Episode 3: Building the Best Culture for Your Business | Jennifer Duffield

It’s episode 3 of The Child Care Business Podcast, and today we’re talking with Jennifer Duffield, who runs Dancing Moose Montessori. Learn how Jennifer and her family started Dancing Moose (including how they came up with the name) and how Jennifer has become an expert in hiring and building a strong child care culture that emulates her company’s core values: positive, perceptive and proactive. 

From setting up regular informational interviews and creating a pipeline of potential hires to offering ongoing professional development, Jennifer has cracked the code on how to not only build a strong team, but maintain it.

About Jennifer:
Jennifer is co-founder and Executive Director of Dancing Moose Montessori, which has two locations in Utah, over 500 students and more than 100 staff! She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry (which makes her an enthusiastic fan of STEM Education). She also has an MBA from Westminster College. She oversees the day-to-day operations of all Dancing Moose locations to ensure programmatic quality and consistency. 

Jennifer collaborates regularly with School Directors and Mentor Teachers at each location to evaluate how best to support the Dancing Moose team so that they are equipped to offer their very best to each student. Jennifer loves getting to know Dancing Moose children and parents, and works hard to promote a school culture that is innovative, positive and sensitive to the individual needs of students and team members.

Additional Resources:
To get more insights on ways to succeed in your child care business, head over to our Resource Center at https://www.procaresoftware.com/resource-center/.

Contact Us:
Have an idea for a podcast or want to be a guest? Email us at podcast@procaresoftware.com.  

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):

[inaudible] welcome to the childcare business podcast brought to you by ProCare solutions. This podcast is all about giving childcare, preschool, daycare, afterschool, and other early education professionals, a fun and upbeat way to learn about strategies and inspiration you can use to thrive. You'll hear from a variety of childcare thought leaders, including educators, owners, and industry experts on ways to innovate, to meet the needs of the children you serve from practical tips for managing operations, to uplifting stories of transformation and triumph. This podcast will be chalk full and insights you can use to fully realize the potential of your childcare business. Let's jump in good morning,

Speaker 2 (00:53):

Everyone, and welcome to the childcare business podcast. My name is Ryan Gwaltney and I'm thrilled to have you join us today and welcome to episode three of our podcast. Uh, I hope you've been enjoying hearing our incredible guests and speaking of incredible guests, we have another one with us today. Uh, and I think if you're a business owner, if you're a school owner, a director administrator, you're going to be able to relate to this. There's certain customers that, that I think we all have in business that, you know, when we look back, they make us better. There's a certain group of people that, you know, they, they challenge us to get better. They, they force us to evolve. Our product are in a really positive, good way, not satisfied with status quo and, and my guest today, for me personally, and for ProCare, I would put into that bucket.

Speaker 2 (01:44):

Um, Jennifer Duffield is the co-founder and executive director of dancing, moose Montessori. They have two locations in Utah with over 500 combined students and a hundred combined staff. Jennifer has a bachelor's of science, uh, a degree in chemistry, uh, which makes her an enthusiastic fan of STEM education. She also has an MBA from Westminster college. She oversees the day-to-day operations of all dancing moose locations to ensure programmic quality and consistency. Uh, Jennifer collaborates regularly with school directors and mentors teachers at each location to evaluate how best to support the dancing moose team so that they are equipped to offer their very best to every student. Jennifer loves getting to know dancing whose children and parents, and works hard to promote a school culture that is innovative, positive, and sensitive to the individual needs of the students and team members. Jennifer, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3 (02:40):

Thanks Ryan. Thanks. I appreciate that intro. I am always worried. I'm a squeaky wheel squeaky wheel for ProCare, so I appreciate that, uh, those positive comments. Um, it's, it's been a great relationship with ProCare over a really long time.

Speaker 2 (02:55):

Yeah, well, and you know, it's all true. I, you know, one of the, when we talking about this podcast early on and Francy and the marketing team were starting to build out a list of customers that we thought would be great to bring on the show. Cause really, you know, I shared this in their first episode, I've shared it, I think maybe in the other ones as well, but, um, you know, there's such a tremendous amount of knowledge in the industry and experts who, you know, have really pushed things forward. And I think, um, lead the charge and you were one of the first names to camp that came to mind for me, just cause you, you have, you've always been in a way that's constructive. And I think there's a real difference with, you know, you know, customers who want to be a squeaky wheel or complain.

Speaker 2 (03:36):

And that's w that's not a bad thing because when you're paying for something, you expect the return, but there's, there's customers that really push things forward in a positive way. And you've always done that and I feel like made us better. So I think this is going to be a lot of fun. And I, so I want to start here. I'm going to read to, uh, an entry I made on your account, July 6th, 2006. This is the very first time we spoke, right? So Jennifer sent, sent an email today and I called her to talk about her school. Uh, Jennifer said their school's currently under construction and they're planning to open around October. Uh, I asked how she heard about us and she said she actually has an aunt that uses ProCare at a handful of locations. Uh, Jennifer said, they're going to operate very similarly. Uh, but their building's going to be much larger. They're looking for a complete software package as well as a keyless entry system. So just really quick to go back in time a little bit when I read that notes. You, so summer of 2006, what do you remember about that time as you guys were getting ready to open the school?

