CHILD DAY CARE SERVICES KNOXVILLE TN
Meet the Executive Director
Passionate, dedicated, and caring, our teachers love their work and it shows in everything they do. Finding the right people for the right job, for us, begins with finding teachers who are passionate about making a positive difference in the educational life of your child. Studies indicate that the happiest and most productive employees are those who are not only passionate about their jobs but also find them meaningful.
A work culture that supports happy and fulfilled teachers is one that we hope will retain our teachers so that they continue to provide consistency in quality of care and education for your child. And in a profession with a turnover rate as high as 30%, we think that retention is important. High turnover, across the board, negatively impacts children’s socio-emotional and language development. With this in mind, we strive to retain our teachers by creating the kind of value-driven approach to work that inspires purpose for each of them. We do this by incorporating literature on current research into our team meetings, so that our teachers can understand the purpose behind NAEYC-supported trends or ideas, some of which we choose as a team, whether to follow and implement within our school. Every single one of our teachers offers feedback and ideas on ways to improve our curricula and environment that are both meaningful to them and beneficial to our children.
Yet, Starting Points Childcare is not only built on the work of teachers alone but on the partnership forged between our teachers and families. It is through parental feedback and the ever-looping learning and revising strategy that is embedded in our educational team process that we are forever growing, developing and reaching to higher standards. We are a team of teachers and families, inspired and committed to working together for the good of the individual child and moved towards connecting our daily work to a broader purpose: that of transitioning your child into kindergarten successfully. And if that resonates with you and moves to inspire you, come join us and become a part of our family!
Starting Points takes pride in our qualified and experienced teachers. Our teachers are required to complete a screening process which includes personal references, FBI and TBI back ground checks, and work references. All of our teachers must undergo extensive orientation, training, and a three-month probationary period. Our teachers must also complete a minimum of 18 hours of Child Day Care Services related in-service training each year. Additionaly, our Director is required to complete 24 hours of childcare and administrative training. As an additional requirement, our teachers are certified in CPR and First Aid within the first six months of employment.
The Owner: Dorothy Raymond
As a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, with a background in clinical research with infants and a degree in Psychology, I can say that working with & teaching children has been the continuation of a dream that started out, solely, as a passion for psychology.
In psychology, I was on a quest of discovery in my search for the meaning behind human nature. But it was not until I conducted research and took classes with pioneers in the field of child development, such as John Campos, Mary Main and Alison Gopnik that my interest in early childhood development peaked.
It was here, my quest found meaning. I learned how adult relationships developed from Mary Main’s Infant Attachment Theory and found that the acquisition of language began with “Motherese.” It is through this magical development of children we see the birth, awakening, and growth of human nature.
In this respect, shaping and guiding early childhood development can have a positive impact on humanity. And as a leader of a business of adults who teach little ones, as a former teacher, myself, there can be nothing more inspiring or meaningful than making the world a better place: one child at a time.
Primary Communities Served
Ball Camp
Bearden
Beaumont
Cedar Bluff
Concord
Farragut
Fountain City
Hardin Valley
Karns
Knoxville
Lonsdale
North Hills
North Knoxville
Norwood
Powell
Ramsey
Ridge Brook
Ridgedale
Seymour
Solway
South Knoxville
Topside
West Hills
Western Heights