Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Staff
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LDOO4Assignment.docxRecruiting, Developing, and Retaining Staff
Overview
For this Work Product, you will visit an early childhood setting to explore current practices for recruiting, supporting, and retaining employees. You will use this setting as a context to determine staffing needs, plan hiring activities, and create plans for supporting and retaining employees, including activities to cultivate a positive work environment and maximize employee motivation and job satisfaction.
To begin this Assessment, carefully review each part of the Assessment. With the tasks associated with each section in mind, arrange to visit an early childhood setting (center, school, etc.), which may be your current place of employment. Meet with the person(s) in charge of recruiting, developing, evaluating, and retaining staff. Hold one or more conversations with this person to gather information on the practices, issues, and challenges related to staffing, writing job descriptions, recruiting and interviewing, professional development, and employee support. Make a point to gain a sense of the culture of the organization and the diversity of the surrounding community. Discuss activities in place (or ones that can be developed) to support and retain staff with the goal of creating a positive and productive work environment. Make detailed notes during your visit, or record your conversation if possible, to inform your successful completion of this Assessment. Be sure to use pseudonyms for the center and for any individuals discussed in your Assessment.
Your response to this Assessment should:
· Reflect the criteria provided in the Rubric, which provides information on how the Assessment will be evaluated.
· Adhere to the required assignment length.
· Use the APA course paper template available here. All submissions must follow the conventions of scholarly writing. Properly formatted APA citations and references must be provided where appropriate.
Professional Skills: Written Communication and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are assessed in this Competency. You are strongly encouraged to use the Writing Checklist and to review the Rubric prior to submitting.
This Assessment requires submission of one (1) document that includes all parts of this Work Product.
Instructions
Access the following to complete this Assessment:
Rubric
This assessment has four-parts. Click each of the items below to complete this assessment.
Part I: Staffing Analysis (3–5 pages)
Based on the information you gained from your visit, analyze the staffing needs of the setting. Then, to complete Part 1 of this Assessment:
1. Write a description, of the early childhood setting visited, that includes a profile of the children and families served in the program and a description of the current staffing arrangement in this setting.
2. Analyze the staffing arrangement to determine the staffing needs of the center. Explain how well the staff represents the diversity of the community, the degree to which roles and responsibilities are appropriately matched to individual employees, and staffing challenges (e.g., funding, finding qualified individuals, eliminating unneeded positions, etc.).
3. Provide recommendations for at least two separate positions that could be filled, revised, created, or eliminated to improve the staffing configuration, including a rationale for each.
Part II: Job Descriptions (1 page per job description)
Based on the staffing needs you identified in Part 1, develop job descriptions for at least two positions that are relevant to this setting. Use the “Job Description Sample” template provided to complete Part 2 of this Assessment. Your job descriptions must include the following:
· Title of the position
· Related reporting/teaming structure
· Brief description of the organization
· Overview of the position’s roles and responsibilities
· Overview of minimal qualifications of the ideal candidate
Part III: Recruitment Plans and Interview Questions (2–3 pages)
Successful recruitment requires strategic decisions regarding where to post the job descriptions. Consider various options for posting the job descriptions you created in Part 2. Then, to complete Part 3 of this Assessment:
· Provide at least three locations where you will advertise each position, including a rationale for each.
· Describe at least three strategies you will use to attract qualified and diverse candidates, including a rationale for each.
Based on the context of the early childhood setting you visited and the two positions you identified, develop interview questions for each position. Complete the following:
· Formulate at least five interview questions that will be asked of the candidates. Include at least one scenario-based question that requires candidates to respond to an authentic work-related situation.
Part IV: Professional Development and Employee Support Activities
Once employees are hired, your efforts to help them assimilate into the culture of the organization, evaluate their performance, and support their professional development. Practices and policies that foster a positive, respectful, and engaging work environment will help ensure job satisfaction, build capacity, and ensure retention.
Create an overview of staff development and support activities, including the following, to complete Part 4 of this Assessment:
1. Provide descriptions of at least two strategies that will be used to assimilate new staff, including a rationale for each.
2. Write an overview of the process that will be used to evaluate performance of employees.
3. Describe at least three strategies to be used on an ongoing basis to develop, support, and motivate new staff, including a rationale for each.
4. Provide descriptions of at least three specific strategies that can be implemented on an ongoing basis to support a positive and productive work climate, including a rationale for each.
Resources/References
PART I
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed., pp. 84–87). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Management of Child Development Centers, pp. 124-131, pp. 138-141
Hearron, P. F., & Hildebrand, V. P. (2011). Management of child development centers (7th ed., pp. 124–131; 138–141). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Child Care Aware. (2015). Staffing. Retrieved from http://childcareaware.org/child-care-providers/management-plan/staffing
PART 11
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, pp. 87-93, pp.120-125
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed., 87–93; 120–125). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Management of Child Development Centers, pp.132-134
Hearron, P. F., & Hildebrand, V. P. (2011). Management of child development centers (7th ed., pp. 132–134). Boston, MA: Pearson.