Speaker 3 (04:39):

Oh, I was, I was so excited. I was just filled with, um, with optimism and confidence and I just couldn't wait to open our doors. And now looking back, I'm like, Oh my goodness. I was so naive. And we were about to embark on something so risky. It's just so funny that, um, you know, at the time I, I, it was probably good that I was so naive. Um, but I, uh, you know, it was the beginning of a really beautiful journey and it was the beginning of, I mean, this I, this was my first baby dancing. This was my first baby. And that conversation with you all those years ago, um, was just full of excitement.

Speaker 2 (05:21):

Yeah. When do you guys remember? Cause I know this is a family affair a little bit. If I, if I'm not mistaken. Do you remember when you first started talking about opening a school? I mean, was this always something that, that you discussed or had dreams of, or was, was it fairly, you know, related to that timeframe in 2007,

Speaker 3 (05:42):

You know, for my mom, it was always a dream of hers. Um, I mean she has a journal entries in her early twenties, dreaming of opening an early learning center. And so she, uh, it certainly was her dream and I have a family. That's all an and I think that's why I want it to be a little bit of a rebel and go into the sciences and get a degree in chemistry and be a, you know, a lab rat that was my first dream. And I, so I really thought I wanted to pursue. Um, and at the conclusion of my degree, after working in a lab, I thought, gosh, I just, I want to be around more people. I want to be in an industry that surrounds me with more people. And that's when my mom said, well, Jen, come on, I've always been talking about this, let's do this, let's do this together.

Speaker 3 (06:26):

And, um, and so I thought, well, gosh, first I need to see if I like children, right. Because I had never been a teacher. And so I, I got a degree as a, I got a job as a preschool teacher and, um, and then started my MBA to figure out the business side of it because my mom had such a strong educational background. Um, and I fell in love with early learning. Um, as a preschool teacher, I just, I had no idea how much I would love it. Um, and so that combined with building a business plan through my MBA, um, allowed me to graduate with a business plan that we took to the bank two months before I received my, my degree, um, to secure funding and start construction on our, on our first center, which was 20,000 square feet. And, um, we were all in as a family, my dad's retirement, our houses were mortgaged. I mean, second mortgage. I mean, we were all in and that's why at the time, I don't think I realized what a risk it was, but it was just so exciting.

Speaker 2 (07:26):

Yeah. It's amazing. Over time, you know, we can get, uh, maybe weighed down by, you know, life's realities, like you said, being naive is a real benefit. Sometimes it's early in your career world at your fingertips. Let's go for it. That's amazing actually, from, from a family perspective, um, to have the support of your family, to the degree that, you know, your parents also said, Hey, we're all in on this thing. Is that like growing up? Is that how your, your parents always operated? Was that just like, Hey, whatever we need to do, let's just go all in and live life big. Or was that, was that a deviation for them in terms of, uh, coming to the table to help you guys open the first one?

Speaker 3 (08:05):

Cool. Yeah. You know, our, my family, I grew up with very, um, strong roots of strong work ethic. I mean, my dad grew up on a ranch, um, just totally self-sufficient. I mean, he's the ultimate, uh, get in work hard, get it done. Uh, and I also come from a mindset of, if we're going to do it, we're going to do it right. And we're gonna, we're gonna make it the best and we're gonna research and we're gonna work hard to make a name for ourselves. This wasn't just a business operation. This was, this was an extension of our family and this, you know, the school was gonna, this reputation was our family's reputation. And so we always, from the beginning said, we want to build a state-of-the-art facility. We want to have the very best, uh, researched curriculum. You know, we want to have, um, a strong teacher culture because teachers are, are the foundation of everything. I mean, our, our, our team members are what makes dancing, miss dancing those. Um, and so, you know, we, we kind of entered it in as a family that, okay, we're all in on this and we're going to support each other and we're going to work hard until it gets to the point that we want it to be.

Speaker 2 (09:15):

Yeah, it's amazing. And I, and I do want to circle back here in a second, cause I think for the majority of our time that we get with this morning, uh, I want to talk about those teachers and your staff and a little bit about your methodology in that area of the business, but just a couple other really quick questions about the beginning stages of dancing moose. Did you guys know when you were putting that business plan together? Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to build a brand new facility versus find it an established piece of commercial real estate? Was that always part of the plan or is that just how it worked out for you?

Speaker 3 (09:47):

Yeah, no, we, we always wanted to build from the ground up because, um, we had the vision of lots of sunlight, you know, spacious rooms, high ceilings, a gym where we can, we could take children in for movement, um, a kitchen where we could build, make our food from scratch. You know, these were all important components to our business plan and our differentiators. And so, um, we, we always knew we wanted to build from the ground up.

Speaker 2 (10:12):

Was anybody else doing that? Just out of curiosity, like in your area or even across the industry, that type of, uh, of, uh, of a facility, was anybody else that you were aware of doing that? Did you glean that from another, like business that had already gone before you, or was that like all your vision that you guys kind of had in your mind?

