Hiring a new teacher at your daycare is hard enough. Then comes day one, when the classroom is busy, the lead teacher is covering a break, and the new hire is handed a stack of forms and told to "just watch for now." A week later they still don't know where the emergency bag lives, which child has an allergy plan, or who is allowed to pick up the twins.

A clear orientation process fixes that. It helps new staff feel confident, keeps children safe from the first hour, and shows your team that you take their work seriously. Below is a practical daycare staff orientation checklist you can adapt, organized by what to do before day one, on day one, and over the first weeks, plus tips for a short staff handbook and a fair first evaluation.

Before the first day

• Paperwork and requirements: confirm that every background check, health form, training certificate and document your state licensing rules require is complete and on file before the person works with children.
• Schedule: send the first two weeks of shifts, start time, where to park, what to wear and who will meet them.
• Assign a buddy: pick an experienced teacher who will shadow and answer questions. Tell that teacher in advance and give them time to do it well.
• Prepare access: keys or door codes, a cubby or locker, a name badge, and logins for any systems they'll use.
• Send the staff handbook early so they can read it at home rather than skimming it during nap time.

Day one: safety first

The first day should focus on what keeps children safe. Everything else can wait.

• Walk the building: classrooms, exits, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, emergency bag, outdoor areas and any off-limits spaces.
• Explain emergency procedures: fire, lockdown and severe weather drills, where each group goes, and who takes the attendance list.
• Review ratios and supervision rules, including never leaving children unsupervised and how to call for cover.
• Go through allergy and medical plans for the children in their room, and where that information is kept.
• Explain sign-in and sign-out, and the rule that children are released only to authorized adults, with ID checks for anyone unfamiliar.
• Cover safe sleep practices for infants and your nap routine for older children.
• Explain how to report an injury, an incident or a concern about a child's wellbeing, and who to tell.

The first week: routines and relationships

• Daily schedule: arrival, meals, diapering or toileting, outdoor time, naps, activities and departure. Have them shadow each part at least once.
• Getting to know the children: names, comfort items, how each child settles, and any additional needs. A one-page "about me" sheet per child helps a lot.
• Hygiene: handwashing, diapering steps, cleaning and sanitizing, and food handling.
• Guidance and behavior: your approach to biting, hitting, tantrums and conflict, and words you do and don't use.
• Communication with families: what to share at pick-up, what to write in daily notes, and when to refer a question to the lead teacher or director.
• Record keeping: how attendance, meals, naps, diapering and observations are recorded in your program.

The first month: growing into the role

• Gradually hand over responsibility: leading a circle time, planning one activity, writing parent updates.
• Book required training hours early so they don't pile up.
• Hold a short check-in at the end of week one and week four: what's going well, what's confusing, what support they need.
• Introduce them to families in your newsletter or app, with a friendly photo and a few lines about them.

What to put in a daycare staff handbook

A staff handbook doesn't need to be long. Many directors find that 10 to 20 clear pages are read more often than a 60-page binder. Typical sections include:

• Your mission, philosophy and approach to children's learning
• Hours, shifts, breaks, time-off requests and calling in sick
• Dress code, phone use and confidentiality
• Health, safety and emergency procedures
• Child guidance and behavior policy
• Communication with families and social media rules
• Training, evaluations and how concerns or complaints are handled

Have each new staff member sign that they've read it, and review the handbook once a year so it matches what really happens in your center. If you're unsure about employment rules, check with your state agency or an HR professional.

A simple 30- and 90-day evaluation

An evaluation shouldn't be a surprise. Share the form during orientation so new staff know what good looks like. Keep it to a few areas with clear examples:

• Safety and supervision: follows ratios, headcounts and emergency procedures.
• Relationships: warm, responsive and respectful with children.
• Routines and hygiene: handles meals, diapering, naps and transitions smoothly.
• Teamwork: communicates with colleagues and asks for help when needed.
• Family communication: clear, friendly and professional.

For each area, note one strength and one goal. End with a support plan, not just a score.

Make information easy to find

New staff struggle most when key information is scattered across binders, sticky notes and someone's memory. Keeping child records in one place makes the first weeks much easier. Some centers use a childcare management app for this: kidsday (which supports Childcare Insights), for example, keeps child records including health information and authorized pick-up persons, handles check-in and check-out attendance, and lets staff record meals, sleep and incidents. That way a new teacher can look up the right details instead of guessing.

A printable orientation checklist

• Paperwork, checks and required certificates complete
• Schedule, buddy and access ready
• Building tour and emergency procedures reviewed
• Ratios, supervision and safe sleep explained
• Allergies, medical plans and authorized pick-ups reviewed
• Incident and concern reporting explained
• Daily routine shadowed
• Hygiene and food handling reviewed
• Behavior guidance policy discussed
• Family communication and record keeping shown
• Staff handbook signed
• Week-one and 30-day check-ins booked

Final thoughts

Good orientation is one of the cheapest ways to keep great staff. When new teachers know what to do on day one, who to ask, and how they'll be supported, they settle faster and children feel the difference. Start with safety, add routines and relationships, keep your handbook short and honest, and check in often.

Childcare Insights is supported by kidsday, a childcare management platform mentioned in this article.