Level 1 New Employee Orientation Basics
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”�— Dr. Seuss
Child care that becomes a trusted member of your family team
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Slide 3 - Welcome
Slide 4 - Organizational Chart
Slides 5-10 Safety by Supervision
Slides 11-13 Emergency Situations
Slides 14-23 Guidance and Discipline
Slides 24-26 Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
Slide 27 Final Quiz
Slide 28 Non-discrimination Policy
Welcome!
We are excited to have you join our team of Early Childhood Educators at Basic Beginnings! We take our responsibility for the wellbeing of our children and our commitment to our families very seriously. Our job here is a combination of educating and caring for the children while listening and cooperating with their families. To help you get off to a good start on your career here, we have assembled this introduction to the most critical things you must know before you begin your work in our center. If you are a newly hired educator, this is the first of several trainings you will be asked to complete. Once you have completed the training, please complete the quiz at the end. This will notify us that you have met the requirements for working in any capacity inside our facility.
Thanks! And welcome!�
“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”�— John Cotton Dana
Who’s who around here?
This gives you an idea of who is responsible for what and whom! However, you should always feel free to talk to any of us about any concerns you might have.
KERRY GREASER�Owner
�JAN LAWRENCE�Owner/Director
KAMIE DORSSOM�Assistant Director�BB North
All Infant and Toddler�Classrooms
Lead Teachers
Assistant Teachers
And Interns
Office Manager
Human Resources,�DFS, NAEYC,
TIA BOWEN�Assistant Director�BB South
All Preschool Classrooms
Lead Teachers
Assistant Teachers
And Interns
Assistant Director
Human Relations
Quality Control, DFS, NAEYC,
All Families, Staff, Interns,
Visiting Therapists
Safety by Supervision
The top priority here is always the safety of our children. Children do not yet have the experiences that help them determine the level of risk in their play. They require the constant and vigilant supervision of a quick thinking and knowledgeable adult.
For infants and toddlers under the age of three, supervision must be maintained at all times by both SIGHT and SOUND.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Safety by Supervision
Throughout the day, make sure at least one Educator can SEE and HEAR all of your children at all times. Infants and toddlers under the age of three can never be out of sight and hearing.
One of the Educators in your classroom must be able to see and hear every one of your children clearly from wherever they are sitting or standing, merely by turning their head from side to side. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Safety by Supervision
Should you notice an infant or toddler who cannot be easily seen AND heard for any reason, you must immediately remedy the situation and report it to the next person in the chain of command. This allows us to review the circumstances and make changes to ensure that every child is supervised at all times.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Safety by Supervision
For this same reason, it is important that at no time a classroom or group of children is left without the required number of staff.
The required ratios are posted in every classroom. If you need to leave the classroom for any reason, please first ensure that the correct number of staff will still be present in the classroom.
For an emergency situation where you MUST leave, you must call the front desk for assistance.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Every child under the age of 3 must be within your sight and hearing at all times.
Safety by Supervision
As children grow older they should be encouraged to become more self-sufficient.
Children who are at least 3 years of age may be out of your direct line of sight, but never out of hearing, for very short periods of time, providing they are in a safe place.
However, you must check on them frequently (no longer than every 2 minutes) until they return to where you can both see AND hear them. If they require assistance or closer adult supervision, you must respond immediately.
Children who are at least 3 may be out of sight only if they are in a safe place, you can hear them, and can respond immediately if you are needed for any reason.
Safety by Supervision
This would allow them, for example, to go to the bathroom independently but still ensure that you can hear if they require assistance.
Should you notice a preschooler who cannot be easily seen or heard by at least one of our Early Childhood Educators, you should immediately remedy the situation and report it to the next person in the chain of command. This allows us to review the circumstances and make changes to ensure that every child is supervised at all times.
Children who are at least 3 may be out of sight only if they are in a safe place, you can hear them, and can respond immediately if you are needed for any reason.
Safety by Supervision-� Emergency Situations
For this same reason, it is important that at no time a classroom or group of children is left over the required ratio of staff to children. The required ratios are posted in every classroom. If you need to leave the classroom for any reason, please first ensure that the correct number of staff will still be present in the classroom. For an emergency situation where you MUST leave, you must call the front desk for assistance immediately.