Speaker 3 (10:31):

We, we did not have, um, uh, other other centers in Utah, you taught, um, there were not a lot of high quality centers. And so we really wanted to set ourselves apart and providing some really a really beautiful facility. Um, so I wouldn't say that was necessarily, um, common, um, in Utah. Uh, so, so yeah, I, I think that was, that was one of the things that made us unique.

Speaker 2 (11:00):

Yeah. You got it. And back to your point from a few minutes ago about if we're going to do it, let's do it right. And build it exactly how we want it. How did you guys, so the other question about the early days, I've got to ask the name, dancing moves. I read a little bit about it, you know, on your website, but I would love for you to share how did you guys come up? It's one of my favorite names of all time. So how did you guys come up with that name?

Speaker 3 (11:23):

It was a lot, there was a lot of family discussions around our name and, um, we, uh, I grew up in park city where, you know, we're in the mountains, lots of moose would visit our house. And, um, and for my mom, as the educator, uh, she really wanted to capture a name that represented our, our curriculum, which was based in, in nature, um, and creativity. And, you know, we would also often see are the moose frolicking in their backyard. And, um, at times the baby moose, even we had a volleyball met and they'd be on either side of the volleyball net kind of, you know, playing back and forth. And it was just, it was, it was so beautiful and we'd often say, Oh, it looks like they're dancing. You know, these, these baby moose are dancing around our yard. And so we love the, um, creative lens. And I think sometimes as adults, you know, we, we see things very black and white, you know, and this is a moose, but a child might look at a moose and say, Oh, they're dancing. And I think we want to embrace that creative lens of a child, um, as well as represent that, that nature, uh, in our, in our curricular component.

Speaker 2 (12:27):

Amazing. So lots of conversations around the table of throwing out names, was it like, literally like jot down any name that somebody comes up with and start scratching them off. And, yeah,

Speaker 3 (12:38):

And this was my mom's favorite. And honestly it took me a while to come around to it because, you know, I was thinking of a very academic name, you know, and, um, and it was my mom who was so passionate about dancing this and, um, and I'm so glad she had that vision, you know, she shared, she had a vision long before I did.

Speaker 2 (12:55):

Yeah. And she stuck to it. So mom said, yeah, if you can convince me, otherwise we might negotiate, but she stayed with the name. I think it worked out really well. And then last question, just about the actual business structure itself, it Montessori, was it from day one? Did you guys know that you wanted it to be a Montessori or is that something that you kind of researched more as you started opening? Or what was the Genesis of that

Speaker 3 (13:21):

For my mom, she, she wanted a constructivist approach to learning. She, she really wanted a, uh, hands-on, um, individualized approach. And, um, I think a lot of her, her colleagues at the time, um, you know, we're, we're studying Montessori and embracing Montessori and she just, I think from the very beginning, you know, she, she knew she wanted, um, a blend of some sort of a constructivist approach and Montessori seemed to fit well for her.

Speaker 2 (13:48):

Okay. And then, so let's talk about, uh, like I think your first school, it was January, 2007. If I'm not mistaken. I know you guys, we started working with you about six months before that, but I'm curious, I was reading one of my notes from, from our conversations during that fall. And you were really tied up with interviewing for teachers. Like I want to talk about some of those early days. Is there any, maybe as a starting point, any interview or candidate that you remember from those very early days that stands out, or maybe a teacher that's still with you, um, that stands out from those early days of interviewing, getting ready to open your first school?

Speaker 3 (14:27):

Oh gosh, that's so funny. Um, we, we opened our doors with seven teachers and, um, you know, I hadn't ever interviewed employees before or team members before, and we didn't know what we were doing. And, um, within three months of opening, we had turned over all seven of our first teachers. Wow. Because they just weren't the right fit for us. And I think, you know, that those early days were really challenging because we were defining our values. We were figuring out who we were. And, um, and I think honestly, that's what sparked my passion for studying culture and people. And how do we refine this interview process? How do we refine, um, like how do we get the right team members on our bus? Uh, because it's just so important. And so I guess for me, Ryan, unfortunately, it was not, uh, an easy path at the beginning. Um, but I do have to say, I I'm, I'm so proud of the journey that we've been on and, you know, we've gone from super high turnover trying to find the right people to today, uh, extremely low turnover, um, because of, of our passion for culture and finding the right people and taking our time and hiring and promoting from within and, and all of those things

Speaker 2 (15:47):

And doing it. Right. So, so let's talk about that because I know you've learned a lot over the years, and that's a great example of like from a startup business and learning as you grow and learning what works well and oftentimes learning what didn't work, right. When you look at right now, maybe walking through the journey. Cause I, I, this is an area that I want to spend a little bit of time with you on. Cause I think you guys have found some secret sauce, you know, for your schools of, of attracting the right, you know, team members, but also retaining them, which is a huge reflection of the school itself and the communities that you're in. Can you talk a little bit about like, starting with like recruitment of teachers, how have you guys found, how do you find quality candidates? Is it literally, are you posting openings on job boards? Do you work with local community colleges? Is it referral talk, talk a little bit about how you guys think about finding talent.

