Be a Magnet for Kids
You’ve
seen the difference. Two adults give the same directions
to a child and
get dramatically different results. For some, working
with kids is a
breeze — some folks just seem to be “kid magnets.”
How do they do it?
The National
School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) offers standards for relating to
children in positive ways. In addition to showing acceptance
and
appreciation for kids, NSACA advises recognizing varied
abilities and
responding to the range of feelings and temperaments
in your program.
Kid magnets go the extra mile to know where their kids
are coming from. ElizaBeth Parker Phillips of San Diego’s
“6
to 6” program tells us, “Kids want to hang with adults who know kid
culture. You’ve got to know if it’s Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh!, N’Sync or
Avril Lavigne.”
Great staff are also
active participants. “It’s good to stay on your feet,” says BashÅ
Mosko, who runs Organized Youth Expressions in Emeryville.
“Move
around, play when it’s time to play. Don’t just supervise.”
Similarly, Debbi Pratt of Ortega Trail Youth Centers
in Riverside
recommends using a high-energy tone and strong welcome to kick off the
day’s activities. “Kids can come to you feeling sapped from school.
Your enthusiasm can help them move into your program
feeling positive.”
Children are
sometimes wary of adults, and strong staff build relationships
over
time. Megan Riemer and Kate Cohen, AmeriCorps members
at the Arcata School District, advise making yourself available and listening actively
when kids open up.
Letting them know you really want to be there, that
it’s not just a job for you, is key to building long-term trust.
And finally,
effective line-staff keep their sense of humor and retain an attitude
of fun. “Laugh at yourself when you make a funny mistake,” says Traci
Peterson of Laboratory Family Services in Livermore.
“Don’t be afraid to sit on the floor and play Candy Land
or run around
outside playing kickball. Help kids see the lighter
side of life.”
And don’t forget, she adds,
“You can run any type of program and have any set of
activities you want, but in the end it’s the staff that make it go."
So listen. Be active. Play. You'll be a "kid magnet" in no time.
