The Director's Planner: Week of August 26, 2024

1 weekly challenge, 2 tips & tricks, and 3 action items written exclusively for Childcare Directors.

1 Weekly Challenge

Establish and clearly communicate your expectations for parent communication as the new school year begins. Whether you choose to share this information during your back-to-school night or in a dedicated email, make sure it's front and center—not hidden in a newsletter or as a small note. Our Insiders can find pre-written email templates in the resource hub to make this process even smoother!

2 Tips & Tricks

I. Ask parents to bring their child’s bin/bag of “extras” home before Labor Day. (Love these clear bins if parents need a recommendation!) This can also be done before holiday break, spring break, and Memorial Day. These natural (and seasonal) breaks provide the ideal opportunity for parents to wash and check sizes, and to replenish their child’s supply of fresh underwear, socks, while adding seasonally appropriate clothing.

Want to earn extra credit from your families and teachers? Consider scheduling an email to go out the night before children return from the break, reminding parents to bring their labeled box or bin back to school.

II. Have your teachers use their app or email to send photos of lost and found items at the end of each month. Make sure the photos clearly show all items and include the size if it is a popular piece of clothing. This approach helps prevent the lost and found from becoming overcrowded and allows busy parents to claim their child’s belongings during the day, rather than during hectic drop-off and pick-up times.

3 Action Items

I. Hang reminders on your front doors and classroom doors about upcoming closures for next week- Labor Day! Don’t forget to include additional dates if you close for in-service trainings around this time. Closure reminder printables can be found in our Resources page HERE.

II. Write and prepare the September newsletter so it is ready to send next week.
Need ideas? Insiders will receive an overview tomorrow which includes quick hits, fun holidays to call out, and important reminders that would be great to include in next month’s newsletter! These are pre-written with several options to plug and play or edit as needed.

III. Print out class lists for the first week of September and distribute them to teachers for new student and child transition preparation. Ensure they have everything they need to start the month off right, including any name tags, allergy information, or parent concerns.

And that’s it for this week. It’s as easy as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3!