Celebrate Those Milestones!
Although the calendar year may not be ending, many home visiting programs finish their fiscal year on June 30 or September 30. While this period often involves completing reports and budgets, it’s also important to celebrate these milestones with your team and the families you support. Marking the end of one year and the start of another—whether in small or big ways—can boost camaraderie. Here are some ideas to consider:
Give each family a list of the goals and milestones they accomplished this past year.
You could give every family that was in your home visiting program for the full 12 months a certificate of appreciation for their dedication to their children’s development.
State offices may consider recognizing each home visiting program for its unique strengths by presenting certificates of achievement acknowledging specific accomplishments. For example, programs with the highest percentage of prenatal enrollments could receive an appreciation certificate highlighting this distinction. Similar forms of recognition can also be implemented at the organizational or site level.
If it has been a particularly difficult year for your team, you may want to do something to recognize you all survived a difficult year. Many years ago, when I was a supervisor at a local program, I had each team member choose the paperwork form they hated to complete the most. We met in the alley behind our office and everyone each took a turn stating what they disliked about the form and then they set it on fire! (Full disclosure: I alerted our fire department and law enforcement ahead of time.) I still hear from team members about how much fun that was and how they felt heard. It didn’t change their requirements, but it sure was a powerful way to express their feelings.
I hope you utilize these ideas in celebrating your team’s milestones and the families you support! Let us know so we can celebrate along with you.
- Janet