🎵 You are the Champion!

Wow! Thank you to everyone who reached out and responded with feedback to our first issue over the past week. Apologies if we haven’t responded to your message but we are trying to get back to everyone! Please be patient with us as we continue this launch.

FEDERAL CHILD CARE RELIEF FUNDING

The expiration of Federal Child Care Relief Funding, which has been in place since the onset of the pandemic, is making us all shake a little in our boots! What will happen? Should I be running for the hills? It’s no secret that the temporary funding that supported the child care industry during this time is now coming to an end (or perhaps already has). States had until September 30, 2024, to allocate these funds—luckily most did, though some fell short.

If you're up for a deep dive, you could easily spend an entire day scrolling through countless articles and opinions on the subject. Ain’t nobody got time for that! We have kids to educate and care for! So if you want more info but don’t want to weed through pages of government jargon, we think Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) provides a solid summary in their blog post, which you can find HERE.

What we wanted to touch on is…….what does this mean for you?

In a nutshell, it means you get to keep being the rockstar you are! 🎸 Sure, the current hurdles are getting all the attention, and with everyone buzzing about how these changes could affect your business, it’s totally normal to feel a bit stressed. Who wouldn’t? But here’s a little reminder—you love kids, you love your team, and you’re offering an ecential (yep, we did that 😉) service to your community. You’ve navigated tumultuous seas of emotional parents and screaming classrooms. And you handled it like a champ, and this time won’t be any different. You’ve got this. Keep shining, because that’s just what you do! 🌟

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Level Up Your Game!

Our last issue gave us a snapshot of the earning ranges of ECE teachers. You work hard to serve kids (and all the other stuff that comes with it). But you may not always get the recognition you deserve. So what can you do to help set yourself apart? Sure, you checked the box for continuing education. But what else? What other things can you do to help elevate your role (and, ah-em, pay :) at your school? We got some great tips that don’t include yelling into a bullhorn!

• Build a personal brand: Hey, you’re you, and you’re fantastic! And it’s okay to take credit for your work. Take an experience and write a blog post or an article for your school, and put your mark on it. It’s a great way to get your name associated with the school, build awareness, and connect with families. Share it on their social media sites and email it to the parents. And let your name shine! Your school will thank you.

• Grow your role in the school: Did you take a course where you learned something new that can help other teachers? If so, have you thought about putting together a training for those teachers? Maybe you can mentor new teachers? By taking a proactive lead, you are building value for your school that can lead to promotions and make your resume stand out. Here’s a great article with more details on mentorship: Mentorship

• Market the school (and yourself!): All schools want and need that social media dopamine hit from a positive review. Other parents read them. It helps drive interest and enrollment. Have a great relationship with your parents? Ask them to leave a review, and in the process, ask that they reference you and your contributions. It makes the reviews personal, and at the same time, giving you more of the spotlight. In case you need more ideas, check out this link!

IT’S NOT JUST FOR THE KIDS

Playground Shenanigans: So you think playgrounds and competitions are just for kids? Pshaw! Not according to this DAD, trying to flex his stuff at the playground. It’s not just for kids to show off, but also dads who still think they got it by doing one bad pull up at a time on the monkey bars. “I’m not aging, just becoming underrated!”

Joke Fact-Checking: It’s not just politics that need a bit of fact checking. How about those Laffy Taffy jokes? Who do they think they’re trying to fool? Me??? You??? Not anymore with this site that now fact checks these jokes such as this gem.

The Claim: What do you call a happy cowboy? (A Jolly Rancher)

Our Rating: MOSTLY FALSE.

Generally, a cowboy works on the ranch. The rancher is the head boss who owns the property; the cowboy is hired help. So the terms “cowboy” and “rancher” cannot be used as synonyms rendering this comment untrue.

RECOMMENDED READING

• Subject lines to supercharge your school newsletter - It’s important to get someone's attention and make sure your emails don’t get buried in the email abyss (see above for your next school email!). Thank goodness this person found the BEST 160 email subject lines of all time. Bonus game! Did our Subject Line for this issue come from this list?

• Whoa, a rare poll with a consensus: 60% of Americans support universal free lunch in schools, yet across the US, they still aren’t a thing. Look into the costs and benefits of making it happen. So if we agree, why can’t we get it done?

YOUR VOICE COUNTS

Is there a topic you want more info on or want to share a funny story? Then let us know! Shoot us a quick email at [email protected]. This newsletter is for you, and well, you should have a say, don't’ you think?

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