4 minute read
Investment in Staff Development Makes an Impact at Kessel Kids
At a time when childcare seems scarce and short-staffed, Kessel Kids in Cresco, Iowa, have made it their mission to continue quality care for the community. Melissa Vobr, director of Kessel Kids, decided to invest in her staff and give them the support they need.
Melissa had heard of other local businesses in the community partnering with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and connected with Alison Holten, training sales professional for NICC Business and Community Solutions. Alison and Celina Peerman, an NICC instructor and organizational psychologist, developed a plan to bring training directly to Kessel Kids.
The result was a training series about conflict, strategic thinking, leadership, communication, team building and more.
Solutions Magazine spoke with Melissa Vobr, director of Kessel Kids, to learn about the training with NICC.
What made you want to start doing training for your staff?
You can either commit to solving problems or get stuck ruminating about the systematic challenges from which the challenges present themselves. Creating a healthy work environment in a childcare setting is a tough job. The financial resources do not allow for a built-in support system. I wanted to focus on what I knew we could control and what I feel is the core strength of any team, our relationships and connections. I read in a book “It is the people we meet and the books we read that will change us.” That statement resonated with me. I know that strong connections are the basis of the work we do, and really every moment of our lives, so why not strengthen those connections outside of the grind with professional development opportunities?
What outcomes have you seen since you started the training?
Perspective. There seems to be more willingness to accept people for who they are at any given moment in any given environment. The number of individuals willing to participate in or initiate hard conversations has increased with the understanding that they may fail at first and that is okay. We have embraced that we have to fail to learn; but we can’t learn if we can’t get past being comfortable. We have a few team members who have gone a step further to encourage others to be the best possible human they can be. This type of foundation breeds positive energy which in essence creates a thriving environment with thriving children. The quality of childcare services indirectly increases when we are connecting and creating healthier connections with our coworkers.
What has Celina been like as a trainer for you?
First and foremost, childcare isn’t always viewed by everyone as a business let alone a professional organization. I was thrilled with NICC and Celina’s willingness to work with the center and to go even further to match content with the center’s needs. Celina’s delivery has been interactive and engaging, which can be a challenge with a multi-generational group and varying skill levels. It makes my heart smile to hear conversations or have coworkers wanting to talk more about the topic matters following the training sessions. I loved the positive energy that resulted from the relatable content and humor.
Have you had any favorite topics or training sessions?
All of Celina’s trainings push us to be our best selves at work and at home. The topics and content are transferable to our daily lives. If our organization can commit to inspiring and encouraging those around us every day despite the systematic challenges childcare brings to the table, I believe we can create a work environment that brings a bit of joy to everyone’s lives, including the families and children we serve.
Dr. Celina Peerman currently serves as an organizational psychologist with over 27 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in new ways to achieve even better organizational results. Celina is a strategist with a sense of humor and a love for building capacity in organizations.
