What should a new child care staff member's first 30 days include? (Lunch & Learn Recap)

In ChildFriendly Pro's August 2026 Lunch & Learn, child care operator Krystal Churcher explained that a new educator's first 30 days should move through four weeks of understanding, supported practice, application and demonstration, with onboarding measured by observable competency such as active supervision rather than by completed paperwork.

What the session covered

The session treated the first 30 days of employment as a period of observation, learning and decision making for both the employer and the new educator. Churcher said retention begins on day one, not with later staff appreciation, and that many employees start deciding whether to stay during their first few weeks. She said that during that time a new hire is quietly evaluating four things: their role, their leader, their team and their future in the program. Even an educator with 10 or 20 years of experience does not know a specific center's expectations for family communication, incident reporting, transitions, supervision, behavior guidance and documentation. Churcher identified the most common onboarding mistake as measuring completion instead of readiness. A signed checklist, criminal record check, first aid certificate and reviewed handbook show only that information was provided, not that the educator can apply it on a busy or stressful day. The goal of the first month is to build knowledge, competency, and confidence and connection with the team.

How should a 30-day onboarding plan be structured week by week?

Churcher described a clear progression. Week one is understanding: the educator is welcomed, oriented to key policies, shown critical safety procedures and routines, and has expectations clarified, while leadership observes what experience the person actually has and what they need to relearn from a previous program. She cautioned that a resume is often misleading. Week two is practice: the educator moves from watching to supported participation, leading routines, completing documentation and communicating with families with a mentor nearby, and receives feedback every day, both corrective and positive. Week three is application, with increasing responsibility and more complex situations. Week four is demonstration, when leadership confirms which competencies are established and what still needs support. Churcher recommended a one-page plan with four columns covering what the educator must understand, practice and demonstrate, and who is responsible for teaching and observing each area. She said this creates far more consistency than telling a new hire to shadow the team, and that independence should follow demonstrated performance, not the calendar.

How do you tell a training gap from a performance problem with new staff?

Churcher called this one of the most important distinctions an operator can make. A training gap means the employee has not been properly taught, shown or supported: a procedure was discussed but not demonstrated, different staff gave different instructions, or there was no chance to practice. The response is to explain, demonstrate, practice, observe and reassess. A performance concern exists when the expectation was clear, training and practice were provided, understanding was demonstrated, and the employee still does not follow the expectation consistently. The response then becomes clarification, documentation, timelines and accountability. Her example was personal phone use: if no one reviewed the phone policy and experienced staff also use phones, the new educator is copying the culture. If the policy was reviewed on day one, a private reminder was given and documented, no one else uses phones, and the behavior continues, it is a performance concern. Before assuming poor performance, she advised asking whether the practice was explained, demonstrated, practiced with support, observed and followed by specific feedback.

How should mentors coach new educators in the moment?

Churcher said shadowing is not training unless someone is intentionally teaching, observing and giving feedback. She described a training cycle of explain, demonstrate, practice, observe, give feedback and repeat, using a room transition as the example: the mentor narrates where they stand and when they count children, then lets the new educator lead with the mentor close by. A strong educator does not automatically make a strong mentor; some struggle to explain, avoid corrective feedback or teach shortcuts, such as saying a step does not need to be written down. Before assigning the role, leaders should clarify what the new educator must learn, what the mentor teaches, which procedures are non-negotiable, what to report and when check-ins happen. For in-the-moment coaching she taught notice, name and next step: describe what was observed, explain why it matters, state what to do next time, then follow up by watching the next attempt. She warned that every inconsistency in a program eventually becomes someone else's training.

First 30 days onboarding framework from the session

How ChildFriendly Pro automates this

Instead of tracking onboarding in paper staff files, ChildFriendly Pro stores staff documentation, monitors expiry dates for required certifications, tracks completed professional development and performance reviews, and uses approval and permission levels for directors, as Wayne Chen of ChildFriendly Pro outlined at 41:44. Its Staff Administration & Scheduling tools also provide staff attendance tracking and reports.

Next steps

• Director Lunch & Learns for child care operators
• Child care staff records, certification expiry alerts and scheduling
• Free First 30 Days new staff onboarding resources
• Book a ChildFriendly Pro demo

Official sources

• Alberta Education and Childcare: Licensed facility-based programs