Getting Started
Orienting new employees is important because it helps them adjust to their new work environment, understand program policies and procedures, and get familiar with their job duties. In addition, it helps new employees get to know others in your program and feel like they belong. A good orientation ensures that new employees are properly trained and equipped to do their jobs well. A well-organized orientation system will increase employee retention, which is the ultimate benefit to your program.
DIEEC has a number of experiences that can support you as the program leader in building your orientation system.
Quality Improvement Support
Engage with a DIEEC Technical Assistant that will offer guidance and resources to develop your purposeful plan for new hires.
Professional Development
Strengthening Business Practices: Staff Recruitment and Retention for Center-Based Administrators and Large Family Child Care Providers PLUS: Orientation is one of the focuses of this professional learning experience. Professional development coordinators often help program leaders explore orientation the customized follow-up coaching.
Additionally, here are some helpful links/resources to get you started:
- DIEEC Independent Study Website: Orientation
- Resources from McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership
- Book: The Right Fit: Recruiting, Selecting and Orienting Staff – Kay Albrecht (part of the Director’s Toolbox Series)
- The Director’s Toolbox / Orientation, Training, and Staff Development
- Great Expectations: Tips for Preparing New Employees for Long-Term Success
- The First Week and Beyond: Investing in Teachers’ Growth and Development
Key Content
A well-designed orientation program will include intentional support long after the employee’s initial onboarding. Program leaders initially focus on acquainting newly hired employees to the essential expectations of the program, such as licensing requirements. The next step is for the new hire to learn more about their day-to-day expectations that are unique to the program. This could be related to child-teacher interactions and/or curriculum and assessment processes.
DIEEC offers a variety of Professional Learning Experiences (PLE) focused on program leaders. All of our leadership-based PLEs include a workshop portion as well as a follow-up experience to support you in implementing what you have learned. In individualized one-on-one coaching of the following PLEs, you could tailor your experience to focus on the development of newly hired employees.
Additional resources will be coming soon!
How else can we help? Please share your ideas, feedback, and input about your needs here. This will help guide the supports and resources that we’re developing.