Speaker 3 (16:43):

Yeah. You know, it's, it's actually all of the above Ryan. I mean, our philosophy is you advertise like crazy and you bring in as many candidates as you can. Um, and over the years, I mean, depending on the economy and you know, whether we're, you know, where unemployment is, we'll have, you know, 50 candidates and sometimes we'll have three candidates, you know, it just, it really is amazing to see over the years how that can, um, how that job market can really determine the number of candidates who get. Um, but we, I mean, we do Facebook ads. We do indeed. We do college. Um, we advertise with the local job board here in Utah. Uh, and we actually do, um, interviews monthly, even when we don't have openings. And so, you know, for our team, they sign an annual contract. So we don't have a lot of turnover during the year, but we do like to have candidates in our, in our back pocket.

Speaker 3 (17:36):

And so what we'll do is we'll do these group interviews. We'll get as many people there as we can. And we'll just say, Hey, this first interview is, is just a get to know you. Um, and this isn't a competitive interview. Um, we just want to get to know you so that a position opens up. We can have you come in and meet the team and see if it's a good fit for you. Um, and so that's kind of our philosophy, but in that initial interview, you can identify those. First of all, we have our strong core values that we're interviewing for. Um, and at dancy knows that's positive perceptive and proactive. And so as you're doing that initial interview, you can pick out the people that, that are potentially good fits. Um, and I think that's the most efficient use of your time to kind of do that group interview. And then we actually use childcare CRM as our, as our marketing funnel for, for teachers to then have them in a, um, an, a ready to hire pool. And so at any time we have, you know, 10 to 12 people in the ready to hire pool so that if we need a teacher, we can go back to that, ready to hire pool and pull someone that, that we feel like could be a good fit and bring them in.

Speaker 2 (18:41):

That's amazing. And so during that initial group interview, I just want to ask about that even when you don't have positions open. And I think that's really interesting, cause I think a lot of schools maybe are more reactive once they have an opening. And now they're dealing with having to fill, you know, classrooms and having directors are back in the classroom until they can find a teacher. You guys obviously try to have a pipeline so that you've always got teachers at the ready. What does that initial group interview, when you say it's just to get to know you, does that mean you have a group of your teachers all meet the candidate together, or it's a group of candidates all coming in at the same time to kind of learn about this.

Speaker 3 (19:18):

It's a group of candidates coming in at the same time to learn about the school. Um, and this is why this used to be in person, um, with COVID obviously we've moved to a zoom group call, uh, but I'll usually have my directors and myself on that call. And, and it's, it can be, you know, 15 minutes to 30 minutes. I mean, it's pretty short and essentially it's a tell us a little bit about yourself. And then depending on our time, we'll, we'll ask a question about, you know, their philosophy of education or, you know, we try to make it a round table discussion. And, um, I love the group model because you can see how they interact with other candidates. And so if you have a candidate that is like, Oh yeah, that's a great point. I haven't thought about that. I mean, that is like gold right there. You know, if you have someone who is engaging with other candidates, I mean, that's, that's huge for us in, in our collaborative approach. Um, we, we want candidates that are like that. Um, so yeah,

Speaker 2 (20:13):

That's amazing. It also gives you a chance. We talk about this sometimes internally as well when we're interviewing candidates to bring onto our team. And when I'm involved in that interview process, is that as much as it's giving us an ability to learn about the candidate and them to learn about us, it's also an opportunity for us to start instilling our culture. So they start to get a sense of how we do things and can start the conversation about culture even before maybe they're onboarded do talk to me about the culture that you try to develop within your schools. And I don't, if there's a way that you describe it to people or what's important to you, but when you think of culture, maybe just an easy way to ask this question is what would you like your teachers when they leave your school someday? And they're no longer, how would you like them to describe the culture that they worked in at dancing moose?

Speaker 3 (21:07):

Uh, I think, uh, a family environment, you know, we are, we are a family at dancing moose, and I hear that over and over from our team members, you know, that will move in from out of state. This is, this is my family. This is my Utah family. Um, or, you know, just, we, we spend so much time together. I mean, often we're spending more time with each other than we are with our own families. And so it's important that we have a family culture and part of that family culture is support and love and collaboration and listening and rumbling as Bernie Brown would say, um, in positive ways. Um, and, and I think, you know, you, you've got to be open and honest with each other. And I think all of these, all of those components kind of make up our, our dancing as culture. And I think that's, that's why teachers want to stay at dancing most. I mean, obviously in this industry, you know, teachers aren't staying for the pay, they could get paid a lot more in another industry. They're, they're here because they're making a difference for young children and they stay when they feel a part of something. Great. And so I think that's, that's important. That's important for us.

Speaker 2 (22:19):

Do you think that's, uh, you know, when it comes to culture, I'm always intrigued by culture. Cause it's maybe even that conversation, you can hear the train going by in the background too. So, uh, is culture something that you actually intentionally develop, meaning it's a thoughtful, intentional process that you're constantly working on or is it more just natural? Like this is who we are and how we operate and you can't manufacture it. And I guess the reason for that question is thinking of, you know, maybe new owners in our space and other, you know, um, you know, entrepreneurs trying to get started. Uh, is that something that can be developed or is it something that you just have, or you don't?

