Welcome to the Forgotten ECE, the show where
before and after school educators, summer camp
and PD staff and CYWs have a place where they
are seen, heard and valued. I'm your host, Jamie
Wankler, and I'm so excited you're here. Hello,
everyone. It's me. your host, Jamie, and welcome
back to the Forgotten EC. I am authentically
excited you're here and I'm even more authentically
excited that I am back to recording. It has been
far too long. I don't even want to know how long
it's been. It's been far too long. I went to
this incredible event yesterday, the EC experience.
If you haven't heard about it, check it out.
And I saw my beautiful editor there. Carolyn,
this is for you. And it just reminded me of how
much I miss recording, but also how easy it is
to say, oh, I'm going to do it. Oh, I'm going
to do it. Oh, I'm going to do it and let the
world slip away. So here I am back and at it.
and super excited to be here. This space has
always been for my wonderful before and after
school educators, and I want to make sure it
stays that way and make sure that you know that
I am here for you. I've met incredible people
over the last few months since my last episode
that bring so much to the table, so my hope is
that I'm going to get some more guests on here.
I have some incredible people lined up, but today...
is about you and compliances. Because there's
always compliances wherever we go. So this word
compliance might make your shoulders tense and
it might stress you out a little bit. So I apologize.
That same word, compliance, has the same energy
as surprise licensing visit or ratio at 4 .01
p .m. But before you sigh and skip this episode,
because I don't know why you'd skip though, because
you haven't heard my voice in so long and you
want to hear my voice. Stay with me because this
isn't about binders or checklists or trying to
remember where that one form went. This is about
the human side of compliance. Especially for
those of us working in before and after school
programs where the rules don't always fit the
reality of our days. Let's be honest. School
-age care is an entirely different format. We're
not in one room all day with predictable routines.
We're in gyms. We're in hallways. We're in libraries.
We're in playgrounds. Often with equipment we
share, spaces we borrow, and storage that...
barely fits our program supplies and snacks.
And yet, we're expected to meet the same standards
as other centers or as other programs, sometimes
with half the time and half the amount of staff.
Compliance for us looks like making sure every
allergy is double -checked with 20 kids and they're
all asking for scissors. Trying to store medication
safely in a place that doesn't even have a cupboard.
Doing attendance while one child's parent is
waving goodbye and another is crying because
they forgot their snow pants. It's real, it's
messy, and it is human. For school -age educators,
compliance isn't just about passing the inspection.
It's about feeling like professionals in a system
that often treat us as the extras. When ministry
just happens to visit, it's not just our program
being assessed. It sometimes feels like it's
our worth or it's our... Sometimes feels like
it's our worth or our importance that is on the
line. I have seen amazing educators doubt themselves
because of a small oversight. I've seen supervisors
carry the stress of an entire inspection home,
replaying every question in their head. And I've
seen teams start to shrink because their creativity
isn't seen. Not because they don't care, but
because they're afraid of being noncompliant.
And that's the part no policy captures. This
emotional labor of wanting to do everything right
while still being human in an unpredictable environment.
Here's what I've come to realize in all my knowledge.
Compliance isn't about crushing creativity. It's
supposed to protect this connection. Every policy
we follow is built on a foundation of care. We
check attendance because families trust us to
know where their child is. We record incidents
because children deserve to be seen, heard, and
supported. We review plans because kids change
and we're supposed to grow with them. When we
connect with the why, compliance stops being
this enemy and it becomes part of our professionalism,
a reflection of the love we already have for
our work. Leads and educators and supervisors
in before and after school program, this part
is for you. Our tone sets the tone. If compliance
becomes about avoiding mistakes, educators start
hiding their questions. If it becomes about learning,
then they start to engage. The truth is, most
non -compliances aren't signs of failure. They're
signs of systems that need tweaking, communication
that needs support, or documentation that needs
clarity. So instead of thinking, who missed this?
maybe, just maybe, start asking what made this
hard to do. That shift that we have from blame
to understanding, it really, it changes everything.
And at the end of the day, compliance in school
-aged care isn't about perfection. It's about
protection. It's about partnership. And it's
about people. The children we care for deserve
programs that are safe, consistent, and full
of joy. The families we serve deserve our professionalism
and transparency. And the educators you deserve
to feel trusted, supported, and proud of the
incredible work you do every single day. So maybe
next time you're filling out a form or prepping
for a licensing visit, take a deep breath and
remind yourself this isn't about the binder.
It's about the human behind it. The ones who
show up. Care deeply. Keep this beautiful, chaotic,
vital part of our sector alive. Thank you. for
spending a few minutes with me today. If this
episode spoke to you, share it with your team.
Maybe listen to it together and talk about what
human compliance means in your space. Because
we can meet every regulation and still keep our
hearts in the work. Until next time, keep shining,
keep smiling, keep laughing, keep showing up,
and never forget, you are not forgotten. Thank
you. Amazing listeners for your support. Don't
forget to follow me on Instagram at Miss Jamie
underscore R -E -C -E. Give a star rating and
leave a review. Have something you want to hear
about in relation to before and after school
programs or full day summer camp? DM me or comment.
Again, thank you so much and happy learning.