Consistency and teamwork in child care are extremely important for the safety and care of all children. As a director, you can encourage the child care providers in your center to work as a team in several ways. Here are some suggestions:

• Hold monthly staff meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Plan occasional team-building exercises.
• Attend professional development workshops or conferences as a team.
• Send providers to different workshops, and then ask them to share what they learned with the team.
• Encourage written and verbal communication between child care providers, and set up ways to make that communication easy.  E-mail, a private website or online group, and written checklists may facilitate communication.
• Provide a break room so child care providers have somewhere to go during their break. A coffeemaker, vending machines, and comfortable seating can encourage use of this area.
• Have a holiday party where staff can share relaxed time together.
• Pay attention to the stress level of your child care staff, both individually and as a group. When stress gets too high, work with your team to find ways to reduce stress.

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