Speaker 3 (23:02):

Yeah. You know, I think culture is a by-product of, of your team, you know, of your people. And so I'd say at dancing, Ms. We, we are very intentional in the support. We provide our people in the, the leadership training and, and the growth potential and, um, you know, providing, you know, classes and different things. Like we were very intentional in the way that we, that we provide this love and support to our team. But I think the culture is the by-product of it. Um, that comes when you have a group of people coming together all with the same vision and mission and passion and, and that's why it has to start people, you know, culture has to start with your team and your people.

Speaker 2 (23:49):

Yeah, it's amazing. Can you, can you give some examples of just like, maybe in a typical month, like when you look at your school and how you interact with your teachers, what, what is your normal cadence in terms of, you know, staff meetings and maybe an example of any type of team building activities you do maybe even throughout the year, are there special things that you do with your team to try to encourage that dynamic that you're talking about?

Speaker 3 (24:16):

Oh yeah. That's, that's a huge question, right? Um, that that's really big. Um, gosh, I guess to start out with, we have weekly staff meetings, uh, but we have our, our lead teachers one week. Um, then they have a PLC meeting the second week, and then we have our co-teachers and assistants the third week. Um, we have to rotate because we offer extended care and we can't, we have to have someone with the children while we're having these meetings. And so, uh, but, but I do think it's important to involve the co-teachers and assistant teachers, uh, once, once a month in that meeting. And then the last meeting of the month is with lead teachers and a special topic. Uh, and so in each of those staff meetings, we're incorporating our values, our mission we're, uh, anything I like to say, anything you can put in an agenda, put in the agenda and expect people to read it, don't use that special staff meeting time to go over an agenda.

Speaker 3 (25:07):

Um, that staff meeting time is time to brainstorm new ideas, talk about challenges, uh, bring in some, some training and some outside ideas, um, bring in just a feel good, meaning, I mean, sometimes you just need to do some chocolate tasting and guess what chocolate you're tasting, you know, like you just need to have fun sometimes. Yeah. And so, you know, that those are kind of what those meetings are set aside to do. Um, in addition to that, we have a mentor meeting once a month. Um, and that mentor meeting is, is kind of a leadership meeting where, you know, we, we try to bring in some leadership, uh, training, but in addition, we're talking about the month what's coming up in the future and what we need to do to support our team, and then the mentors in turn meet with their team weekly.

Speaker 3 (25:53):

Uh, and then, um, and talk about, you know, the curriculum and the support and, and what their team needs. So I guess those meetings are really important. Um, in addition to that, we have, you know, quarterly admin meetings. Uh, we have an annual teacher retreat, which is a huge deal. It's a full day at a hotel where we just go all out for our teachers. Um, and that's a really special day. Um, we do a February campaign for sunshine because in Utah, in February, it's cold and dreary and dark, and we need some sunshine. And so we have a month focused on bringing in, you know, lunch or massages or a special speaker on self-love or, um, yoga, you know, just, just special things to keep teachers engaged in, in February. Um, and then this year we implemented a fitness challenge in January. That was really fun where, uh, teachers were tracking, you know, their, their steps and their water intake and their fruits and their vegetables, and really focusing on, you know, healthy, we had cooking classes.

Speaker 3 (26:57):

And so they, we actually gave them all the ingredients they need for the zoom cooking class. So then they all take it home. And then they join in zoom with a chef who would teach them how to make the food. Um, that was really fun. Um, but I think it's important to have a variety of, of activities like this because for each teacher, something different is going to resonate for them. And so you have to have a wide variety of, of ideas. Um, and then in addition to that, we do lots of lunch and learns, um, with COVID it's been challenging because we can't meet in person. So I can't wait to get that started again next year, but we'll bring in a industry leader on communication or a positive discipline or, you know, topics that, you know, even we did like a healthy foods class, um, that aren't, it isn't even necessarily, you know, like curricular based class, but teachers love to grow. They want to learn, they want to improve. They want to engage. And in these classes, they're collaborating across programs with toddler teachers and elementary teachers, and they're finding common interests. And that's what contributes to that family atmosphere.

Speaker 2 (28:02):

Yeah. That's amazing. And it is, it's a really, you speak about it as if it's, it's really easy and you guys have spent years and years developing that model. And like you said, it's an extension of who you are, but you have to be really intentional about that because in order it's really easy, I think, to get into the day-to-day and just focus on the grind of work and what's happening work-wise. But if you don't find that balance, uh, you know, you probably find people are going to burn out and they don't feel a part of something bigger, which is really key. W what about, what about on the other side of, you know, building that culture is really important and it, you touched on this a second ago around, uh, teachers want to grow and want to develop, and I think that mentorship and that ability to kind of move yourself forward is so key, I think, for every individual, uh, certainly in your world for teachers, how does that mentorship, like in a practical way, over that first year, as an example, you hire a teacher. Can you just talk a little bit about your methodology on how do I oversee that teacher? Make sure they're getting off to the right start and then how do I work with that teacher over that first year or five or whatever you think is appropriate to be mentoring them to move forward and, you know, developing in their craft. What's, what's your approach to that?

