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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Interview Tips
Oneluckymom 10:28 AM 05-08-2013
Im looking for some interviewing tips and maybe a sample contract. For a volunteer/employee.
I have never done this and don't even know where to start.
I have never done this and don't even know where to start.
melilley 11:47 AM 05-08-2013
I pm'd you my contract. Hopefully you can get some ideas from it. I had to copy it from Works so it looks different, but you can get an idea. A couple of people on this forum helped me with it, hopefully it can help you! 
Oneluckymom 11:51 AM 05-08-2013
Originally Posted by melilley:
I pm'd you my contract. Hopefully you can get some ideas from it. I had to copy it from Works so it looks different, but you can get an idea. A couple of people on this forum helped me with it, hopefully it can help you!
Oh thank you!! I think will at least give me a starting point.I pm'd you my contract. Hopefully you can get some ideas from it. I had to copy it from Works so it looks different, but you can get an idea. A couple of people on this forum helped me with it, hopefully it can help you!
I was just going to google to see what I would come up with.
melilley 12:01 PM 05-08-2013
Originally Posted by Oneluckymom:
Oh thank you!! I think will at least give me a starting point.
I was just going to google to see what I would come up with.
Ooops. I totally did not see the volunteer/employee part...lolOh thank you!! I think will at least give me a starting point.
I was just going to google to see what I would come up with.
Meeko 12:05 PM 05-08-2013
Be in charge.
It's YOUR daycare and YOUR business. Look at the interview as you interviewing them and not the other way around.
Even if you are nervous, act confident and professional.
Most parents are just fine, but some act as if they are looking to hire an employee. I learned many years ago to nip that in the bud!
Listen to your gut. Only take a child you feel will be a good fit. If parents like you and yet you don't feel the same way....smile and say you have other parents coming to interview and that you will decide which child you are going to take by the end of the week.
Good luck...you'll do fine!
It's YOUR daycare and YOUR business. Look at the interview as you interviewing them and not the other way around.
Even if you are nervous, act confident and professional.
Most parents are just fine, but some act as if they are looking to hire an employee. I learned many years ago to nip that in the bud!
Listen to your gut. Only take a child you feel will be a good fit. If parents like you and yet you don't feel the same way....smile and say you have other parents coming to interview and that you will decide which child you are going to take by the end of the week.
Good luck...you'll do fine!
Starburst 09:11 AM 05-09-2013
Its good you want a contract because I hear of many people treat who their employees as "free agents" (meaning they don't have a contract), Tom Copeland even agrees it's better to have a contract. The place I used to work at she never really had a contract with any of her employees but it has come back to haunt her.
Before I worked there the provider, my old boss, (we'll call her "Kay"- not real name) had one employee (we'll call her "Iris"- not real name) who started her own daycare (which Kay supported) just down the street from Kay's daycare. Kay said if she was full and receiving calls (which she always is for both) that she would refer people to Iris's new daycare but Kay made it very clear she would have no problem doing this as long as Iris wouldn't try to steal DCFs from her program (and if Iris would not enroll Kay's current DCFs even if they asked unless Kay referred them). We'll Kay had a graduation for her preschoolers (her biggest daycare event of the year) and also used that as a 'Goodbye' party for Iris and Iris's SIL, who also worked for Kay (SIL was going to assist Iris). Kay's daughter even made a slide show of all the wonderful times they had at the daycare with Iris and SIL to show at the graduation and everyone in the room started to cried (including Iris and SIL). But right after the ceremony, Iris and her SIL started passing out business cards for Iris's daycare to everyone in the audience- including many of Kay's current DC parents! Kay was very upset that Iris did this because she was going to send families her way and with in a few months Iris did wind up taking two of Kay's enrolled families (1 with 2 kids, another with 1). Years after that Kay is still upset because she sees it as a betrayal that she taught Iris all she knew about daycare and saw it as Iris deliberately taking business away from her.
I think it saves a lot of worry and miscommunication if their is an understanding of what is okay or not okay. When I worked at Michael's they made me sign a document that if I later worked for a competitor or decided to open my own craft shop that would compete with the company that I cannot use any "secrets" that I learned while working there and share them with other companies, that I could get into legal trouble doing so. So many you can list things that you think makes your program unique from others in your area and say that they cannot use this idea (trade mark it) or share it with other competing daycares (like if they go work at a center).
I saw one sample contract on here once where it said that the employee promises not to open a daycare within a certain range (1-5 mile) or that they cannot accept children they know are enrolled in your daycare for a time period (about 1-2 year) after starting their daycare unless you refer a family to them. Not sure if it will be reinforced legally and it could vary by state on if its okay or not.
Some other things related to this subject to help with a handbook/contract:
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59321 Things to think about when writing an employee handbook.
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31462 Has a sample employee contract
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59457 questions to ask at an interview
https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/cate...stants-helpers some of Nannyde's tips
Before I worked there the provider, my old boss, (we'll call her "Kay"- not real name) had one employee (we'll call her "Iris"- not real name) who started her own daycare (which Kay supported) just down the street from Kay's daycare. Kay said if she was full and receiving calls (which she always is for both) that she would refer people to Iris's new daycare but Kay made it very clear she would have no problem doing this as long as Iris wouldn't try to steal DCFs from her program (and if Iris would not enroll Kay's current DCFs even if they asked unless Kay referred them). We'll Kay had a graduation for her preschoolers (her biggest daycare event of the year) and also used that as a 'Goodbye' party for Iris and Iris's SIL, who also worked for Kay (SIL was going to assist Iris). Kay's daughter even made a slide show of all the wonderful times they had at the daycare with Iris and SIL to show at the graduation and everyone in the room started to cried (including Iris and SIL). But right after the ceremony, Iris and her SIL started passing out business cards for Iris's daycare to everyone in the audience- including many of Kay's current DC parents! Kay was very upset that Iris did this because she was going to send families her way and with in a few months Iris did wind up taking two of Kay's enrolled families (1 with 2 kids, another with 1). Years after that Kay is still upset because she sees it as a betrayal that she taught Iris all she knew about daycare and saw it as Iris deliberately taking business away from her.
I think it saves a lot of worry and miscommunication if their is an understanding of what is okay or not okay. When I worked at Michael's they made me sign a document that if I later worked for a competitor or decided to open my own craft shop that would compete with the company that I cannot use any "secrets" that I learned while working there and share them with other companies, that I could get into legal trouble doing so. So many you can list things that you think makes your program unique from others in your area and say that they cannot use this idea (trade mark it) or share it with other competing daycares (like if they go work at a center).
I saw one sample contract on here once where it said that the employee promises not to open a daycare within a certain range (1-5 mile) or that they cannot accept children they know are enrolled in your daycare for a time period (about 1-2 year) after starting their daycare unless you refer a family to them. Not sure if it will be reinforced legally and it could vary by state on if its okay or not.
Some other things related to this subject to help with a handbook/contract:
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59321 Things to think about when writing an employee handbook.
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31462 Has a sample employee contract
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59457 questions to ask at an interview
https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/cate...stants-helpers some of Nannyde's tips
Oneluckymom 09:26 AM 05-09-2013
Found this link....http://hd.ingham.org/Portals/HD/Home...20template.pdf
what about using this for a guide to making my own?
what about using this for a guide to making my own?
Starburst 09:31 AM 05-09-2013
I never seen that before, it looks awesome- but I would carefully go through it and see if there is anything you want to change; For example, I would change that dress code (I personally hate Khakis).