Clarian Place Child Care: Staff and Interactions

• Clarian Place Child Care is staffed with multiple teams of teachers and caregivers.

• The administrative team includes an Executive Director and a Director.

• Each staff member has the required credentials and is responsible for being thoroughly familiar with their job description, management staff, family, and staff handbook and ongoing communication, Clarian’s policies and procedures, and the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) standards.

• Clarian Place’s staff members share the following core values as guides for interactions among staff members, between staff and children, and between staff and parents.

• We strive to respect each individual and work to create a positive emotional climate for all learners, with sensitivity to differences in age, ability, background, language, culture, religion, and family structure.

• We use direct eye contact, smiles, and warm tones of voice, positive touch, social conversations, and a joint laughter to support the development of effective work relationships.

• Our partnership in learning is supported by regular, reciprocal communication, affirming recognition of effort and accomplishment, predictable, developmentally appropriate responsiveness to initiative, emotion, and concerns, and proactive conflict resolution.

• We are committed to reaching out to people of different races, genders, ethnicity, and ability, and we strive to create an environment of inclusion that celebrates our differences and highlights our commonalities.

• Our program accepts children with special needs if a safe, supportive environment can be provided for the child consistent with the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

• Staff-Staff Interactions

• Clarian Place’s staff members use a team approach.

• In an emergency, when the Director is not present or reachable by phone and the Executive Director is present at the time of an emergency, the most senior teacher present will decide on a course of action.

• Staff-Child Interactions

• We make every effort for all children to know and be known by all adults in our learning center so that they are comfortable interacting with and seeking assistance from any adult.

• When new students enroll, staff members are provided an information sheet on the children joining their group.

• We engage in ongoing professional development to evaluate and improve individual and team performance, continuously strengthening our practices and leadership.

• Staff-Family Interactions

• All staff members are responsible for developing positive relationships with the families of the children in their care.

• The goal of the Montessori program is to provide families with a unique and individualized experience in which the perspectives of the family members are integrated into the child's development and education.

• The program is designed to communicate with families regularly and effectively so that their perspectives can be incorporated into the child's development, curriculum planning, and assessment process.

• Family members can use the internet monitoring system at any time to observe their child in the program, or they may schedule classroom visits to observe.

• Teachers are easily accessible by phone to answer questions, or to discuss effective ways for staff and parents to handle changes and challenges, such as a new sibling, a move, an extended illness, etc.

• Planned family events offer the whole family a change to participate in the child's school and interact with the staff.

Learn about the staff structure, interactions, and core values at Clarian Place Child Care, focusing on relationships between staff, children, and families, as well as the commitment to inclusion and support for children with special needs.