Speaker 3 (29:23):

Yeah, that's um, that's a really great question. Um, I think, you know, it starts with a really strong onboarding program. And so we have, uh, we have, uh, an online onboarding program just to teach them the nuts and bolts and the childcare licensing rules, and, you know, all of those kinds of boring things that they just have to go through, answer questionnaires and kind of it on their own. Um, but once they enter, uh, the position at dancing is we have, uh, we actually have a checklist. This was my accountability that I tried to implement to make sure this is happening, but, you know, a checklist for the assistant director, for the mentor, for the school director, uh, to go through some questions and talking points, um, with, with the new, with the new teacher. So the new teacher is meeting each member of the team and kind of going through a checklist with them.

Speaker 3 (30:08):

Um, and then we arrange a lunch with a colleague that we think they'll connect with and we just send them off site for lunch, Hey, just go to lunch and get to know each other, um, so that they can just build, uh, that, that friendship at the very beginning with somebody that they can trust and talk to. Um, so that's kind of a, a brief overview of the mentor. Uh, and then we structure our classrooms that we have lead teachers and assistant teachers, or co-teachers, uh, from a responsibility perspective. We, we don't want one teacher to do all the cleaning and one teacher to do all the, all the, um, lessons. I mean, that's a really important part of our, of our school is that we share these responsibilities. Um, however with it, when it comes to Montessori education and, and knowledge of curriculum, it does allow a new teacher to be under the wing of an, uh, teacher that knows, you know, how to guide them and how to help them grow.

Speaker 3 (31:00):

Um, and so I think, you know, that's kind of the second step. And then with each lead teacher, they have a mentor teacher and the mentor teacher is in a classroom full time, but the mentor teacher really exemplifies our values and they are, they're kind of that bridge between admin and teachers to be able to have that honest conversation with admin to say, Hey, this isn't working. We need to, we need to figure out something different. And as admin, we have to listen and be open and, and problem solve with them, but these mentors have problem solving, um, strengths. And so they'd, aren't just dumping on us, they're coming and saying, Hey, this isn't working, but here's some ideas why don't we try this or that? And then it creates a really great collaboration to, you know, to make changes we need to make, but those mentors oversee lead teachers and offer them support.

Speaker 3 (31:46):

Um, and then in addition, we have, um, you know, our, our admin to support the mentors. Um, and then we do annual contract review meetings in February. And, uh, and those annual contract review meetings that gives teachers and directors a chance to, just to talk about their future. Talk about how the year has been, ask those hard questions of how, how is the support, how is your relationship with your co-teachers? Um, it's uh, and I think teachers really look forward to those meetings because they, and they come prepared to talk through very honestly, you know, what they are, and, and school directors track all of these answers in a, in a very methodical way so that when we're doing our admin meetings, um, or director meetings, we can go through them one by one and say, okay, how can we fix this? How can we problem solve this? Um, and then it also gives them a chance to say, okay, where do you see yourself in the future? Do you want to become a lead teacher? Do you want to become a, you know, what, what, how, how can we help you grow? How can we support you? So I, I guess that's kind of a overview of a lot of the things that we do.

Speaker 2 (32:49):

No, that makes a lot of sense because you have a really distinct path, which I think is interesting when a teacher comes in and is hired initially at your school, they can kind of look down the road and see where a path could be for them to move into a mentorship position. Or is it a, is it a logical transition as well for teachers to move into administrative capacities? Or is that a different career path you come in as an admin, or can you start teacher in your schools and, and move that route as well?

Speaker 3 (33:18):

Yeah, you know, I think it definitely is an option for teachers too, to move into admin. And we have had teachers, um, I mean our, our current school director who has been our director, gosh, I guess for like eight years now, she started as a teacher. Um, and she's done a fabulous job. I think it's important to, uh, realize the different traits and skills from teaching and being in an administration. And, and sometimes a teacher will get into administration and say, Oh my gosh, I miss the kids. I miss the classroom. And so I think it's important to not promote people out of their strengths. Um, and so it's something to, um, to watch for, but my first choice is always to promote from within. And if there's a teacher who wants to become an administrator yet, let's talk about it. Let's figure out how to, how to get you there.

Speaker 2 (34:02):

Yeah. What's the path for that, but you're right. It's not for everybody. Some teachers just love kids and I just want to be in the classroom. And what about, can you talk a little bit in this same thread around teachers and staff and what happens in the classroom? And one of the stories that I hear a lot and, and, and observe talking with schools is, you know, the dynamic of, uh, you've got one group of, you know, adults that you're responsible to, which is your teachers as an owner of the school, you've got this family that you work with, who you're responsible for, all the things we're talking about, mentorship and, and culture and career pathing, but then you've got all your families and their kids. And sometimes in a classroom, there can be situations where, you know, maybe it's not working perfectly, this, child's not connecting with the teacher, the teacher with the child.

