Staff Question

[coolconfidentme]

Do you pay to certify your staff?

My state requires CPR, first aid, physical, TB, fingerprinting & the state pays for the background check. (The fingerprinting must be done before the background check.)

In the past I had paid for someone to have CPR/1st aid & they dragged their feet on the other requirements. I told them their services were no longer needed after a few weeks of reminders. (I advertised for someone to have CPR/1st aid & nobody who applies ever has it.)

I think in a perfect world, the potential employee would pay for their fingerprinting ($35), completed the state background check & if it all comes backs clear, I pay for the other requirements. They would have a vested interest in their employment & I wouldn't be wasting my time on someone who wont check out or not take the process serious.

Your thoughts?

[Blackcat31]

I don't know, personally I would prefer that the person be already qualified to work as a daycare assistant/substitute but I know every state is different so I guess I don't know how I would handle it if it cost to have those things done.

Here there is no charge for background checks or fingerprinting. CPR/1st Aid costs but most people looking to work in childcare or early childhood have already taken those courses...

If my state charged for those qualifications, I would expect the person applying for the job to have those things taken care of PRIOR to applying.

[Starburst]

When I worked at a home daycare I had to pay for everything. I was still first aid certified from a high school class but had to renew my CPR. I took the renew class with the owner and the other assistants for free at my bosses house because one of the DCDs was teaching the class and offered CPR for free but charged $85 per person for first aid. All the other assistance paid for their first aid (even my boss's daughter) except for the junior assistant (age 14); the owner paid for her (that was also one of her favorite daycare kids she had since she was a baby). But I paid for my own fingerprints (it cost me about $75-$85 at the police station) and at the time I was on Medi-Cal so when I went for a doctors appointment I just asked about the TB test and they did it (I don't remember having to pay for it).

You should look at your local community college for an assistant (if they have an ECE/CD center or majors) student teachers need background checks before they can work with kids and some schools offer a TB test. I got mine done a few weeks ago at my school and its covered by the registration fees I paid before I started the semester. Some schools also offer a 1st aid and an infant/child/adult CPR class that counts as a CD/ECE extra curricular class. At my school it's 1 credit (for a grade or pass/fail) so it's only $46 for the class plus $12 for materials.