On-The-Job Training For Daycare Center Staff

Personnel of every child care center must be competent enough to provide the services necessary to cater to the individual needs of the children. The number of personnel of the daycare center must be able to provide the services needed and must be commensurate with the number of children being cared for. The number of the staff shall be determined by the following:

• Needs of the client children.
• Extent and kinds of services provided by the daycare center.
• Physical management of the daycare center.
• Presence of an emergency or disaster.

The daycare center may avail of the services of volunteers in order to meet the personnel need as long as such volunteers are supervised and will not be left alone with the client children. Volunteers who will provide any element of care to children must be at least 18 years of age.

All staff members of a daycare center must undergo an on-the-job training and must possess relevant experience and skills in the following areas:

• Principles of nutrition, menu planning, and food preparation and storage. Children in the daycare center must be fed at the prescribed time with specific meal requirements, staff members of the daycare center must have a working knowledge of food preparation and food handling. They should be given basic training on meal planning and must know basic principles of nutrition which will be very important in the health and physical well being of the children they care for.

• Universal health precautions. Staff members of a daycare center must be given training on basic housekeeping and sanitation principles. They should be familiar with the commonly accepted principles in health precautions so as not to expose the children to health risks like diseases and infections.

• Child care and supervision. Daycare center personnel must be provided training in order to make them competent in supervising and caring for children in the facility. They must know how to handle problem children, especially those with disabilities and other health concerns.

• Assistance with medication. Daycare center employees must be trained on how to provide assistance to the children when they have to take self-administered medications. They must be trained to know the proper dosages of medication that the children will be taking.

• Recognition of early signs of illness. Staff members must be trained on how to recognize signs when the children are sick and they should know when it is time to call for professional or emergency assistance.

• Availability of community resources and services. Employees of a daycare center must be trained how to utilize the help of the community when there is a need for such. In times of disaster or natural calamities, they should know where to ask for help or assistance or where to go in the case of an evacuation.

A well-designed on-the-job training can prepare daycare center staff members on how to handle different situations that could be involve a life or death situation for the children. The training will prepare the members of the staff for any eventuality that could arise in the daycare center.

See: How to start a daycare center