Speaker 2 (34:49):

Um, and I don't know if the best way to ask this question is maybe an example that you can think of. But when you look at that, where you've, you're trying to respect both of those sides, like I'm trying to support my teacher, but I'm trying to support my parent. Like, how do you approach those? Is there, is there parent teacher conferences that get involved and how do you show support for your teacher when you want to encourage their development, but also, you know, obviously your customers are extremely important and you're trying to make that right as well. How do you handle those situations?

Speaker 3 (35:23):

Um, you know, I feel like if you come at it with what's in the best interest of the child that resonates with teachers and parents and admin, and I think for, for all parties, we want what's best for the child. And so I think that's, that's where the conversations start. You, you have to address this directly. You can't just let it go because teachers will burn out, they will get resentful. And to be honest, it's not the best situation for the child either. And so I think it's, it's important to address what you're talking about. Head-on, uh, and I, and the way dancing miss does that as we'll have an outside individual come in for an observation to kind of start the conversation and whether that's, uh, a director, um, we have a behavior specialist at one of our centers that comes in a couple of days a week, um, or even a mentor teacher, you know, have them go in, do an observation, we'll listen to the teacher and say, okay, let's, let's put a plan in place.

Speaker 3 (36:19):

And then, you know, we'll have a meeting with, with all the teachers in the classroom and the, um, and the outside individual they'll come up with a plan. And at that point, we'll meet with teachers with parents and say, okay, this is, this is what we're seeing. And we do it in a very, um, factual way. So not talking about opinions, you know, it's not no emotion, it's not Johnny had a hard day. Like, what does that mean? Johnny had a hard day. Like, you can never say that to a parent. Um, but you can say, you know, Johnny is, uh, is, is being violent toward friends at recess. And we're trying to find some strategies to help him not hurt friends at recess. Like that can be a very fact factual conversation. Um, and then you, you talk about it with parents and you say, okay, this is a plan.

Speaker 3 (37:02):

We're going to try it. And then we're going to come back in two weeks and we'll talk about how it's going. And so for teachers, they understand this isn't, uh, pulled the rug out from under the child and the parents. This is a process. And so we need to start, we need to go through all of these steps and sometimes it will result in, Hey, this isn't the best fit for this child. This isn't the best classroom for the child. So maybe we switch classrooms or maybe the child needs a different environment. That's a better fit for them. And so, you know, after this journey of, of lots of conversations, like I said, this is a, there's a, there's a huge process involved with this, but sometimes that's the conversation with the parent. And so then we'll give them resources and say, I think this would be in the best interest of your child.

Speaker 3 (37:46):

Um, but I think all along the way, teachers have to feel supported and they have to feel like you've got their back. They've got to, they need to be able to feel that you're open and honest. Now, if you find a trend with a teacher that's just not able to connect with children, then that's a whole nother problem, right. If it's, if it becomes a pattern, then maybe this teacher doesn't have the core values and they're not the right fit, but I, but you've got to give teachers the benefit of the doubt and support them through this process.

Speaker 2 (38:13):

Yeah. Really important. So, so that, that they're buying into your culture and feeling part of that family. I know those can be, that's a great answer. What about the LA the last year I know has been an interesting year for everybody coming out of it, you know, and, and I guess I say that with all the hope and promise of where we are as a culture right now, coming out of this past, and as you look forward, Jennifer, for your schools, um, you know, what do you see changing, if anything come from the past year? Like, have you guys evolved or had to pivot at all over the past 12 months? And if so, what's your outlook as you move forward here in 2021, just in terms of the school in general.

Speaker 3 (38:56):

Oh, wow. Um, you know, that's a great question. I think that's something we're trying to figure out right now, Ryan, it's a, it's an ongoing process. Um, I mean, this has been an extremely challenging year, uh, that has been full of, uh, fear and anxiety and an insane amount of hours of work, trying to figure out, you know, how to operate safely. And, um, and so I think, you know, early on, we pivoted into remote learning as as many centers did, and we actually maintained, uh, remote learning this entire school year. We've got about 80 students remotely right now, um, that are finishing out the school year. And so, uh, I, you know, I think right now we're kind of in that space where, okay, do we continue a remote learning program next year? Um, you know, it's not in our core business. And so I, I don't know if it's, if it's great long-term to deviate from our core business, uh, but it certainly saved us, you know, our, our company to be able to pivot into remote learning.

Speaker 3 (40:00):

And I think, you know, I learned a lot, I never, in a million years would've thought that I'd be running a remote learning program because it's so opposite of Montessori. It's so opposite of what we do, but you know, you, you, we had to change, we had to be flexible. We had to survive. We were determined to stay afloat and to survive and to pivot with the needs of the community. And so that's what we did. Um, you know, I think moving forward there absolutely are some things that we'll want to maintain and keep. Um, I think, you know, we've, we've moved parents, we use an app for parents to, to drop off. And so they're not entering the building and teachers actually love that because kids just Martin, they wash their hands to work. Yeah. So, I mean, I had teachers begging to keep, you know, that, that drop off at the door model.

