You Don't Need to Do It All — How to Delegate with Confidence in Your Program

If you’re running a child care program, chances are you’re juggling a lot.

From licensing and compliance paperwork to scheduling, hiring, communicating with families, and keeping your classrooms full — the weight of the day-to-day often lands squarely on your shoulders. And when things get busy, it can feel easier to just do it all yourself rather than figure out who to hand it off to or how to train someone else.

But here’s the truth: you shouldn’t have to do it all.
And more importantly — you can’t sustain doing it all.

When Delegation Becomes Survival

Over time, certain responsibilities can sneak into your daily routine and become automatic: printing the newsletter, opening the center each morning, updating the classroom schedule, cleaning out the fridge on Fridays. These might feel like small tasks — but they add up fast. And often, you’re doing them not because no one else can, but because you’ve always done them.

At Tandem, we’ve staffed thousands of child care shifts and learned something powerful: when you give educators ownership beyond the classroom, they rise to the occasion.

Delegating isn't just about saving yourself time — it’s about building a stronger, more invested team. When teachers are trusted with tasks that support center operations, they feel more valued. They see themselves as vital contributors to the success of the program — because they are.

A Shift in Mindset: Delegation as Empowerment

Delegating doesn’t mean letting go of control. It means creating systems that distribute responsibility and build trust.

It says to your staff: “I believe in you. I trust you with this. Your work matters.”

And that kind of trust has ripple effects — in staff retention, team culture, and the overall stability of your center.

Where to Start: A Few Tasks You Can Offboard This Month

Here are just a few things you might be doing now that someone else could take off your plate:

📅 Shift & Classroom Schedules

Train a lead teacher to manage weekly schedules or classroom assignments using a shared tool (digital or printed). Give them parameters, and then trust them to manage within those.

🧽 Opening/Closing Checklists

Create clear open/close checklists and rotate responsibilities among staff. Many teachers appreciate structure and consistency — it makes them feel in control of their environment.

📣 Family Communication Prep

Delegate newsletter drafts or daily report summaries to a staff member who enjoys writing or organizing information. You can still review final versions but save time on the prep work.

📦 Inventory Management

Let staff lead classroom supply tracking and create a shared list for what’s running low. You’ll avoid last-minute scrambles and teach ownership of materials and space.

🎉 Celebrations & Events

Empower a staff committee to plan birthdays, holidays, or center spirit weeks. This not only offloads planning from leadership — it also brings staff closer together.

Final Thought: Start Small, Build Trust

You don’t need to hand off everything at once. Start with one or two tasks that take time but don’t require your specific expertise. Be clear about expectations, support staff as they learn, and check in regularly.

Over time, you’ll create a culture where responsibility is shared — and where no one has to do it all alone.