The way we present ourselves as representatives is extremely important. Anyone that knows me will tell you that the last thing I want to do is dress up to impress someone other than myself. I would rather go to work in my favorite sweat pants and WVU t-shirt (it is ragged and torn and oh-so comfy!). Other people’s perceptions of me have never been an area I cared a great deal about. I have always wanted people to judge me by my character rather than my clothes or hair; however, we are all human and I have discovered that regardless of how we want people to see us that first impression is still a powerful one. Now I am not recommending that you dress in expensive pant suits or have your hair done every week, in fact I am not even recommending that you dress to impress. I am simply suggesting that you dress to reflect. As the director you are a visual impression of the daycare you are running. If you are always dressed to the “nines” people may perceive you as not-very-kid-friendly, the other extreme is if you dress like you just rolled out of bed, or are getting ready to go paint a room, people may perceive you as unorganized and scattered. We have to reflect what we are doing, if you are going to be teaching then you do need to dress comfortably but that can be accomplished by wearing khakis or even nice blue jeans with a “polo-type” shirt and comfortable shoes. On the other hand if you have meetings that day you may want to dress more business like, you are after all, representing a business.
When I was student-teaching during my last year of college, I had a wonderful mentoring teacher. That teacher showed me how the kids responded better to me when I dressed more professionally. By simply wearing dress pants and a nice shirt, instead of my favorite blue jeans, I presented myself as a knowledgeable individual. They started to show more respect for me. I was truly amazed at the difference. So if you are wanting more respect from your dear children at the daycare and from your staff, try dressing more appropriately for your position and see what happens. Try it for a week and let me know how it works out.
By the way if you are worried about getting paint or food or any other by-products from the child care world on your clothing, then I suggest investing in an apron or lab coat. You can purchase these items pretty cheap and still be able to participate in your daycare.
