Staff recruitment and retention for early childhood providers continues to be a challenge in Addison County as well as the rest of the State. The Addison council took time recently to ask key questions.
*What makes a good employee?
*What brings people to this work?
*Where do we find them?
*Why do they leave?
*How do we keep them?
The discussion was vibrant and helped to shape how and where council members recruit and retain employees.
STARS Review
The second round for the STARS review happened in June. Addison held two meetings, one during the day in Middlebury and one in the early evening in Bristol. Those attending had many questions and suggestions. Everyone appreciated the opportunity to be part of the discussion. We look forward to the next round of discussions.
Shared Services
Call it shared services or a co-op. The idea of retaining your own business but sharing certain aspects of the work has been around for some time. Farmers have made great use of the idea for many years. In a child care program, it is often the most skilled person in the building that is the one running the business end and not engaging with the children as much as they would like. It is difficult to be an expert in all areas. Shared Services allows the programs to offload some key tasks. In Addison the Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC) is acting as the Hub for the Shared Services network. CSAC has a strong system in place that make them an excellent fit to work with child care programs. Services offered at this time are: IT Support, HR, Maintenance and Coordination of Professional Development. Other aspects may be added as needed. Currently there are 6 programs taking part in the Shared Services model.
The Council is also working on engaging with families for the upcoming work supported by the Preschool Development Grant. We are anxiously waiting to receive the federal funding for this project in order to bring on families who are interested in working with us on this project.
