Knowing your personal values is as important as knowing your budget. Clarifying values early will help make your day care a success. Think about the values that are very important to you. As your values become clear, you will find that they help guide your decision making process on all aspects of your business.
(a) To uncover your values, ask yourself what you believe.
Write ten “I believe” statements.
Examples:
1. I believe TV is bad for children.
2. I believe everyone should vote.
Do you find that once you start writing, “I believe,” you have many, many things you believe? Then keep writing your “I believe” statements until you’ve run out; until you’ve touched on everything in your life that you feel strongly about. You could write as many as 50!
(b) How do your beliefs guide what you believe about caring for children?
Now write five “I believe children need...” statements.
Examples:
1. I believe infants need consistent caregivers to whom they can form strong attachments.
2. I believe children need healthy nutrition.
3. I believe children need routine.
What Are Your Values and Beliefs
Parents who have very different values from your own will be asking about your day care. Sometimes a child care arrangement cannot work because the family’s values do not match yours. This is not judging the family; this is making realistic and sensible choices about who you work with. Everyone searching for work makes the same choices. Recognizing when a work relationship isn’t a good fit can save a lot of heartache later on.
You know your values. Come back to them often and let them guide you as you build your business. Let your values remind you 'why' you are passionate about your work.
Word file download:
