Plain-language Policies

Hundreds of children, from infants to teens, visit the Boys and Girls Club of Niagara in Niagara Falls every day. Each program at the Club has policies and procedures appropriate for the activities and ages of the children attending. "This means we have a huge book of board-mandated policies and procedures and provincial requirements for the whole Boys and Girls Club of Niagara," explains Pamela Blanchfield, who manages a number of programs there.

To provide something useful to staff, who come to the Boys and Girls Club with varying qualifications and often work in more than one program, Blanchfield decided to write specific guidelines for her early childhood education staff. These guidelines allow them to learn about early childhood education and her philosophy and expectations.

"I took the relevant policies and wrote each one in simple language in a single paragraph instead of the standard hierarchical format," she says. Instead of a manual of several hundred pages, she created a 30-page staff handbook. Staff members are required to read it and sign a form signifying that they understand it and agree to follow it. Provincial regulations also require signatures for confidentiality, behaviour management and playground policies.

"All good centres have policies and procedures, often simply using provincial requirements, but they can be difficult to read and understand," comments Blanchfield. "I think it's a good idea to have a staff handbook as well, written in plain language."