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Marketing: Do My Customers Really Social Media?

• 93% of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media.
• 85% believe a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media.
• 56% of American consumers feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.

UNESCO in its publication, Learning: The Treasure Within outlines four pillars of education:

Learning to know: "...concerned less with the acquisition of structured knowledge than with the mastery of learning tools. It may be regarded as both a means and an end of human existence."

Learning to do: "...how do we adapt education so that it can equip people to do the types of work needed in the future?"

Learning to live together: "...education should adopt two complementary approaches. From early childhood, it should focus on the discovery of other people in the first stage of education. In the second stage of education and in lifelong education, it should encourage involvement in common projects."

Learning to be: "...All people should receive in their childhood and youth an education that equips them to develop their own independent, critical way of thinking and judgment so that they can make up their own minds on the best courses of action in the different circumstances in their lives."

Source: www.ccie.com

Understanding & Supporting Generation Y's Workplace Needs

Generation Y's 32 million U.S. workers will increase to approximately 21% of the workforce in the next 3 years.

More than 60% of employers say they are experiencing tension between employees from different generations and more than 70% of older employees are dismissive of younger workers' abilities.

Young workers move in and out of jobs faster and put more emphasis on individual satisfaction and development. Movement, change, and challenge become the motivating factors behind job selection and retention.

Strategies for working with Generation Y

• Provide access to technology. Generation Y-ers know how to use technology and they are good at it. They can use this ability to improve their (and your) work environment. 
• Establish mentoring as a means of providing supporting direct feedback. Generation Y-ers have grown up with more parental involvement and structured time from adults. Therefore a 'community if learners approach,' where workers are supported through activities such as mentoring, job shadowing, and shared product assignments may be viewed by Generation Y-ers as less intimidating. They want to participate in tasks and learning experiences that support their growth, are relevant, and can be applied immediately. 
• Support their values by inviting input in decision making. Generation Y-ers are used to being active participants in family and other decision-making matters from an early age. They bring a similar expectation of active participation and decision making into their work environment. 
• Individualize and customize career and growth opportunities. Generation Y-ers are innovative. They are used to change, personally and professionally, and have experienced change at home, school, in the community, and at work. 
• Provide training and skills development that can be connected with broader work applications. Generation Y-ers are goal oriented. They have high expectations for themselves and those around them: employers, family members, and peers.

Creating a supportive work environment

Above all else, involve your staff.

• Upgraded use of technology in the program
• Rethinking use of current technology to facilitate conference calls among staff, parents, and professionals to save time and travel, and technology-based games - to ass dimension to children's learning opportunities.
• Involve Generation Y-ers in policy-making processes. 
• Use 15 minutes of staff meetings for staff sharing of innovative ideas they would like to explore.
• Create a staff training plan that includes transferable skills such as customer relations, team development, public speaking, and critical thinking. 

Source: ccie.org

Foto Friday!

Foto Friday!

Hanna's Orphan Home
Zeway, Ethiopia

Tough Topic: Talking with parent's about their child's development

Talking to a parent about their child's development can sometimes be an uneasy topic. How the situation and communication style is approached can make the difference between a meaningful conversation intended to help a child be successful and alienating a parent.

Obstacles to Communication
Fear: It can be difficult for parents to hear unpleasant news about their child.
Defensiveness: Parents naturally want to protect and defend their children. When uncomfortable information is shared with parents about their child, their first response may be defensiveness.
Anger: Uncomfortable feelings can turn into anger. A parent's feelings of fear and/or defensiveness can manifest in angry outbursts.