Children who are at least 3 may be out of sight only if they are in a safe place, you can hear them, and can respond immediately if you are needed for any reason.
Safety by Supervision-� Emergency Situations
Remember, supervision is the most effective way to make sure children are safe.
The required staff to child ratios are posted in each classroom. These must be maintained at all times, without exception.
It is never acceptable for a classroom to be left with fewer staff members than are required for the number of children present. Please do NOT leave the classroom for even a minute unless you first confirm that the required staff to child ratio can be maintained until you return.
REMEMBER! Staff to child ratios may never be violated. Not even for a few minutes, and ESPECIALLY not when your class is outside.
Safety by Supervision-
Emergency Situations
Should you ever find yourself short of the required staff in a classroom, unable to meet ratios, or in any situation where you do not believe you are able to keep the children safe without help, you must notify the front desk right away so we can get someone to help you.
Do not leave your classroom over ratio, or allow your coworkers to do so, for any length of time. If this happens you must report this to the front desk IMMEDIATELY.
REMEMBER! Staff to child ratios may never be violated. Not even for a few minutes, and ESPECIALLY not when your class is outside.
Guidance and Discipline
Early Childhood Educators are a vital part of helping young children to develop logic and self-regulation skills. These are not things a child is born with. They are skills a child must learn and develop before we can expect the child to use them.
Basic Beginnings utilizes the Conscious Discipline approach to help children with these skills. Conscious Discipline teaches children, AND EDUCATORS, to name their emotions, regulate them, and solve problems. Click on the link below for an overview of how Conscious Discipline works. When you have completed the video, you may return here to continue your orientation training.
Guidance and Discipline
All our Educators have access to specialized training in Conscious Discipline. If you have not yet completed these trainings, please email us at the link below so we can grant you access to the full course.
Send your name and email address to: tbowen.basic beginnings@gmail.com
Put “CD Training” in the subject line and we will send you a link to register!
Guidance and Discipline
When a child is upset, out of control, or making poor behavior choices, please use the following steps:
Guidance and Discipline
Guidance and Discipline
They may prefer “time in.” Offer them time to snuggle. Or take them with you on a quick errand to the kitchen, or to the supply closet, or to take the trash out, etc.
Guidance and Discipline
Guidance and Discipline
Any disciplinary action you take beyond these four steps must first be approved by an administrator. The consequences upon a staff member for doing anything outside of this guidance may be severe, including reprimand, being placed on probation, termination of employment, or even legal action!
ASK FIRST!!
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Guidance and Discipline
The following responses to children’s misbehavior are inappropriate and must NEVER be done in our center. �These include:�
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Guidance and Discipline
The following responses to children’s misbehavior are inappropriate and must NEVER be done in our center. �These include:�
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Guidance and Discipline
The following responses to children’s misbehavior are inappropriate and must NEVER be done in our center. �These include:
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
Most of the children we encounter never experience abuse or neglect. For the few who will experience maltreatment, it is vital that all Early Childhood Educators know the signs and understand their responsibility to report any suspicion that a child needs help. Please review the signs of such abuse or neglect here:
Signs and Symptoms of Abuse or Neglect
When you have reviewed the list of signs to watch for, return here to finish this section of your orientation training.
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
If you have any concerns about a child’s wellbeing, no matter how uncertain you may be, as a mandated reporter in the State of Wyoming, you must respond.
Please report any concerns to the Director, who will help you figure out the best next steps to take. Confidentiality of your concerns, as well as your identity, will be maintained at all times.
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect
It is important that you do not try to elicit further information from any child. In trying to gather more information, you could be inhibiting any investigative action by the Department of Family Services or Law Enforcement.
It is also important that you do not wait until you feel you have “proof” of your concerns. That is not necessary and could delay our ability to get help to the child. The Department of Family Services and our local Law Enforcement will be able to sort out those details. Our responsibility is merely to initiate the process.
There is no greater sin than knowing children are abused every day, and we did nothing to stop it.
Final Quiz
You are almost done! Now complete the final quiz, located here:
Your responses are recorded electronically
You must answer 12 of the 15 questions correctly to pass.
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
-F.E. Witcraft
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20PComplaint-Form-0508-0002- 508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.