Speaker 3 (40:46):

Um, I think we're anxious to go back to allowing parents to be in the building to pick up because that's where you form those connections with parents and parents can see, you know, the child in the classroom and all of that. Um, but that's one thing maybe we'll keep, um, I mean, we, I think we'll keep our remote learning as maybe a, um, an added benefit for our parents. I mean, we have all this curriculum we built out, but maybe, you know, it can be a nice supplement, you know, to our families. Um, I'm trying to think of some of the other things, honestly, most of the other things I can't wait to let go of some of the restrictions and yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:22):

Yeah. And we've heard that a lot. I think you're right there. It's it's Hey, we had to pivot and we did what we needed to do, but it's still a little bit early. Everybody's trying to figure out what's going to stick and what can we do to kind of return to whatever, you know, normal is or better than normal. Um, w what about, like for dancing, moose as a whole, I know you guys opened a second school in 2000, and I think it was 2013 or 2014. Is that right? Was that a decision at that time? Was it, Hey, we're full, we've obviously built a reputation and a brand, and we see an opportunity because the demand is there, or was that always part of your plan to open multiple schools?

Speaker 3 (42:01):

Well, it was always a dream to open multiple schools. Um, I think that the, the timing and the location for our second location was just, it was so ideal. And, um, and it was really, it was really exciting. And honestly, I feel like it has allowed us to, to become a stronger school and a stronger culture, because we, we have more room for people to grow into different positions. And we have, um, the ability to bring in a behavior consultants. You know, some of those things that we didn't have the budget for before, uh, we were able to, to have more budget, you know, to, to do some of those things.

Speaker 2 (42:37):

Amazing. And then, and I know what we're, we're winding down on time, so I want to be really respectful of your day. Uh, people won't know this, but we had scheduled a couple of days ago. I had to reschedule. And you were super gracious to, to open up some time here on, on a Monday morning for us. What about, like, if you can talk just, uh, this is getting off topic a little bit, but I would love, it sounds like you've grown up in Utah. I don't know if you're born and raised, but for people who aren't familiar with the state, like when, when you, if you were part of the, um, uh, I, I don't know the travel industry in Utah and you were describing, you know, what makes Utah great. Cause you, both of your schools are outside of salt Lake city. Is that right? Just outside. Yeah. Yeah. W what is the, what's the lifestyle, what's the culture like if you're describing the area that your schools are in and somebody is asking you, you know, what's it like, uh, you know, where your schools are? How would you describe that for people who aren't familiar with the area?

Speaker 3 (43:33):

You know, we are in the heart of the Rocky mountains. Um, you look out the windows of our schools and you see these towering mountains that are just beautiful. Uh, and so the landscape is, is gorgeous. Uh, and the recreation in Utah, um, I was born and raised in Utah and I am an avid snow skier in the winter and water skiing in the summer. And I love, um, I love being outdoors and I love the mountains and it provides wonderful opportunities for teaching children. And we have a large community garden at one of our schools, so that we can be out in the dirt with our kids. And, um, that's a big part of our curriculum. So it's, it's, uh, it's, it's a beautiful place and it's unique, we're in the Rocky mountains, but you drive five hours South and you're in the red rocks. And so I think, you know, the only thing you Taz missing is an ocean. And other than that, it would be a perfect state.

Speaker 2 (44:25):

Yeah. That it, it seems like outdoor lifestyle nature, even reading a little bit, you know, from your website, that was a part of your growing up years as well. I was going to ask you, you know, if we were to find you on a perfect weekend, what you and your family enjoy doing, but it sounds like we'd probably find you a getting powder turns on a mountain somewhere.

Speaker 3 (44:45):

Yes, yes. And we, uh, we could use some more snow right now when you taught to get some more of that scanned in. But, um, but yeah, I love the skiing and I love being out on the Lake in the summer.

Speaker 2 (44:56):

Yeah. It's spring ski. And I was, I was on the mountain this weekend and I know some of my colleagues in Denver, I don't know if you've seen the weather, but they got, it was snow. And so I got a message late last night from our CMO talking about something at work. And she's like, it was a great day. We're getting like waist-deep powder turns all day. So, uh, some people get spring skin, some still get the late winter push. Um, well, I'll tell you what, Jennifer, this has been an absolute pleasure. I know you're extremely busy. And I mentioned at the top of the, at the show, and I'll say it again, you know, you've always been a customer for ProCare that, uh, you know, in a really, really positive way, it has made us get better. Uh, you've asked great questions about what we do and the product and how we serve our customers and asked us to get better. And, um, we really appreciate not only your business as a customer, but for you taking time to join us on the show today. So thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (45:49):

Of course, right. We love, I'm a huge, huge fan of ProCare. Um, ProCare has, uh, it allows me to operate. It allows me to have the time to do what I do because, uh, it it's, it's such a robust platform.

Speaker 2 (46:04):

Thank you so much. And we appreciate it and hope you have a fantastic week.

Speaker 3 (46:09):

Thanks, you too, Ryan. Get some more, get some powder for me.

Speaker 1 (46:14):

Thank you for listening to this episode of the childcare business podcast, to get more insights on ways to succeed in your childcare business, make sure to hit subscribe in your podcast app. So you never miss an episode. And if you want even more childcare business tips, tricks and strategies, head over to our resource center@procaresoftware.com until next time.