Child Care Staff Evaluation Form – Free Sample & Guide

If you’re looking for a child care staff evaluation form, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with a free sample of a child care center staff evaluation form. After all, child care managers and directors wear many hats depending on the day. Responsibilities span across HR, accounting, operations, and even marketing. This means you probably don’t have time to build a form from scratch. This free form can be used as is or modified to fit your needs.

And because managing your childcare team’s evaluations isn’t easy, we’ve detailed a few helpful best practices. We discuss how you might want to modify the form by including the essential aspects your form should cover. We also explain how to conduct the actual evaluation and analyze the results. Continue reading to get all the details you need to make you child care evaluations run smoothly.

Table of Contents

• What Is a Child Care Staff Evaluation Form?
• The Free Child Care Center Staff Evaluation Form
• What Is Included on a Child Care Staff Evaluation Form?
• How to Evaluate the Results of Your Form?
• Best Practices for the Evaluation Forms

What Is a Child Care Staff Evaluation Form? 

A child care staff evaluation is a crucial tool for child care centers to assess the performance of their child care staff. By administering regular child care center staff evaluations, strengths and areas for improvement can be better identified.

A system of regular feedback will increase efficiency and lay the foundation for your child care center staff to better understand their goals and job responsibilities. Establishing a regular evaluation period allows for the center to set child care goals for staff and adjust them when the need arises.

A cycle of 6 months and 12 months is advisable for routine child care staff evaluation. Although more frequent evaluation may be pertinent in certain instances. Each center should tailor its evaluation schedule as needed.

A child care center staff evaluation may happen in conjunction with an in-person evaluation and performance review. It is suggested that a self-evaluation form may also be given to the child care center staff. This additional employee performance appraisal allows the center to get each individual’s perspective on their work performance.

A child care staff evaluation form will allow for addressing any areas of improvement to create a better environment for children and staff alike. This will leave less room for guesswork when it comes to jobs and responsibilities. Your expectations will be better laid out in clear writing, and child care center staff will have a better sense of purpose each day they come into work.

Through consistent childcare employee evaluations, team members will know their strengths, which can bolster their sense of self-worth and improve retention rates.

The Free Child Care Center Staff Evaluation Form? 

Looking to make your evaluation process a little easier? Try using this free printable childcare staff evaluation form. It can easily be used by childcare centers or daycares to evaluate their staff. Simply copy and paste the form to use it.

Staff Evaluation Form

Employee Name: ________________________________________

Hire Date: ______________________

Evaluation Date:   __________________________

Age Level of Classroom (circle):         INFANTS           TODDLERS            PRE-SCHOOL AGED

_____________________________________________________________

How To Use This Daycare Form Ranking System

For each of the areas below, provide a score from 1 through 5, indicating how strong or weak you believe the employee’s skill is. You can use the optional comments section below each field to provide an explanation for your score.

5 – The employee has mastered this area at a teaching level.

4 – The employee demonstrates strong skills but could improve in this area.

3 – The employee is at an average performance level in this area.

2 – The employee is below average and could learn more in this area.

1 – The employee needs major improvements to be more effective in this area.

_____________________________________________________________

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

___    Works on schedule.

___    Arrives to work on time.

___    Gives prior ample notice for absences.

___    Dresses appropriately for someone in the care of young children.

___    Maintains good relationships with coworkers.

___    Keeps children’s information confidential.

___    Completes tasks efficiently, in a timely manner.

___    Is a team player always willing to help other staff members.

___    Holds conversations pertaining to the children while at work and not personal information.

___    Open to constructive criticism.

Optional Comments:

____________________________________________________________________

SKILLS WORKING WITH CHILDREN

___    Presents a warm and friendly demeanor.

___    Shows respect for others.

___    Encourages self-help and independence.

___    Avoids labeling children.

___    Promotes self-esteem when communicating.

___    Reinforces positive behavior.

___    Good sanitary practices for a classroom environment (hand-washing for both children and self).

___    Regularly speaks to children using positive tones and phrases.

___    Gets on the floor with kids.

Optional Comments: ___________________________________________________________________

SKILLS WORKING WITH PARENTS

___    Listens to parents and responds well.

___    Has good relationships with the parents.

___    Uses tact when discussing children.

___    Partners with parents.

___    Communicates with parents regularly in writing and verbally as needed.

___    Is approachable and available for parents.

___    Greets parents with a smile and by name.

Optional Comments: ____________________________________________________________________

