WEBVTT 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:12.240 Welcome to the Forgotten ECE, the show where 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.640 before and after school educators, summer camp 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.079 and PD staff and CYWs have a place where they 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.219 are seen, heard and valued. I'm your host, Jamie 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:33.579 Wankler, and I'm so excited you're here. Hello, 00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:37.719 everyone. It's me. your host, Jamie, and welcome 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.280 back to the Forgotten EC. I am authentically 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.539 excited you're here and I'm even more authentically 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:46.799 excited that I am back to recording. It has been 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.179 far too long. I don't even want to know how long 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:51.340 it's been. It's been far too long. I went to 00:00:51.340 --> 00:00:53.439 this incredible event yesterday, the EC experience. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.679 If you haven't heard about it, check it out. 00:00:55.979 --> 00:00:58.259 And I saw my beautiful editor there. Carolyn, 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.840 this is for you. And it just reminded me of how 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:04.879 much I miss recording, but also how easy it is 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.319 to say, oh, I'm going to do it. Oh, I'm going 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:07.680 to do it. Oh, I'm going to do it and let the 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:10.799 world slip away. So here I am back and at it. 00:01:11.129 --> 00:01:14.049 and super excited to be here. This space has 00:01:14.049 --> 00:01:17.709 always been for my wonderful before and after 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:20.769 school educators, and I want to make sure it 00:01:20.769 --> 00:01:24.510 stays that way and make sure that you know that 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:27.469 I am here for you. I've met incredible people 00:01:27.469 --> 00:01:29.590 over the last few months since my last episode 00:01:29.590 --> 00:01:33.310 that bring so much to the table, so my hope is 00:01:33.310 --> 00:01:34.709 that I'm going to get some more guests on here. 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:38.349 I have some incredible people lined up, but today... 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:45.040 is about you and compliances. Because there's 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.519 always compliances wherever we go. So this word 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:52.799 compliance might make your shoulders tense and 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:56.219 it might stress you out a little bit. So I apologize. 00:01:57.180 --> 00:01:59.879 That same word, compliance, has the same energy 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:04.599 as surprise licensing visit or ratio at 4 .01 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:09.740 p .m. But before you sigh and skip this episode, 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:11.719 because I don't know why you'd skip though, because 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:13.199 you haven't heard my voice in so long and you 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:15.300 want to hear my voice. Stay with me because this 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:17.719 isn't about binders or checklists or trying to 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:20.580 remember where that one form went. This is about 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:23.520 the human side of compliance. Especially for 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.240 those of us working in before and after school 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.659 programs where the rules don't always fit the 00:02:27.659 --> 00:02:32.759 reality of our days. Let's be honest. School 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:37.039 -age care is an entirely different format. We're 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.340 not in one room all day with predictable routines. 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:42.139 We're in gyms. We're in hallways. We're in libraries. 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:44.400 We're in playgrounds. Often with equipment we 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:47.020 share, spaces we borrow, and storage that... 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:50.560 barely fits our program supplies and snacks. 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.080 And yet, we're expected to meet the same standards 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:55.800 as other centers or as other programs, sometimes 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:58.500 with half the time and half the amount of staff. 00:02:58.979 --> 00:03:01.419 Compliance for us looks like making sure every 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:04.740 allergy is double -checked with 20 kids and they're 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:07.080 all asking for scissors. Trying to store medication 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:11.000 safely in a place that doesn't even have a cupboard. 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:14.180 Doing attendance while one child's parent is 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:15.939 waving goodbye and another is crying because 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:19.090 they forgot their snow pants. It's real, it's 00:03:19.090 --> 00:03:22.349 messy, and it is human. For school -age educators, 00:03:22.610 --> 00:03:25.990 compliance isn't just about passing the inspection. 