Spring Cleaning And Daycare Organization

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This blog post is all about spring cleaning and daycare organization.

We've all been locked up in our houses for a long winter. It feels good to have the sun shining and longer days settling in.

It's the perfect time to do some spring cleaning and daycare organization. Having a clean and organized space helps everything run smoothly, reduces stress, and reduces clutter.

I'm sharing my practical daycare organization tips while completing our spring cleaning!

How Do I Keep My Daycare Organized

Having an organized daycare is about creating simple systems that work for you and your kids! These are the things I've found that help me.

Daily Routines: Having a consistent daycare schedule keeps all of us in check!
Clear Storage Containers: I use clear bins with labels to store themes. I also use storage drawers with labels for toys in the play area. These are similar to what I use, but way cuter, as mine are out of stock!
Rotate Toys And Materials: It's imperative to rotate toys to keep clutter and boredom down. When children have too many options, they feel overwhelmed and don't know how to play. Bonus tip clean up is so much faster!
Teach Kids To Help: By using the storage drawers and labels, kids can see where the toys go during clean up!
Declutter Regularly: Spring cleaning is the perfect time to go through the toys, materials, and supplies, decluttering duplicates, broken items, or items no longer needed.
Create Zones Or Centers: My daycare has different centers for each play area. Each center has its own organizational units, keeping the space organized and easy to clean!

How To Organize Paperwork

Oh, the paperwork. Why do we have so much paperwork to keep track of anyway? Then you add all of the tax items that need to be kept.

Do you feel like you're drowning in paperwork and filing systems? I know I did until I found a system that worked for me.

Taxes: This area tends to be the most overwhelming for providers! I used to stack all of my receipts in a pile, and then come January, I'd rush to put together all of my expenses and income. Sound familiar? Talk about STRESSFUL! Well, now I have a flawless system! I use a daycare tax spreadsheet, which is tailored to home daycare providers! Once I've completed the month, I file the receipts and monthly meal count calendar in a manila envelope that is labeled with the year.
Daycare Binder: The best system I've found to keep track of forms for enrolled children, plus the forms the state requires me to keep, is this binder and envelope inserts. I have an envelope for the forms the state requires me to keep, and every kid has their own, too. When the state pops in for my annual renewal, I don't have to scramble to find anything. I just grab the binder and hand it over, then get back to tending to the children.
Brightwheel: I pay for a monthly subscription to Brightwheel, which I've found is invaluable! I use this for billing invoices, and have parents set up on autopay. I use it to send monthly news to all families at once, reminders, and days closed. I don't utilize the daily updates with photos, meals, etc., as I don't have time to do that.
ClickUp: This is a free website where I store PDF files. I download the forms from my state and upload them into clickup.com. When I have a family enrolling, I can quickly grab the PDF link and send it via Brightwheel or text. I no longer have to click through several links to find the forms on my state website. Or keep hard copies on hand. Keeps the paperwork mess down and saves money on printing and paper!

How To Organize My Kids Books

I'm sure there is a better method, but this is what works for me. I use this bookshelf with books grouped by theme and separated by a piece of yellow paper titled the theme. Don't come at me for the uneven torn pieces of paper, it's a simple and cost-effective method that works for me lol.

spring-cleaning-and-daycare-organization

How To Organize Toys

Rotating toys often keeps boredom at bay. I attempt to match toys by theme, but it doesn't always work out that way. The extra toys we are not using are kept in a closet.

How To Organize Materials & Supplies

I'm blessed to have space in my basement that wasn't being used. My husband built me a closet for daycare supplies and materials!

Themes

I use these clear totes to hold all props for dramatic play themes. I even put any papers or labels in baggies and put them in the totes aligned with the theme.

Manipulatives & Supplies

I have bookshelves that hold math counters and literacy manipulatives. Then I have a milk crate that holds all of our hard copies or hands-on pieces for each letter and each number. For example, letter A has its own baggie and the number 1 has its own baggie. I keep them in alphabetical and numerical order. I keep all of my printer paper and construction paper in magazine holders similar to these next to my printer.