Explain procedures for napping, including permissions for rubbing backs, handling non-nappers, enforcing back-to-sleep policies, and any required documentation.

Additional Recommendations

• Resource Rotation: Include a schedule for rotating toys, books, and wall displays, and explain how resources and equipment are purchased.
• Staff Meetings: Recommend holding monthly staff meetings, noting that attendance is mandatory.
• Supervision Expectations: Detail supervision expectations for various activities, including eating, sleeping, outdoor play, gym activities, field trips, and independent bathroom use.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we covered:

• What to include in a daycare staff handbook
• Policy recommendations for various aspects of daycare operations

Be sure to download the workbook that accompanies this lesson to help you create each section of your staff handbook. In the next lesson, we’ll cover Parts 4 through 6 of the handbook, continuing our deep dive into essential policies and procedures.

Coming up next, we’re going to tackle training and tune-ups: how to avoid dependency and determine who stays and who needs to move on. I’ll see you there!