Sharing Your Spark
You're more than a teacher.
You're more than an instructor.
You're more than a friend.
You are the spark that allows children to shine.
You can help YMCA Child Care grow by Sharing Your Spark.
Sharing Your Spark is a resource that gives you, a YMCA child care educator, all you need to promote employment opportunities in our child care department. On this page you’ll find all the information and material you need to:
- Promote YMCA hiring events
- Announce job opportunities at your centre
- Introduce your peers to the YMCA through our Employee Referral Bonus Program
- Share your experience of working with YMCA Child Care
Sharing Your Spark is 100% optional. You’re under NO obligation to use this resource.
We created this for the educators who want to share. Many of you have told us you want to promote job opportunities but don’t know how, or post about your professional achievements but are uncertain what you can and cannot do online. This is a resource to empower you. If you want to share your spark, you'll find everything you need on this page.
Sharing Your Spark on Social Media
Social media is a great tool. You can use it to tell a friend about a job at your centre, share with a group the details about a hiring event, or let the whole world know about the awesome work you do and how passionate you are about it.
We want you to go online and share your spark!
When you post anything related to the YMCA of Greater Toronto, please remember:
- It’s public and permanent
- You become a representative of the YMCA and its reputation
So when posting anything related to the YMCA of Greater Toronto, you are expected to:
- Represent the YMCA positively, just as you do in your classroom
- Be respectful of the legal rights of others, including their safety and privacy
Ready? Let’s start sharing!
Personalize your post by adding a comment. Here’s a few examples to get you started:
- Come work with me at the Y!
- My company is looking for child care educators.
- My career at the YMCA started at one of their hiring event
Help others find your post by adding one of these tags:
- #JoinOurTeam
- #YMCAGTA
Share these events on your personal social media accounts and watch our team grow!
Announce Job Opportunities at Your Centre
The YMCA posts job opportunities to find new educators like you. Share YMCA job postings on your personal account, or to community groups you are part of.
Once you’re found a job opportunity you want to share:
- Click on the posting
- For Twitter: Click the "Tweet" button in the top right corner
- For other platforms: Cut and paste the URL into your post
Optional: Personalize your post by adding one of these comments, or one of your own:
- Come work with me at the Y!
- There’s a job opening at the child care centre I work at
- My child care team is looking for new members
- I LOVE where I work and think you would too. We’re currently hiring!
Use the YMCA Employee Referral Bonus Program
When you refer external candidates who are hired for open positions, the YMCA will provide you with an award of $200 for each hourly and $350 for each salaried successful new employee.
Tell the YMCA about a great candidate by completing this form.
To complete the form you will require the following Referral Information:
- Candidate's first and last name
- Job Vacancy title (use “Child Care Educator”)
- Job Posting number (use the job posting's Requisition Number)
- Hiring Manager name (use “Lisa Paulo-Alberto”)
- Resume from the candidate. A cover letter is not required.
If the person is hired and passes their probationary period, you’ll receive a bonus on your next pay.
For more information about the YMCA Employee Referral Bonus Program, contact Mary Dickson (mary.dickson@ymcagta.org)
Share Your Experience of Being Part of the YMCA Child Care Team
There are many places online to share your spark and let others know about the important work you do.
Glassdoor is a site where employees review their company so job seekers learn can learn about companies and decide where they want to work. By providing feedback on Glassdoor about what it’s like to work at the YMCA, the Y can continue improving and attracting great talent like you!
Indeed is an employment-oriented site for job listings. Job seekers can find opportunities and salary guides, and employees can review their company and rate it in such categories as Work-Life Balance, Job Security & Advancement, Management, and Culture.
LinkedIn is an employment-oriented site for professional networking, job searching, and career development. You can write articles, post photos, share insights, and celebrate career achievements on LinkedIn.
These can be great places to share your experiences and milestones of working at the YMCA with people you’re connected with personally and professionally.
While Glassdoor and Indeed allow you to leave feedback anonymously, LinkedIn, forums, and groups require you to use your personal account. When you do, remember that you become a representative of the YMCA and its reputation. Take some time to learn the rules and responsibilities before posting.
Share Responsibly
When sharing anything about the YMCA of Greater Toronto, you are expected to:
Identify yourself as an employee of the YMCA
- add “YMCA Child Care Educator” in your social profile
- state “I’m a YMCA Child Care Educator” or “I’ve been a YMCA Child Care Educator for X years” in your post
- tag your posts with #YChildCare, #YStaff, or @ymcagta
State your opinions as your own
- ensure a post clearly notes that the opinions you’ve expressed are your own, and not those of the YMCA, especially when discussing the YMCA or its programs or services.
Be positive
- represent the YMCA positively, just as you do in your classroom
- keep in mind our charity’s values: kindness, inclusiveness, respect, integrity, optimism and well-being
- avoid posting content that could negatively impact the reputation of yourself, the YMCA, another person, business, or organization. This could present a legal risk for yourself and potentially the YMCA.
Be mindful of what you share
- never share photos or videos of children in your care
- get permission from co-workers before sharing photos or video of them
- look carefully at what’s in the background of your image to ensure it doesn’t include anyone or anything it shouldn’t
- treat information about the children in your care and their families as strictly confidential
- don’t share information about the YMCA which isn’t already public
- for you own safety, don’t publicly disclose which child care centre you work at
Take your time
- take a few minutes to formulate your post
- review your comment carefully and thoughtfully
Ask yourself these three questions before posting
- Would I want my manager to see this?
- In a few weeks, will I be happy I posted this?
- Am I being kind or helpful?
Don’t post something until you answer “Yes” to these three questions
Represent the Y positively
Have you ever Googled yourself? Give it a try. Open a web browser in private mode, search you name, and visit each one of your pages and profiles on social media. Look at every blog or discussion forum that has content about you. Are you surprised by how much of your social media footprint is open for all to see? When you go online and share your spark, your become a representative of the YMCA. Ensure your online profile represents the YMCA positively.
Choose profile pics wisely
- Your profile image can be viewed by anyone, even if your account is private. Choose one that you’d be happy to show your colleagues, manager, or the families that come to your centre
Use privacy settings
- Consider using privacy settings on your social media accounts so your timelines and posts aren’t visible to the public
- Be aware of other information that is still visible regardless of privacy settings, like the school you attended, photos you’ve posted, and things (movies, brands, groups) you’ve liked
Control your online profile
- Be aware that photos you didn’t post but are tagged in might be available to the public
- Consider asking friends to remove photos they tagged you in and ask that they get your approval before tagging you in the future
Respond to Comments
While sharing information about child care online, you may get questions about other departments of the YMCA of Greater Toronto. You can find responses to inquiries below.
If someone wants to register a child in YMCA child care:
"To inquire about licensed child care at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, fill out the form here"
If someone wants to work in YMCA child care:
"To learn about all the programs offered by the YMCA of Greater Toronto, check out our website"
If you don’t know the answer or think an “official” YMCA response is required:
"I suggest you reach out to our Membership Services team for an answer to that"
If you’re asked to be interviewed:
"For media inquiries, please contact our Media team"
If you are harassed or threatened online:
- Do not reply to the harassment
- Take a screenshot of the message and copy direct links
- Block, mute or report the abuse
- Tell your supervisor who will escalate it with the Communication and Human Relations teams
- Practice self-care. Online abuse can do real and lasting damage to your mental and emotional health
If you require mental health supports:
- go to your nearest Emergency Department or call 911 if you are in an emergency
- call 211 to connected to mental health and other social services
- visit the City of Toronto Mental Health Resources page for a list of resources in many languages
- visit the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Crisis Resources page for a list of resources throughout the Greater Toronto Area