SELECTING STAFF

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter

Peggy Riehl
Anti-Bias Project
Chicago Association for the Education
of Young Children, Chicago, Illinois

Copyright/Access Information


Low wages and heavy use of part-time positions lead to high turnover rates in after-school programs. As a result, program directors devote much of their time to hiring staff. Quality staff is the key to a successful program.

Many types of persons may apply for positions in school-age programs: early childhood professionals, social workers, recreation leaders, elementary school teachers, and psychology majors.

Each field provides strengths and weaknesses for working in school-age child care programs. As director, you can build a team based on the strengths of each staff member. Hiring staff with a variety of backgrounds will add diversity to your program. However, you must also be sensitive to limitations in the backgrounds of staff and develop a plan to foster the professional development of each staff member.

Early childhood professionals focus on the whole child. They understand that children grow physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. They know that care and education go hand in hand. Some early childhood professionals, however, may have limited experience working with older children. Early childhood training focuses mainly on the period from birth to age 8. Many professionals have worked only with preschool children. They may need special training in the types of activities and discipline techniques that are right for older children.

Recreation leaders will use their training to keep your program fun! No one has better training in arts and crafts, sports, and other leisure activities than the recreation major. Recreation leaders may need help in how to select developmentally-appropriate activities and in using guidance and discipline techniques. Particularly in urban programs, however, recreation leaders may also need to learn special skills for working with high-risk youth. Popsicle sticks and basketball may not be enough to steer youth away from gangs. Working with children and parents over long time periods may also be a new experience.

Social workers are often trained to work one-on-one with children. They also understand the importance of working with families. Parent involvement will usually be important to them. On the other hand, social workers sometimes do not know how to plan and run group activities for youth.

Elementary school teachers also bring unique skills. Many parents look for programs that will contribute to their child's success in school. Staff members with education training usually find curriculum planning an easy task. However, they may need help in going beyond the cognitive needs of the child to foster social, emotional, and physical development. Because education tends to work toward group norms, they may also need help planning activities with individual children in mind.

The psychology major may have skills that are similar to the social worker's or the early childhood professional's. Psychologists can contribute knowledge of how children develop during middle childhood. Individuals who understand this stage of development are likely to get along well with the children. However, staff members with psychology backgrounds may have little training or experience in planning activities or working with youth.

In addition to understanding the impact of formal training on staff, you must also consider their work experience. Adults with little or no previous work experience are often enthusiastic and open to learning how to work with school-age youth. Many can draw on skills developed through volunteer work or from being a parent. They can benefit, however, from specialized preservice or in-service training about school-age child care.

The director of a school-age child care program is a team builder. It can be difficult to get such a diverse staff to work well together. It is up to the director to communicate the overall philosophy of the program to the whole staff. You must also consider the strengths and weaknesses of the staff when formulating a staff development plan. When selecting your staff, also be sensitive to the need for diversity in terms of sex, ethnicity and culture, and individuals who are physically or mentally challenged. The team you select serves as a model for youth and their parents. It is important to consider diversity in your selections.

Use the expertise of your staff. Ask staff members to share their knowledge with each other during staff meetings. Make staff assignments based on their strengths. By using each staff member in this way, you build your program based on the collective strengths of the entire "team." This will result in high-quality programming for school-age children.