00:03:26.250 --> 00:03:28.930 It's about feeling like professionals in a system 00:03:28.930 --> 00:03:33.509 that often treat us as the extras. When ministry 00:03:33.509 --> 00:03:36.449 just happens to visit, it's not just our program 00:03:36.449 --> 00:03:38.949 being assessed. It sometimes feels like it's 00:03:38.949 --> 00:03:42.509 our worth or it's our... Sometimes feels like 00:03:42.509 --> 00:03:46.330 it's our worth or our importance that is on the 00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:49.379 line. I have seen amazing educators doubt themselves 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:52.219 because of a small oversight. I've seen supervisors 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:55.719 carry the stress of an entire inspection home, 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:58.400 replaying every question in their head. And I've 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:00.800 seen teams start to shrink because their creativity 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.000 isn't seen. Not because they don't care, but 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:05.840 because they're afraid of being noncompliant. 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.340 And that's the part no policy captures. This 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:12.180 emotional labor of wanting to do everything right 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:14.599 while still being human in an unpredictable environment. 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:19.240 Here's what I've come to realize in all my knowledge. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.379 Compliance isn't about crushing creativity. It's 00:04:23.379 --> 00:04:27.120 supposed to protect this connection. Every policy 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.040 we follow is built on a foundation of care. We 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:32.639 check attendance because families trust us to 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.079 know where their child is. We record incidents 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.939 because children deserve to be seen, heard, and 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:40.980 supported. We review plans because kids change 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:44.480 and we're supposed to grow with them. When we 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.160 connect with the why, compliance stops being 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:50.259 this enemy and it becomes part of our professionalism, 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:52.680 a reflection of the love we already have for 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.120 our work. Leads and educators and supervisors 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.439 in before and after school program, this part 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:01.240 is for you. Our tone sets the tone. If compliance 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.540 becomes about avoiding mistakes, educators start 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:07.279 hiding their questions. If it becomes about learning, 00:05:07.540 --> 00:05:10.980 then they start to engage. The truth is, most 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:13.160 non -compliances aren't signs of failure. They're 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:15.600 signs of systems that need tweaking, communication 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:19.459 that needs support, or documentation that needs 00:05:19.459 --> 00:05:22.740 clarity. So instead of thinking, who missed this? 00:05:23.430 --> 00:05:27.389 maybe, just maybe, start asking what made this 00:05:27.389 --> 00:05:30.910 hard to do. That shift that we have from blame 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:33.790 to understanding, it really, it changes everything. 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:37.709 And at the end of the day, compliance in school 00:05:37.709 --> 00:05:40.069 -aged care isn't about perfection. It's about 00:05:40.069 --> 00:05:42.709 protection. It's about partnership. And it's 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:44.889 about people. The children we care for deserve 00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:47.269 programs that are safe, consistent, and full 00:05:47.269 --> 00:05:50.750 of joy. The families we serve deserve our professionalism 00:05:50.750 --> 00:05:53.990 and transparency. And the educators you deserve 00:05:53.990 --> 00:05:56.889 to feel trusted, supported, and proud of the 00:05:56.889 --> 00:05:59.350 incredible work you do every single day. So maybe 00:05:59.350 --> 00:06:02.569 next time you're filling out a form or prepping 00:06:02.569 --> 00:06:05.329 for a licensing visit, take a deep breath and 00:06:05.329 --> 00:06:08.689 remind yourself this isn't about the binder. 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:11.350 It's about the human behind it. The ones who 00:06:11.350 --> 00:06:15.079 show up. Care deeply. Keep this beautiful, chaotic, 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.069 vital part of our sector alive. Thank you. for 00:06:19.069 --> 00:06:21.449 spending a few minutes with me today. If this 00:06:21.449 --> 00:06:23.470 episode spoke to you, share it with your team. 00:06:23.550 --> 00:06:26.410 Maybe listen to it together and talk about what 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:29.689 human compliance means in your space. Because 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:34.009 we can meet every regulation and still keep our 00:06:34.009 --> 00:06:37.230 hearts in the work. Until next time, keep shining, 00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:40.470 keep smiling, keep laughing, keep showing up, 00:06:40.470 --> 00:06:50.810 and never forget, you are not forgotten. Thank 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.430 you. Amazing listeners for your support. Don't 00:06:53.430 --> 00:06:55.649 forget to follow me on Instagram at Miss Jamie 00:06:55.649 --> 00:06:58.629 underscore R -E -C -E. Give a star rating and 00:06:58.629 --> 00:07:01.069 leave a review. Have something you want to hear 00:07:01.069 --> 00:07:03.050 about in relation to before and after school 00:07:03.050 --> 00:07:05.990 programs or full day summer camp? DM me or comment. 00:07:06.129 --> 00:07:08.670 Again, thank you so much and happy learning.