Job Shadowing Day
Educate the Community about Your Program.
What is Job Shadowing?
Job Shadowing is a nationwide effort to increase public awareness about the link between quality early childhood programs and adequately trained and compensated staff.
Individuals in high-profile positions (business and education leaders, media personalities, sports figures, elected officials, etc.) will be invited to shadow, or work alongside,
early childhood professionals as they carry out their regular job responsibilities that morning. At the end of two hours, these individuals will be presented with a symbolic check for two hours of work at the child care provider’s hourly wage.
Who can participate?
Any child care center or family child care home can participate in job shadowing days. If you work at a center, talk with your director about all the advantages of hosting
a job shadower and offer to take some initiative in making it happen.
How will it benefit my program?
Job Shadowing can benefit your program directly by building your relationships with the community. Imagine what it could mean for your program if a local business leader,
a television anchor person or one of your elected officials had first hand knowledge of your work! They would understand the crucial role that teachers and providers perform
in our society and the challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified staff at current rates. The more people know about the economic constraints and educational benefits of
early care and education, the more willing they will be to advocate for a greater investment of public dollars. A job shadowing project is also a great way of putting the media spot light on early childhood education.
How do I get involved?
Consider those people with status or influence that you or your parents know, or the local elected official with whom you would like to build a relationship.
The first step is to make the invitation. A sample invitation letter is available from the office. QUEST will also provide you with on-going support and an
orientation packet to assist you in planning for the event and making the most of this opportunity into the future.
How do I get help?
Contact Pamela Haines, 215-893-0130, pamela@dvaeyc.org or Gerri DiLisi, 215-368-3435, gerri@dvaeyc.org, or go to the QUEST website,
www.paQUEST.org for a list of regional contacts.
Job Shadow: Dramatic Role-Playing for Adults
Young children engage in dramatic role-playing all the time. Through role-play, they temporarily assume new identities, learning about different roles people play in our society. By experiencing other roles in this immediate way, children incorporate new understandings about the world into their repertoire of social knowledge. Dramatic play is serious business for a child. Job Shadowing invites respected members of the community to shadow, or work alongside, early childhood professionals as they catty out their regular job responsibilities. It demonstrates for visitors the working environment in a child care center or family child care home, allowing them hands-on experience of daily life as it really is. Job Shadowing allows adults to see the serious business of child care work. The procedures for Job Shadowing are summarized below.
- Invite Your “Shadow”
Create a list of people you might invite. Consider various community leaders who have an effect on decision-making in your area. Suggestions include elected officials, prominent educators, parents in your center, local school officials, principals, business leaders, and media personalities. Call and/or send out invitations.
- Make Advance Preparations
Decide with the guest how long that person will take part in shadowing (at least an hour, but the longer the involvement, the more accurate the impression will be). Brief the person on what will be occurring during that time period, and what his or her role will be. Provide information in advance on what quality early education entails, and the role of the educator in promoting development. Prepare a packet to be given to the job-shadower that includes information about your center or home, as well as background on compensation issues. Finally, be sure that the media is alerted to this event. Coordinating efforts with others in your area for publicity will be more efficient and have a greater impact.
- The Job Shadow Day
As you carry out your responsibilities as an early childhood educator, offer explanations to the job-shadower about the ways in which you are meeting children’s developmental needs. Encourage the shadower to participate as filly as possible, particularly in interactions with the children. Take pictures of the shadower acting in the role of assistant to a teacher or provider. At the end of the work period, present the shadower with a ceremonial “paycheck” for the amount earned for that length of time. (Great photo opportunity, and a definite high point in past experiences). Follow up with a note of appreciation, to which you might add children’s thank-yous.
What do job shadowers learn from assuming a social role that is outside the realm of their own personal experience? They gain firsthand knowledge of what is involved in carrying out that role--meeting children’s and families’ basic needs. They come to understand how early education nurtures the seeds for lifelong learning and productive citizenship--a far greater mission than merely “baby-sitting.” Perhaps the most dramatic aspect of this role-play experience is the realization that early childhood professionals are compensated so minimally for the highly skilled jobs they do.
For early childhood professionals, caring for children is as serious a business as dramatic play is for children. Wages do not begin to reflect the requirements, responsibilities and importance of the work that we undertake on a daily basis. Job Shadowing is a powerful way of getting that point across to others. Their participation will help gain insight into the crucial role teachers and providers perform in our society.