10 Ways to Thank Your Childcare Staff & Parents This Season

Did you know – an employee that’s recognized and appreciated is 63% more likely to stay at their current job?  

Showing appreciation to the staff at your center is important to retaining your staff and creating a healthy environment for families. Happy staff makes happy families. 😀

Read the blog article to get tips on how you can show appreciation to your staff and your families. 🙌

Why You Should Make Your Staff Feel Appreciated 

It is important that your staff feel valued at your center. Satisfied staff can lead to increased productivity, better teamwork, and greater parent satisfaction. Here are 5 ways you can make them feel special.

1) Host 1 on 1 meetings 

Having individual meetings with your staff weekly can make your staff feel recognized. Going over goals, their strengths, and how they feel overall shows that you care for them as a person and not just as a staff member.

Employees want to know their employer is just as dedicated to their growth as they are.

Visit LineLeader for more tips to enhance your staff and family experience.

2) Have an employee of the month 

Employee of the Month is not anything new, but incorporating it at your center can give your employees something to work toward. You could even put together a basket with a few of their favorite goodies when recognizing them! 

3) Keep a staff gratitude jar by the front desk

Keeping a jar at the front desk can encourage team building. Anytime a team member does something nice, encourage the other members to put it in the jar. They can even write nice things just for fun! 

Gratitude jar

4) Give verbal praise to your staff throughout the day

Words of affirmation always go a long way and sometimes in the business of the day. It’s easy to forget to thank your staff. Give random praise throughout the day to show your staff that you appreciate the work that they do. 

5) Have the students write thank you letters to the staff

You can never go wrong with a handwritten letter. Handwritten letters from the students always go a long way.

Thank Your Parents for Choosing YOU 

1) Write a daycare thank you letter to parents.

Writing a thank you note from a daycare provider to parents is an easy and effective way to show appreciation! A great framework for writing a thank you letter is to have an opening (it doesn’t have to be extremely formal), write your 'thank you statement', and maybe share an anecdote that you’ve had with them or with their child.

After that, close it out with another thank you statement. A good closing could be, “Thank you for trusting us with your child.” 

2) Give candy out to parents.

Having a jar or a bucket of candy at the front desk is a sweet way to show appreciation. A smile from a staff member at the front desk and a piece of candy can go a long way. 

3) Curate photos of their child into a digital photo book.

In this digital age, it’s easier to digitize memorable moments. A way you can do this is by sending daily pictures and updates via a parent engagement app. This saves time and makes the moment more accessible and convenient. 

Parent engagement app

4) Highlight your parents and students on social media.

If the parent consents, you can take a photo of them with their child and post it across your social pages. You can share a fun fact or anecdote. This is also a great way to recognize your family.

5) Engage your families through user community practices.

Having a Facebook group or some form of community practice is a great way to show appreciation to the parents at your center. Make sure you’re posting in the communities of practice often and answering any questions your customers may have.

Laptop

Appreciation Goes a Long Way

Thanking your staff and families is the key to building lifelong relationships and cultivating strong teams. Deliver a better family and staff experience with a unified platform–that brings everyone together.

Visit LineLeader for more ways to enhance your staff and family experience.

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