Child Care Professional Performance Reviews

What type of performance review makes sense for Preschool Educators?

Giving and receiving feedback from staff is an integral part of any successful early-learning facility. Professional performance reviews are a positive thing for employees, administrators, and parents as they work together in providing outstanding education and guidance to their students.

In any caregiver position, success depends on understanding the job duties and how others depend on the contributions you make. Directors and teachers benefit greatly from regularly scheduled evaluations. They provide a means for supervisors to suggest improvements and an opportunity for recognition and praising achievements.

One way for administrators to clearly convey their expectations is by posting an employee review template for where parents and staff can see it. This way, employees have a clear understanding of how their performance is assessed and parents can appreciate the high standards maintained by the child care center.

Self-assessment in childcare is one of the best tools for insight and feedback from teachers. Practicing this type of ongoing reflection identifies internal strengths and areas that need improvement. Since caregivers never stop learning or improving, self-assessments give the employee an active role to play in their professional evaluations.

Performance improvement plans set a progressive timeline in cases where specific concerns are identified or changes are needed. They are a useful for monitoring certain situations, including employee promotions or co-worker issues.

The review should be scheduled in advance and the employee and supervisor must have an adequate period to prepare. Where self-assessment is included, the staff member is given plenty of time to complete their personal evaluation in advance. When self-assessment is not part of the review process, the employee should have the opportunity to respond to any assertions or critiques.

Both parties are encouraged to discuss where they agree and differ. Then, a future plan of expectations can be made. Subsequent assessment may occur at the next regular review or be scheduled sooner if a formal quality improvement plan is implemented.

The professional performance review includes positive reinforcement, where possible, and constructive criticism where improvements are needed. It is not meant to be a negative experience or an opportunity for supervisory rebuke or employee complaints. These issues are separate from the performance evaluation.

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