“A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.” -Thomas Reid
We value ongoing education and training for our teachers, and make a point to invest in their professional development. Teachers need experienced mentors and training to learn the ways of a preschool, as all schools are different in their philosophy and approach to learning and development. We have found that when new teachers have the opportunity to connect with our tenured teachers, amazing things happen! It gives them a sense of belonging, builds the family culture we have here at our school, and helps the new staff member feel welcomed into our school family.
In addition to connecting with experienced teachers, new hires also train with our admin team to learn about our school culture and how we work with children and families everyday. This allows the new staff members to learn about our philosophy and what makes our school so special. This is for brand new educators, as well as experienced teachers from other programs. We are unique from any other program in our area and want the teachers to live and breathe our beliefs into the children that they teach.
All of our dedicated staff either have their degree in Early Childhood, or continue their education towards that goal. Because we wish to support all our teachers in continuing their education, we partnered up with the TEACH program, which allows staff to go to school for free and get all of their books paid for. They also get bonuses each time they complete a credential and even get paid release time to attend their classes. We love to be able to do this for our teachers and staff.
Each year we all get out of town together for our annual staff retreat and attend the South Carolina Early Childhood Association Conference. Before and after classes, we spend time together cooking meals, playing games, and just relaxing. This is a great way for our entire staff to bond while also receiving our annual training hours as required by SC Licensing and Advocates for Better Childcare. This conference is a great way to network with other early childhood professionals and connect with fellow educators across our state.
We value every staff member at our school and encourage them to continue to be life-long learners as the field of early childhood is ever changing.