“The instructors inspire the kids to be active and to try new sports. They inspire us to be excellent in our own way. We all recognize excellence.”
The speaker is Silken Laumann who is perched rather precariously on a kid-sized chair in the child centre attached to Plum Tree Park Public School, ruminating on why things work so well at the Peel Lunch and After-School Program (PLASP).
Yes, we all recognize excellence whether it comes in the form of a mature athlete whose will to win can overcome the trauma of a severe injury just three weeks before the Barcelona Olympics, or in the form of a community agency that has become indispensable to the social fabric of Peel by providing quality services to working parents.
When PLASP, as it is universally known, set up shop in 1975 in three schools (Floradale and Lakeview Beach in Mississauga and Hanover in Brampton) no one could have envisioned the success story it has become.
It has moved from providing pre-school, lunch and after-school activities for 75 elementary students to a network of 184 locations, including 17 early learning and child care centres, and 8,000 children.
"We want to remain on the leading edge of child development," says Silvia Leal, the dynamo who is executive director of PLASP and has helped guide it for 27 of those years.
As we’ve learned more and more about early childhood development, PLASP's basic recipe of providing stimulating fun, wholesome treats, tons of books and lots of respect for kids has turned into a mantra in the child care business.
“Children want to be where they are cared for, respected and understood,” says Leal, whose penchant for training for her staff is legendary.
When Laumann asked instructors about what kinds of games they play with the kids, and was referred to a two-inch thick manual of choices, she smiled with delight.
Silken was the guest speaker at PLASP's annual meeting Monday night. That event always features a celebrity speaker and tons of valuable information for parents. The Olympic bronze-medal winning rower was at Plum Tree Park to do her due diligence before the annual meeting by seeing some PLASP programs in action.
All you need to know about PLASP and its quest to do the right thing for its clients is evident in the following story about its annual customer survey of parents.
Leal and the organization were concerned that the 99.6 per cent annual satisfaction rate they were getting with the program was being distorted by the fact that the survey was being done at the end of the year, when any problems have usually been worked out.
So, they moved the survey period to December. Their positive response rate went up to 99.7 per cent.
Don’t you hate it when you try to reduce your satisfaction rating and the clients see right through you?
We’re not good in our community, in our society or in our culture (yes, starting with the media) about celebrating what we do right.
PLASP is doing a critical job very, very well. We’re lucky to have them in our midst.