How to Write a Child Care Worker Job Description
How to write a Child Care Worker job description. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/hire/job-description/child-care-worker
PART 111
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, pp. 93-101
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed., pp. 93–101). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Management of Child Development Centers, pp. 142-150
Hearron, P. F., & Hildebrand, V. P. (2011). Management of child development centers (7th ed., pp. 142–150). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Moving Beyond the Numbers: How to Recruit and Retain a Diverse Workforce
Leiberman, S. (n.d.). Moving beyond the numbers: How to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. Retrieved from http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/recruit/staffing/Moving-Beyond-the-Numbers-How-to-Recruit-Retain-Diverse-Workforce.asp
Benefits to Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Staff
The Denver Foundation. (n.d.). Benefits to recruiting and retaining a diverse staff. Retrieved from http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org/benefits-recruiting-and-retaining-diverse-staff
How to Conduct an Objective Job Interview
Harvard Business Review (2015). How to Conduct an Objective Job Interview. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2015/01/how-to-conduct-an-effective-job-interview
PART 1V
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, pp. 93-101
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed., pp. 93–101). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Management of Child Development Centers, pp. 142-150
Hearron, P. F., & Hildebrand, V. P. (2011). Management of child development centers (7th ed., pp. 142–150). Boston, MA: Pearson.
How to Conduct an Objective Job Interview
Harvard Business Review (2015). How to Conduct an Objective Job Interview. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2015/01/how-to-conduct-an-effective-job-interview
Planning and Administering Early Childhood Programs, pp. 102-119
Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2013). Planning and administering early childhood programs (10th ed., pp. 102–119). Boston, MA: Pearson
Management of Child Development Centers, pp. 154-156, pp. 166-175
Hearron, P. F., & Hildebrand, V. P. (2011). Management of child development centers (7th ed., pp. 154–156; 166–175). Boston, MA: Pearson.
MY VISIT REPORT to Early Childhood
The early childhood facility where that administrator I interviewed is a faith based early childhood program. It serves serve Toddlers through Third Grade with the availability of before and after School Program. The school is a mission school borne out of the passion of the pastors for a transformed community. Classes are kept to a low student-teacher ratio and often fill up quickly. The school has in its staff experienced teachers and staffs who are committed to working within each child’s comfort zone to ensure optimal social, emotional and intellectual developments of each child in the program.
The most challenging part of staffing this program is finding highly qualified staff and the ability to retain the staff. The school is a mission school so it is difficult to compete with the public schools in terms of compensations for staff and teachers
One of the most important criteria the administrator look for when interviewing applicants is the ability of the applicant to buy in to the vision and mission of the school. Since this is a Christian school with a unique vision and curriculum that align with the vision, the intending staff must be able to buy in to the program vision and mission and will be beneficial if such applicant has experience with the curriculum
It is very difficult to quickly determine how effective a staff will be, however there are interview questions that help to guide initial opinion of how well the applicant will do. These questions address the experience of the staff, the qualification, previous employment job and references, reason for leaving previous employment and personal and career goal of the applicant
My Interview with her regrading positive Work Climate
I interviewed the program director of a faith based early learning facility in my community, a Christian school. Following my interview, I was made to understand that creating a positive and productive work climate is in the purview of the program leadership and is one of the unique nontransferable responsibility of the program director.
Creating an environment where the staff and teachers are excited and motivated to come to work, the children are been care for in an outstanding manner, the parents and families are satisfied, the program quality is up to standard should be the vision shared by the director and imbibed by the staff, students , families and the community at large,
The process in creating such vision involves deep research of evidenced based process and principles that are of industry standard. Such process include good working relationship between staff, trust, respect and honesty among staff and families. Professional development and growth through training and mentoring programs, consensus decision making skills, team work and team decision making skills, timely and concise clear communication among staff and parents.
It is also important to assess work climate on a regular basis. One of the most common way that this is accomplished is thorough Survey questionnaires, open door policy where staff can approach the director to express concerns. Anonymous suggestion box place in the school lobby where staff or parents can drop their observations/complaints and suggestion.
The biggest challenge of planning and implementing policies and procedures related to positive work environment are other competing challenges and tasks, such as staffing issues, high staff attrition rate, families and parents issues that needed to be attended to and sometimes budgetary limitations
Developing a positive and productive work environment is highly recommended for any organization and more important for early learning facility in order to be able to provide a high quality program that will help the children develop emotionally, socially and intellectually.
