| Daycare Staff Pre-Employment Background Screens |
When opening a daycare center, it is essential to conduct pre-employment background checks on all potential staff. These checks safeguard both you and the children in your care. There are two main reasons for performing this step. The first is to verify that the person applying for the position within your childcare center is indeed the
person they claim to be. The second reason is to research any criminal history that may pose an issue to the children
and staff of your daycare facility. Pre-employment background checks can also incorporate a drugs tests to
determine if an individual has used recreational drugs. By preforming the screens you are minimising risks to the
safety of staff and children plus avoiding future legal challenges.
Anyone who applies for employment at your daycare should be
given a pre-employment background screen contract. This
form should inform the potential employee that they are
providing you with the permission to conduct an
investigation on them. You may, like many companies,
provide an option for them to consent to a drugs test. You
can make consent necessary for employment consideration.
Being that you are opening a child care service center,
this is something you should definitely consider. The
safety of the children is paramount.
Naturally, due to time constraints on you and the
specialized nature of the background checks you will need
to outsource to a dependable company. Many of these
companies offer discounts to new businesses, and businesses
that deal with children, such as a daycare. Check with
existing, reputable daycares what companies they use and
what rates they are paying. You should also contact the
insurance provider of your daycare center to determine if
you can receive discounts on your insurance costs due to
the fact that you implement background checks on all
candidates.
You must understand though that when conducting pre-
employment background screens there is certain information
that you are not permitted, by law, to use in determining an
individual to be worthy of employment. For example you
cannot use a disability as grounds for unsuitability. Other
examples of items that should not be used in determining
employment at your new child care center include previous
debts, low credit scores, and medical conditions. However,
you need to assess the overall welfare of your daycare
center when considering any of the above because if they
were to pose a significant danger to any aspect of your
business or the people therein i.e a severly contagious
disease, then you may have grounds for not hiring the
candidate.
Realise that timing is vital when organising your
background checks for potential employees of your new
daycare business. The results may take up to two weeks to
return although many companies may respond in as little as
three days. However, these services will be relatively more
expensive. So, plan your recruitment drive with this point
in mind. It is important for you to place the returned
screening in a file designed to track documents on that
particular person in your daycare center. This is sensitive
and personal information so keep it in a secure place.
Background screens should be conducted on all prospective
employees including those not working directly with the
children. So, you might consider your cook, administrator
or janitor. Anyone that will be working in your center
with access to the children, however limited. It is very
important to ensure that your center has the highest rated
safety so this aspect of your recruitment process is vital.
Fiona Lohrenz is somewhat of an expert on child care
having run her own day care for a decade. She writes
about her experiences on her childcare website and
shares even more on her 'Start a ChildCare Business'
DVD guide. You can find her at her website:
http://www.childcareonly.com/products/start-a-child-care-business-in-the-usa/
Article Source: UnArchived Articles
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