SKILLS WORKING IN A CLASSROOM

___    Develops and implements lessons based on thematic units.

___    Reads to small groups of children several times per day.

___    Uses classroom learning centers appropriately.

___    Provides an inviting and creative learning environment.

___    Maintains an orderly and clean environment.

___    Sets the classroom up before children arrive.

___    Rotates learning material in and out regularly.

___    Speaks to children with a positive tone using positive phrases.

___    Provides activities that are developmentally appropriate.

Optional Comments: ______________________________________________________________________

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

___    Shows improvement in areas they already received training.

___    Attends all developmental staff meetings.

___    Seeks to advance their educational degree or credentials in the field.

___    Uses new instructional strategies.

Optional Comments: ______________________________________________________________________

This childcare staff evaluation has been discussed and agreed upon for the current year

Signature of Director:     _____________________Date: __

Signature of Employee:  ­­_____________________Date: __

What Is Included on a Child Care Staff Evaluation Form? 

Now that you have a sample of a child care center staff evaluation form, we’ll discuss the components you’ll need if you decide to modify it or build your own. A child care staff evaluation form should provide six key areas of evaluation and follow-up questions. It should function as a child care staff evaluation checklist with each area graded on a 1-5 or similar Likert Scale. These areas are detailed below. Again, for inspiration, refer back to the printable preschool teacher evaluation form we offered above.

Employee Information

This first section isn’t for rating or evaluation. It is purely for the employee’s name and for detailing their job position within the center. Include any other pertinent data, such as specific job responsibilities to aid in the evaluation process.

The first part of the form should contain this information:

• The name of the employee.
• The date of the evaluation.
• Their position at your center.

Other information to add may include details such as the name of the supervisor administering the evaluation.

Adding a brief explanation of the rating scale is suggested to provide context as to what the numbers mean and why they were assigned. Comparing their evaluation with their cited job responsibilities will help them to better understand the areas they need to improve.

Professional Conduct Evaluation

This part of the child care center staff evaluation form sets the guidelines and expectations of behavior for all staff. Everyone must adhere to these policies. Child care center staff are expected to treat co-workers and others professionally as if they are representing the center as a whole.

Areas of evaluation may include the following:

• Is the employee on time each day as assigned?
• Are their appearance and hygiene acceptable?
• Do they get along with their coworkers and treat them with respect?
• Are they polite with others and use appropriate workplace language?
• Do they keep personal problems and gossip out of the center?
• Does the child care staff member contribute equally to the daily responsibilities?
• Do they adhere to the Code of Conduct as detailed in the employee handbook?
• Do they handle constructive criticism and conflict properly?

Upon completion of this initial part of the child care staff evaluation form, you can move on to the child care work evaluation section.

Child Care Work Evaluation

This section lays out how your child care staff member approaches working with the children. This will help you evaluate the level to which the child care staff employee engages and enriches the children in their care. You will get a better idea if this staff member is fully encouraging the potential of each child.

Performance areas to include for this section:

• Is the child care staff member’s attitude warm and friendly in each interaction with children?
• Are they respectful of the individuality of the children and actively promote their independence and self-esteem?
• Do they refrain from using hurtful terms and descriptions when describing the children? Is all communication with children kind, respectful, and appropriate?
• Do they discipline the children appropriately when required and promote good behavior?
• Do they fully connect with the children in their activities such as coloring or floor play?
• Do they keep records of a child’s development and document their progress?
• Is their language with children age-appropriate and positive?
• Can they facilitate the needs of special needs children?

Once you have evaluated how they work with the children, you can move on to the parent engagement portion.

Parent Engagement Evaluation

Just as important as co-worker and child engagement, is the child care center staff member relationship with the parents. Child care center staff are representatives of the center itself. Evaluate their interactions with the parents and note how they interact with them.

Assessing areas of parent engagement may involve asking the following questions:

• Is the child care staff member a good overall representation of the center to the parents?
• Are child care issues solved effectively and in cooperation with the parents?
• Are their communications with parents prompt and understandable?
• Do they respond to concerns and conflicts with grace and politeness?
• Do they actively pursue building positive parental relationships?
• Do they make time to be respectful and supportive listeners?
• Do they volunteer themselves when requested by parents?

