Culture, Care and Keeping Staff Smiling
Every business knows the secret to a good front of house is a great back of house and likewise, good managers know the secret to a well oiled back of house, is the staff who look after it.
When staff are well looked after and a rapport has been built, they become passionate and of course more productive. They're invested. They know what it takes to want to show up every day and no, it's not just because of the children or the love they have for education.
We visited Playbright Rosebery and chatted to a couple of the staff members to ask why the centre has one of the highest rates of staff retention and of course to see the children at the centre thrive!
The benefits of staff retention
In any business, a high turnover of staff is costly by means of advertising, training and a decrease in productivity but in the childcare industry there are many more detriments, particularly when it comes to the parents and children. Kids get a good sense of their educators and build trust for them but so do the parents. Children really benefit from having the same carers on a regular basis, they build a trust and familiarity helping them to settle into the new environment and calming any anxieties they have, especially if they're anxious about separating from their family.
Playbright Rosebery Director, Paula says that it takes a great deal of time to build that trust with parents and in particular knowing that, "as a parent it's very hard to let go and trust someone else with your own child."
Building culture
So what makes a good culture? One that makes staff want to stick around and be a part of? It seems the longer you're a part of something the more you want to stay and at Rosebery, there is one staff member in particular, Hilde, that has been there for more than 13 years - now that is saying a lot about the culture of the centre.
Paula mentions that a nurturing and caring environment for children, families and educators – making sure they continue to inspire each other.
"The love of education, children and their passion for early learning is something we can attribute the long-serving members of staff to - also the culture of the centre. We’ve worked hard and now we’re an established name in the community. Staff are comfortable and know all of the parents and families in this area. A lot of the parents come back after having second children or other siblings come along."
"When I was applying for a job within the industry, I always asked about the culture in the centre. I am a big advocate for promoting a great culture and leadership in centres. I'm big on constant communication, making sure everyone is supported in the team and the staff are supported. We have a great team here at Rosebery," Paula added.
So what's Rosebery's secret?
A great, longserving team, with a passion for early learning is a wonderful start but when we chatted to Paula, she was adament that it was the uniqueness of time.
"The staff are always there, ready to put their hand up to help out. It takes a while to build that accountability and dependability in each other. That’s the best thing in this team - we know we can count on each other when someone is not well, when someone has a family emergency. we know we can run the place. We know it like the back of our hands, how it’s run, how the children are and how to manage them because it’s all different behaviours and they know the children so well because they have been here so long and it takes time to establish that."
"My personal leadership style comes from being an educator myself for over 12 years. Staff love to be heard, know that they’re being supported by their leader, and I lead by example. I’d like for everyone to know culture and how do you promote that? You celebrate it inside the centre."
Shoutout to Paula and the team at Playbright Rosebery for letting us come in to have chat.
See what Paula and Ildi had to say about the amazing culture at Playbright Rosebery.
