“Little Faces” Investment Makes for Staff’s Happy Faces

June 2021

Christina Edwards is an administrator and owner of both family child care program and early childhood education center in Georgetown, Del. Her “Little Faces” family child care program is for infants to two years old. Her center is for one-year-olds through school age. Chris’s programs have not only survived COVID, but they have thrived because of her commitment to each employee.

“We had a couple of scares during COVID and had to close for two weeks,” said Chris. “But I’m always looking for different techniques to maintain and motivate my staff.”

Her “techniques” included both professional development and personal attention. Amid all the chaos of COVID, Chris still took time to hold an in-service professional development day. She tapped into DIEEC’s expertise and invited Kyma Fulgence-Belardo, a technical assistant, to lead a day focused on mindfulness.

“This day allowed me to learn more about my teachers,” said Chris. “As a result, I have been able to build stronger relationships.”

“Chris is committed to professional development for each of her staff,” added Lea Attarian, DIEEC technical assistant. “She always looks for and suggests workshops to help each teacher build their skill sets.”

Her focus on relationships extends to her families and communities. These partnerships have become even more essential during COVID. For example, the Georgetown Public Library supplies Little Faces with many different arts and crafts along with other resources for the children. The children check out books each month that support the program’s monthly themes.

Another great example of community support is when a local nail salon opened on a Sunday and treated each staff member to a day of pampering. Refreshed and rejuvenated, her staff returned on Monday, ready to take on all the rigor of operating through COVID.

“Chris consistently goes above and beyond to serve her staff and families,” said Alyssa Stein, DIEEC technical assistant. “She’s always willing to participate in Communities of Practices (CoPs) and share her knowledge with her colleagues.”