When you have finished the parent engagement component, you can move on to the classroom skills section of the child care staff evaluation form.

Classroom Skills Evaluation

For this part of the child care staff evaluation form, you can rate the staff member’s classroom management skills. Educational activity management and lesson planning factor into this section, as well as classroom organization.

For your childcare staff assessment, consider rating items such as:

• Are lesson plans developed in keeping with the curriculum?
• Are the classroom learning centers fully utilized?
• Is the room maintained and set up each day?
• Are the selected classroom activities appropriate for the ages of the children?
• Are a variety of learning activities and materials available and used?
• Are arrangements made in case of interruption or changes in activities?
• Is a daily classroom routine implemented?
• Is the classroom a positive and enriching environment?
• Are appropriate classroom management activities being used?
• Do instructors abide by the professional conduct expectations laid out by your childcare program?

If this section is done to your specifications, you can move to the last section of the evaluation.

Professional Development Evaluation

Consider how a childcare employee approaches their job as part of their overall career goals when evaluating their professional development. You should consider their commitment to continuing education. Also, consider their advocacy of change and their ability to improve themselves.

Here are some questions you can ask:

• Is the employee taking any classes or seeking new qualifications in child care or other areas?
• How can their existing skills and talents best be put to use?
• Do they have a career plan in place for their child care staff position?
• Are there any opportunities for mentorship relationships for the child care staff member?
• Do they contribute to the center in ways not related to their main job responsibilities?
• Do they have their own self-improvement goals moving forward?

How to Evaluate the Results 

Using a child care staff evaluation form will help you understand what areas need to be improved for each of your subordinates. It can also help you understand global trends for all your staff when it comes to strengths and deficiencies.

If there are several areas of evaluation that need improvement, ask employees if there is anything you can do to make these areas more understandable. You can also ask what you can do to help them set better goals. Maybe help mentor them or see if another employee can help.

If there are very few areas that need improving, commend your employees on their performance. Providing a preschool assessment guide can help all of your employees achieve the desired expectations.

Best Practices to Follow for Child Care Staff Evaluations 

There are some important areas of a child care evaluation that you should follow.

One-on-one meetings are best for keeping a staff member’s privacy intact. This one-on-one format also allows for a dialog to open between employer and employee needs and concerns. Allow your employees to respond to any feedback or ask questions they may have.

Always let them know how they can improve. For your reviews to be most effective, work with your employees to develop their next steps after noting their strengths and weaknesses. The unique challenges each member of your staff faces help them grow as educators, and allow you to provide support for them.

Regular performance reviews allow you to set measurable and specific objectives for your staff that are easily achievable within a defined time frame. Creating attainable and realistic goals helps you translate employee objectives into actionable items that your staff can readily measure. Be sure to note any changes to your goals on your child care staff evaluation form for future reference.

Keeping past reviews in an employee’s file gives you a clearer picture of their growth and development over time. Before the current evaluation takes place, make notes of the areas in which your employee has improved the most. This will give you a better idea of who they are as a whole and allow you to share these positive areas with them so they don’t feel like it’s all negative feedback.

Remember that using staff self-assessments is also meaningful, allowing employees to voice their own take on their strengths and their areas for improvement. Encouraging self-inventory, including one-to-five-star ratings in particular categories, can be an essential way to further engage employees in this process.

Compliance with Daycare Regulations

Looking for More Time Saving Resources?

Planning, building and designing a daycare daily schedule takes time, which you and your staff are short on. Avoid the stress of starting from scratch. Check out these daycare schedule templates our team built to simplify the task for you, including a year-round guide to preschool scheduling. These schedules are printable and easily editable PDFs you can share with parents looking for greater insights on what their child’s day at your center looks like.

FAQs

What is included in the free printable child care staff evaluation form?

This form provides a template with all the questions you can ask to assess staff members in terms of their interactions with children, with parents, and with other employees. 

How often should staff evaluations be conducted?

As a rule of thumb, it's best to evaluate staff once every 6 to 12 months.

Can the form be customized for different roles within the child care center?

In addition to being printable, these forms are also highly editable, making it possible to adjust them to meet the needs of particular employees.

What should be done with the evaluation results?

How can staff evaluations improve overall child care quality?

Staff evaluations can help identify areas where employees can improve their communication skills, their classroom management abilities, and the range of activities they use, among other things.