OWNING YOUR MISTAKES
Everyone makes mistakes or bad decisions at some time. When you receive a citation do not spend time trying to justify it or try to find fault with the person who ‘caught you’.
It’s hard when you know that you work hard and are focused on the well-being of the children. It is difficult to take when someone comes into your home and points out what he feels you are doing wrong. Especially when you are in non-compliance because you have tried to accommodate the needs of one of your clients.
Remember, that in your role as a family childcare provider, you often find yourself instructing children about doing things correctly. To establish a sense of security for all the children in your program, you create rules that govern their behavior and provide a framework for your daily routine. If you are good at what you do, you recognize that when children make mistakes, you have and important opportunity to teach. It’s also true that adults benefit from acknowledging their mistakes and correcting them.
If a licensor, monitor, or inspector finds you are not in compliance during a visit and you know you are not in compliance, your best course of action is to own it, correct it, and move on. Of course, if you feel there are extenuating circumstances, you are free the explain why you are out of compliance. However, if you are obviously out of compliance and try to justify it, you may appear unwilling or unable to fix the problem. You may not agree with all the rules and regulations pertaining to your childcare business, but disagreeing does not mean that you can pick and choose what you will or will not comply with.
You certainly have the right to challenge a citation, but remember, challenging and justifying are two different things.
For example: you are overenrolled because you are helping a parent. You might feel strongly that you did the right thing, but you need to understand the possible consequences of your decision. The regulations that govern how many children you care for are set to protect the health and safety of all enrolled children.
Look carefully at any noncompliance you receive, acknowledge it and instead of justifying it, find ways to avoid the noncompliance in the future.
Resource
Guide to Visits, Inspections and Interviews, Donna Hurley, Sharon Woodward