Stop asking educators to do more: an end-of-year wellbeing checklist

As services approach the end of the year, there is plenty to feel proud of and still a lot to finish. Transition statements, enrolment enquiries and events need attention alongside the everyday work of educating and caring for children.

Celebrations can be a lovely way to bring families together, though preparation often falls to team members already trying to finish other work. Providers and managers know those pressures too, with staffing stretched and some deadlines fixed.

Before adding another display, event or deadline, use these five points to work through what is manageable with your team.

1. Decide what can come off the list

Look at the remaining calendar together and include the work behind each event. A celebration might take an hour, but invitations, preparation, room changes, risk assessments and packing away take longer.

Mark each item, keep, simplify, share or defer. Essential safety and regulatory responsibilities remain. Agree on who will do each task, when it needs finishing and what support they need. Check that preparation has not fallen to the same people, and tell everyone about agreed changes.

2. Find out where the planning time went

Before following up unfinished documentation, check whether the educator received their programming time. Someone may have been away, a child needed extra support or the room needed another pair of hands.

Review what was planned, what happened and what still needs doing. Check actual arrival and departure patterns to see whether the roster can provide uninterrupted programming time while maintaining ratios, adequate supervision and support for children’s needs. Where time has been missed, agree on when it will be provided and who will cover the room.

3. Give people room to answer honestly

“How are you going?” is easy to ask while walking through a room. It is harder to answer when children need attention or someone else is waiting to speak with you.

Choose a time when you can both talk and ask, “Which part of the week has been hardest to manage?” Listen before offering an answer. Work through possible solutions together and agree on when to check back. Personal reflection can help identify what to try differently; keep shared notes focused on agreed actions and handle personal information with care.

4. Ask what the manager is waiting for

A manager may be following up recruitment, waiting for a budget decision and handling a family concern while trying to complete their own work. Providers and area managers can help by finding out what is stuck.

Ask for one decision that is needed, one task that could be shared and one deadline under pressure. Agree on who will take each item forward and when an answer can be expected. Communicate changed priorities so the manager is not left working through conflicting instructions.

5. Keep celebrations enjoyable for the organisers too

Ask educators what would work for their children and families. Sharing children’s work or holding an informal gathering may be more enjoyable than a performance requiring weeks of preparation.

Agree on the preparation needed and when it fits into paid working time. If the plan does not fit, simplify it. Remember colleagues keeping everyday routines going and those working while others take leave.

There is plenty to celebrate at the end of a year in early learning. Thanking people matters. So does noticing when they have enough on their plate and being willing to say, “Let’s leave that one.” Sometimes that small decision is the most useful support a leader can offer.