Educator induction checklist: what a strong first week looks like

A strong first week gives a new educator clear responsibilities, practical guidance on safe work and a reliable person to approach for help. Use an educator induction checklist to organise that work, check understanding and record what needs further support.

Plan the introduction before the educator arrives. Allocate responsibility for each part, prepare the information they need and make room for questions. Do not leave induction to whichever colleague happens to have a spare moment.

Why the first week shapes retention

Treat the first week as the beginning of an ongoing working relationship. Explain what the service expects and demonstrate how it supports educators to meet those expectations. Give the new person a clear route for raising uncertainty without having to guess whom to approach.

Eadie and colleagues’ Australian pandemic-era study found associations between educators’ professional wellbeing, educator–child relationships and turnover risk, including the importance of organisational support. Use those findings to inform workplace support without treating a first-week schedule as a guarantee of retention. >Eadie and colleagues (2021).

Make the role understandable from the outset. Explain reporting relationships, daily responsibilities and which decisions need approval. Where the educator works alongside several leaders, clarify who handles operational questions, educational guidance and employment matters.

Use the same care for experienced recruits. Experience elsewhere does not establish familiarity with your service’s policies, environment or expectations. Ask what the educator already knows, then focus the introduction on the arrangements they need to understand here.

Follow through on the support described during recruitment. If mentoring, professional feedback or planning support formed part of the offer, explain how those arrangements work. Give the educator named contacts and agreed opportunities to discuss progress.

Before day one

Confirm the starting arrangements in writing. Include arrival time, location, the person who will meet the educator, the initial roster and any documents they need to provide. Explain practical arrangements such as access, staff facilities and appropriate clothing.

Complete the required checks before commencement. The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s Worker Register guidance states that approved providers must still check relevant screening clearances, qualifications and other required documents. Do not treat induction as a substitute for completing those checks. >Official Worker Register guidance.

Prepare access to the information and systems needed for the role. Check that the educator can obtain policies, contact the relevant leaders and use the required documentation systems. Provide appropriate access rather than sharing another employee’s credentials.

Assign an induction contact and a backup. Explain those responsibilities to both people before the educator starts. Ensure the roster allows them to provide the introduction and follow-up, rather than expecting them to add it silently to their existing workload.

Prepare a sequence that distinguishes what must be understood before an activity from what can be developed over time. Safety-critical information should not sit at the end of a general orientation pack.

Use this practical tool to organise the week. Adapt the timing to the service and role; the sequence does not replace requirements that must be met before particular duties begin.

Days one and two: people, policies and safety

Start with people and responsibilities. Introduce the team, explain the educator’s allocation and identify who is leading each part of the day. Show how changes to that allocation are communicated.

Explain policies through the work they govern. The National Regulations require approved providers to take reasonable steps to ensure staff follow service policies and procedures. Induction is one practical way to take those reasonable steps. >Preparing policies and procedures.

Do not equate a signature with understanding. Discuss the procedures relevant to the educator’s duties, show where they are kept and ask the person to explain how they would respond to a relevant situation. Address unclear answers through guidance rather than simply repeating the request to read the policy.

Introduce child safety responsibilities and reporting pathways explicitly. The current Child Safe Culture Guide includes guidance on induction, probation and ongoing support. Use it alongside the service’s procedures to explain how concerns are raised and acted on. >Child-safe induction guidance.

Demonstrate supervision arrangements in the actual environment. Explain positions, transitions, communication and the process for seeking assistance. Adequate supervision requires attention beyond a numerical staffing count. Use the official >supervision guidance to inform those conversations.

Provide the information needed to carry out assigned duties safely, with appropriate confidentiality. Explain emergency arrangements and relevant responsibilities before expecting the educator to perform them. Check understanding at the point of practice.

Days three to five: routines, rooms and the educational program

Build familiarity through supported participation. Demonstrate routines, explain their purpose and give the educator opportunities to practise with guidance. Check that the person understands both the sequence and their responsibility within it.

Introduce room routines without presenting them as rules that cannot be questioned. Explain how the service reflects on practice and how educators can raise suggestions. Distinguish an agreed procedure from a colleague’s personal preference.

Clarify the educator’s contribution to the educational program. Explain planning, observations, documentation and communication responsibilities, including who reviews or supports the work. Show examples that can be shared appropriately rather than expecting the educator to infer the process from a system login.

Introduce the educational leader and explain the support available. The official guidance describes the educational leader’s role in leading development and implementation of the educational program. Make that relationship visible within the induction process. >Educational leader guidance.

Check progress through specific observations. Give feedback on the task performed, explain what needs adjustment and allow the educator to ask questions. Avoid broad judgements such as “not confident enough” without identifying the work and support involved.

For outside school hours care operating on school grounds, explain the relationship between service procedures and school arrangements. Official roles-and-responsibilities guidance identifies this interface as a relevant consideration. Clarify access, shared spaces and emergency arrangements for the particular setting. >Roles and responsibilities guidance.

If an agency introduced the educator, keep the service’s induction responsibilities clear. You can find an agency for recruitment support and read how listings are checked, but the service still needs to explain its own workplace arrangements.

Checking in at the end of week one

Hold a planned conversation rather than relying on a passing question about how things are going. Review what the educator has been shown, what they have practised and which responsibilities still need explanation.

Ask the educator to identify unclear expectations. Discuss access to information, relationships with colleagues and the support available during the working day. Resolve straightforward issues immediately and assign responsibility for anything requiring follow-up.

Separate progress from completion. Record what the educator understands and what needs further guidance. Do not mark an induction item complete simply because the material was sent or the person attended a meeting.

Agree the next stage of support. Identify the tasks to develop, the person providing guidance and when progress will be reviewed. Keep the plan proportionate to the role and experience without assuming that an experienced educator needs no further induction.

Use feedback to improve the process for the next recruit. If information arrived too late, access failed or responsibilities were unclear, correct the arrangement rather than treating each problem as an individual misunderstanding.

Keep induction active beyond the first week. Return to responsibilities as the educator encounters new tasks, changes rooms or takes on additional duties. A completed checklist should record a supported introduction, not close off opportunities to ask for help.

Frequently asked questions

Should experienced educators complete induction?

Yes: experienced educators still need to learn the service’s procedures, environment and responsibilities. Adapt the support to their experience while checking understanding of local arrangements.

Is a signed policy checklist enough?

No: check that the educator understands how the relevant procedures apply to their work. Use discussion, demonstration and supported practice alongside access to the written policies.

What should the end-of-week review produce?

Produce a clear record of progress, unresolved questions and agreed support. Identify who will complete each follow-up action and when it will be reviewed.