The Tot Spot Assistant Director Katie Miller recently participated in a Q&A to answer questions about The Tot Spot Early Education Academy, one of the newest subscribers to an online platform called the Indiana Early Learning Hub in Fishers.
The resource, which is being adopted by facilities across the state, provides users access to operational guidance and facility protocol templates and offers a job board function for staffing assistance as well as discounted inventory from leading vendors.
What are some of the challenges your facility has faced during the pandemic?
KM: Our facility has faced many challenges during the pandemic. As I’m sure many other people would agree, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding best practices, health and safety and the welfare of everyone in our building. We spent a lot of time and effort determining what additional cleaning measures we should take (then implementing them), strengthening our Illness policy, checking on the well-being of families and staff who opted to remain home and isolate, and looking for and applying to grants to help us cover losses and increased operating costs. Due to the hard work of our entire staff and increased vigilance from our families, we were able to remain open and avoided having to lay off any staff.
What are some of the most impactful benefits offered by the Hub?
KM: Some of the benefits of the Hub that I feel will be impactful for my center are the HR resources, such as job descriptions, interview and policy templates, additional training options for my staff, discounts on supplies and the hiring platform, which is specific to our field and candidates within it.
How will the Hub play a role in The Tot Spot’s plans for 2021?
KM: In 2021, I am hoping to revamp both our Operational and Employee Handbooks. The Hub will be a great resource for sample policies specific to early childhood education. I also believe it will be helpful to our hiring process. Having access to candidates with early childhood backgrounds and early learning professionals will, I hope, improve the quality and experience level of candidates we receive for openings at our center.