According to a Sunday, January 23, 2022 article in the Star and Tribune, the most recent and prevalent frustration experienced by the Minnesota child care industry involves funding and staffing. With an increase in costs and frequent absences and quarantines, childcare providers are dealing with one of the most challenging times in the industry. Currently, there are providers and facilities throughout the state of Minnesota that have the physical space available to welcome children but may be unable to find teachers and assistants to provide care within those spaces. Many providers and centers have had to increase tuition to cover the additional costs associated with COVID and to increase salaries to find individuals who are willing to work. The article further goes on to share that Minnesota’s child care industry realizes that four out of the five’s states 8,500 providers are home-operated businesses. Hollee Saville, president of the Minnesota Association of Child Care Professionals, which represents home-operated child care businesses, shares that many are leaving the industry at a rapid rate. “We lose almost two a day,” Saville said. The pandemic has exacerbated the decades-long downward trend in child care access in Minnesota. Available slots with family child care providers are disappearing the quickest. Some providers who have been battling the effects of the pandemic have had to raise prices to keep up with rising costs. Marketing dollars for some businesses have shifted from recruiting families to recruiting workers. Many, if not all childcare centers are currently experiencing the challenges presented in finding and hiring qualified childcare staff.
The Leo Augusta Children’s Academy Employee, What Do They Look Like?
Very shortly the Academy will be posting positions. Those positions will include An Assistant Director, Lead Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and Assistants. This is a very exciting time to be a part of the Academy as we begin to move forward with the posting of positions and selection of staff for the Academy. So, you may be asking yourself, What does an employee of the Academy look like? What type of individual will fit with the philosophy and mission of the Academy? If you’ve seen our mission statement you have likely noticed that our commitment to staff is included: The mission of the Leo Augusta Children’s Academy is to support children’s growth and education through a staff of highly esteemed educators with the sole purpose of giving the children of our community a foundation of knowledge, athletics, and a morally good start in life.
First and foremost, the individual who will be a part of the Leo Augusta Children’s Academy (LACA) will have a love for children and learning. This love for children and learning will become the foundation upon which all of the other attributes will be based. As we begin the process of posting our positions and interviewing candidates, we are looking for those individuals who possess the following qualities:
- Patience. Working as a child care provider is difficult, exhausting work. Patience is an extremely important trait. Children are experts in creating all kinds of situations from stressful and frustrating ones to problematic and chaotic ones. Our providers will be patient and calm and handle each of these situations with dignity and ease.
- Positive Regard for Children. A childcare worker position is not a job; we believe it is a life’s calling. A LACA employee will have a genuine and natural affinity for children and will need to be empathetic to the needs of children. Our staff will be comfortable and confident when working with children and be equally inspired to motivate them.
- Effective Decision-Making and Monitoring Skills. Many complex situations can happen all at once when working with children. And, they can happen multiple times in one day. Our providers must be able to act quickly and appropriately to respond to those situations and to make the best decisions for all involved. Our children will need to be cared for, observed, taught, and evaluated by highly-skilled and effective individuals.
- Training and Education/Witness Children Growth and Development. Children are filled with boundless energy. Our providers will need to have unlimited energy to keep up with our children and meet their academic, social, physical, and emotional needs. Our staff will be educated, caring, and responsible adults who have proper training and certification in early childhood development and education. Working with children provides each of us the chance to be a part of a huge learning experience for childcare enthusiasts. annual child care training will be a part of their personal and professional continuing education and development.
- Collaboration With Co-Workers. Becoming a LACA team member will be a joy and an honor. Our staff will have a first-hand opportunity to work closely with children in their development and growth process, but they will also become a teammate who will get to communicate, coordinate and collaborate with their co-workers. Our providers will have opportunities to discuss routines, past experiences, and to collaborate on tasks that will lead to the mutual benefit of supporting our children and their learning in a friendly, collaborative environment. Coming to work at LACA, and working with our children and teammates will be a joy, not a job!
- Partnership With Families. Our team members will support families by taking care of their children and will share important information and will have a focus on fulfilling each child’s needs and supporting their growth. The children of the Academy will witness firsthand key persons in their life working successfully together through a partnership on their behalf. We understand and realize that families are a child’s first teacher. The staff members of the Academy are there to support and build upon that foundation and the skills that have been provided by families. This is our goal, our mission, and our livelihood.
- They Will Be Compensated at Market Rates. At the Academy, we fully realize the demands of a childcare provider and the education required to work with our most important resource, that being our children. We take pride in what will be offered to children and families at the Academy. Our founder and Board members take pride in the many opportunities that we will be able to provide for the individuals who desire to work here. And, we desire that those individuals also take pride in who they are, their education, and their efforts. One way that we can recognize those accomplishments and efforts is to provide compensation that acknowledges that and is highly competitive.
Does this sound interesting?
Are these qualities describing you?
Are you seeking a professional change in your life?
Do you want to make a difference each day in the life of a child?
If so, open positions at the Academy will be posted shortly. Stay tuned!
For updates on progress and development follow the LACA Facebook page.