Steps to Effective Communication

• Institute a parent Involvement plan: A well written plan...
• Helps to ensure communication occurs on a regular basis.
• Articulates the important role that the parent plays in the child's development.
• States the program's goals and philosophy in working with children.
• Puts into writing how communication will occur.
• States the times that the teaching staff will be scheduling conferences.
• Lists the volunteer opportunities and how parents can become involved in the program. 
• Validate the parent's role: When speaking with a parents, it is important to remind them of the positive effect they have on their child.
• Share some real life classroom stories that reflect this.
• Help parents recognize their attributes and that together a stronger team is formed. 
• Call on parents for their knowledge of their child.
• Provide proof: When there is a need to speak to a parent about a child's behavior or development, provide support for what you are saying. 
• Share information/observations gained during class time. 
• Have developmental screening and assessment data available.  (Remember, you should never make a diagnosis unless you are licensed to do so.)
• Be specific when describing the child's behavior and/or your concerns. 
• Show the parent work samples or observations. 
• Be positive
• Separate the child from the behavior
• Remind the parent that your goal is to help their child be successful
• Consider the child's strengths when developing an action plan
• Stay on task - describe the concerns or unwanted behavior, discuss appropriate expectations,  and then develop a plan on how to get there together. 
• Help the parent be successful
• Have ideas ready that parents can use at home to help their child. 
• Bring written information or handouts to the meeting. 
• Encourage parents to spend quality time with their children. 
• Invite the parent to volunteer in the classroom.
• Create a safe place
• Set an appointment time that is convenient for the parent, with a low chance of interruptions. 
• Provide a safe and respectful environment.
• Ensure that others cannot overhear your conversation. 
• Use open communication
• Maintain an open stance both physically and verbally.
• Show the parent that you are actively listening and understanding. 
• Repeat what you hear the parent say (active listening).
• Document what is said and any decisions made during the conversation. 
• Availability of resources
• Offer parent support groups
• Invite local specialists to come in and talk
• Offer a resource library
• Have staff regularly attend workshops and conferences to ensure that they have the necessary skills to work with families. 

By welcoming parents onto our team, we help eliminate barriers and gain allies who have valuable information about the child and the motivation to do what is necessary to help their child succeed. As parents grow to appreciate that your goal is to help their child be successful, they will become more open and willing to work with you on your focal point, the child. 

Source: www.ccie.org

Foto Friday!

Meet Rabha of the Refugee Sewing Society (RSS). She is a refugee who escaped genocide and now resides in Clarkston, GA. She is an active member of RSS.

Click here to learn more about how RSS is making an impact in the lives of refugee women.

Books To Shape The Childcare Profession

• Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcom Gladwell
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference - Malcom Gladwell
• 7 Habits of Effective People - Steven Covey
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 - Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
• Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results - Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen
• Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People - Edward M. Hallowell
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't - Jim Collins
• Portfolios of the Poor - Daryl Collins
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dean Heath
• Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities - Martha Nussbaum
• Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao - Wayne Dyer
• Enchantment: The Art of CHanging Hearts, Minds, and Actions - Guy Kawasaki
• The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement - David Brooks
• Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - John Medina
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations, One School at a Time - Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
• Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus - Eric Harvey
• Philanthropy in a Flat World: Inspiration Through Globalization - Jon Duschinsky
• Fierce Conversations at a Time - Susan Scott
• Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - Amy Chua
• Strengths Finders 2.0 - Tom Rath 
• Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder
• The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life - Piero Ferrucci
• Make the Impossible Possible: One Man's Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary - Bill Strickland with Vince Rause
• Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference - Max Lucado
• The Hidden Messages in Water - Emoto Masaru
• Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior - Ori and Rom Brafman
• Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything - Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
• Respect: An Exploration - Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot
• Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success - John C. Maxwell
• Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation - Steven Johnson
• NutureShock: New Thinking About Children - Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
• Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies - James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
• What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures - Malcom Gladwell
• The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary - Mark Sanborn
• Into the Extraordinary - Mark Sanborn
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - Laura Hillenbrand
• A Young People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn
• Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference - Corelia Fine

Source: www.ccie.org

Foto Friday!

We currently have a Mercy Ministry program in an area called Ezbet El Nakhl in Egypt.  Our Mercy Minister visits these families weekly and shares the gospel with them, prays with them and also gives them food or other items that their family needs such as clothing or school supplies for the kids. 

Read more @ betterforkids.org

Staff Management: Thriving on Feedback

When you open yourself up to receiving feedback from your staff, you're sending a clear message to them that their thoughts and input matter, allowing you to cultivate positive relationships with them.

In order to get consistent feedback that you can thrive on, it's important to have systems in place to help you collect, digest, and respond to feedback. Common tools that you can consider incorporating into your "feedback system" include suggestion boxes, feedback forms, regular one-on-one meetings, and, of course, regular direct and honest feedback when there are issues that need to be resolved.

Handling the feedback you receive:

• Refrain from defensive reactions
• Remember that the way people communicate often has more to do with them than it does with you
• Respect confidentiality
• Model the process from top down

Establish a feedback system:

• Educate your staff about the feedback tools you use
• Inform staff on what happens next
• Take action on the feedback you receive. 

Source: www.ccie.com

Foto Friday!

EGSS Orphanage and Daycare
Cairo, Egypt
www.betterforkids.org