Resolutions for Child Care Providers

The new year is as good a time as any to resolve to make changes and to plot a course for the future. Making New Year's Resolutions can be a great way to set goals and assess your progress.

Improve Yourself

The most common resolutions are those we choose for personal growth and improvement. To be able to care for others, you first need to be able to care for yourself. If you smoke cigarettes, this may be the time to quit smoking. Probably the most popular New Year's Resolution is to lose weight and to exercise more.

Child care providers can be vulnerable to stress and burnout. Learn simple ways to keep your stress level under control. There are also techniques for keeping calm when you are at the breaking point. Of course the best strategy is to learn to avoid stress by managing the many demands you face in both your personal and professional life.

Improve Your Environment

Whether this is a time you opt to do a seasonal cleaning or simply an excuse to get control over clutter, you may resolve to get organized and restructure your home, child care space, or both. Learn how to organize your childcare space so it is a fun and inviting place for children to learn and grow. Take this time to ensure your home is safe for young children. There are some great ways to set up a household organization system and find new ideas to solve storage problems.

Improve Your Business

This may be a logical time for you to make desired changes within your child care program. As we start the new year you may find it helpful to start a more efficient means of record-keeping. Setting up a new system may help you remain organized throughout the year. Many service oriented businesses choose the new year as an appropriate time to raise fees or tuition. Learn from other providers on how to change rates and inform parents. You may even wish to go as far as to redo your policies or even rewrite your parent handbook.

Of course, making resolutions for improvement is only the first step, but it is an important step. Good luck in meeting all the goals you set for yourself in the new year!