Tips for
Screening Staff Applicants
When Opening a daycare
When choosing to open a daycare center, it is essential to conduct
pre-employment background screens. There are two main reasons for performing
this step. The first reason is to verify that the person applying for a
position within your child care center is who 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. Many pre-employment background checks are also used
to determine if an individual has used recreational drugs by way of a standard
drug test. Pre-employment background screens are essential to any business when
looking to avoid legal challenges.
When someone applies to your new daycare business, it is imperative to have a
pre-employment background screen contract available. This form should inform
the potential employee that they are providing you with the permission to
conduct an investigation on them. If the screening includes a drug panel, they must
also have an area in which they can have the option to consent to this as well.
Many companies choose to make consent necessary for employment consideration.
Being that you are opening a child care service center, this is something you
should definitely consider. You cannot afford to endanger the safety of the children
that you will be responsible for.
Naturally, due to time constraints on you and the specialized nature of the
background checks you will need to outsource to a dependable company.
Research different options and haggle for a good rate, many companies offer discounts
to new business and businesses that deal with children. Check with
existing, reputable daycares what
companies they use and what rates they are paying. Also, contact your insurance
provider to determine if, because you require background screening at your
facility, you are eligible for discounts.
Certain information is not permissible, by law, to be used in determining the
suitability of a candidate. For example you cannot use a disability as
grounds for deeming someone unworthy of employment. Nor can you use
previous debts, low credit scores or medical conditions. These would be considered
discrimination and could land you in a lot of trouble. 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
an individual.
Timing is vital when organizing your background checks for potential employees
of your new daycare business. Many companies can take up to two weeks to
return results. Others may respond in as little as three days but these tend to
be the more expensive option. So, plan your recruitment drive with this
point in mind. Place the
returned screening in the candidates file and keep in a secure place i.e. a
locked filing cabinet. Remember, this is sensitive, personal information.
If you are opening a daycare center, it is essential to ensure that you conduct
pre-employment background screens on all employees. This should even include
employees that do not directly deal with the children, such as janitors. It is
important to ensure that your center has the highest rated safety in order to
succeed.
Fiona Lohrenz has spent the past 10 years
minding other people's children and her own. She writes about her field
on her childcare website. he has also used this knowledge to produce a 'Start a
ChildCare Business' DVD guide: www.startchildcare.com
You can find her at her website: http://www.childcareonly.com
