[Joan]

At our center we host a casual monthly meetup where staff members can share ideas, experiences, and insights, this helps with our creative juices flowing.

[Trainer]

Joan, creating a monthly meetup for sharing ideas is a great approach to fostering a collaborative and creative environment among the staff. Keep it up!

[♥ Martha]

We have weekly staff meetings and once a month for the whole organization. I think it would be a good idea to have a blog for employees or something online to think critically and generate more ideas.

[Sofya]

I agree with the previous replies, staff meetings are a great way to gather everyone in a place where they can all share their thoughts. I also propose ice breakers at these staff meetings or even better, team outings for the sake of socializing. when people are comfortable with their team, some may be more willing to contribute their more outlandish & creative ideas with a group that they might not do otherwise.

[Laura]

Staff meetings at my center are great and valuable and I do look forward to them, but typically we only have time in our meetings for our director to provide us with information. It’d be great to improve creative thinking within our team by having staff meetings that are intended for problem-solving, discussion and collaboration. Having periodic meetings with the sole purpose of tackling a specific issue or problem and allowing time for brainstorming with the team from there could have additional benefits in strengthening work morale and team cohesion.

[Andrea]

We have weekly meetings (grade level), in-service meetings with whole school and impromptu meetings after school. We are in the process of rebuilding and changing what has gone on in the past. I would love to have a way to get input from everyone in a less rushed and sporadic way.

We have started to use teams messenger quite a bit for questions.

I really like the idea of a blog or on-going form of communication that can also be used a reference for future use.

[Trainer]

Andrea, creating a blog or ongoing communication platform is a great idea to involve everyone and gather input in a more organized and accessible manner.

[Andrea]

Open forum discussions, a way to get others to be more open to new ideas, a wall of communication and ideas that can be a point of ideas

[Kaisha]

We have weekly emails that our

director send us and at the end of the month we have a staff meeting to go over the previous month and how things went and what we could do better for the next month.

[Trainer]

Kaisha, regular communication and reflection are great starts. Consider incorporating group brainstorming sessions to share and build on creative ideas together.

[Jennifer]

I am a new director and loving reading these ideas. I started doing monthly staff meetings to address topics that need improvement, but I allow an open forum to discuss topics teachers are feeling frustrated by. They just give me a brief synopsis of the issue so I can include it in the agenda. They can remain anonymous if they wish as I address my thoughts and open the floor for collaborative thoughts too.

[Trainer]

Great job, Jennifer! Creating a safe space for open communication and collaboration is key. Encouraging staff input fosters a creative and supportive environment. Keep it up!

[Tracy]

As others have said staff meetings are a great opportunity to collaborate. We have changed our meetings from having the director talk to the staff about all the to do’s to using this time for staff to work together on things such as lesson planning, behavior management issues, etc. For all the to do’s we send out a weekly newsletter with reminders, licensing training, shout outs to staff who have gone above and beyond, and other upcoming events.

[Chaleena Simmons]

At our center we do monthly team meetings which involve discusses, collaboration, and reaching monthly goals regarding educational improvement and what we can include in our activities for the children. We also have teacher newsletters to keep up on new changes, improvements and new team members.

[Janis]

We have monthly staff meetings where we discuss any student issues, finances, what’s working or what needs reviewing, replacing old toys, furniture, etc. We also decide how to increase our profile in the community and coping with cost increases. We also discuss upcoming trainings and classes.

[Tiffany Huber]

staff meetings

[Sofia]

We can incorporate ways to have staff give ideas without necessarily being in the spotlight. Sometimes speaking out is hard for others, so we can find ways to have ideas put out without necessarily having staff say in front of everybody. The school I work for had four papers with questions/problems put up and teachers were encouraged to write answers where you could put your name or stay anonymous.

[Trainer]

Sofia, your idea of providing alternative ways for staff to share ideas is excellent. It ensures everyone’s voice is heard and encourages participation. Great suggestion!

[Shanell Fouch]

1. Exploring outside

2. Incorporate creativity

3. Allow free time

4. Ask open questions.

[Trainer]

Shanell, great ideas! Exploring outdoors, integrating creativity, free time, and asking open-ended questions can indeed foster collaboration and boost creativity in the daycare setting.

[Jill Koch]

We send out our monthly staff meeting agenda before our meeting. It will have different areas to focus on…health and safety, education, upcoming events, and such. Then, during the staff meeting, the teachers can share their thoughts. We also try to have quarterly get-togethers either at the school or somewhere local. This helps build teams.

[Trainer]

Jill, your proactive approach to team collaboration and regular communication through staff meetings and get-togethers is excellent for boosting creativity and creating a supportive environment.