Hello And Welcome!
All substitutes and new employees are required to complete the following documentation prior to their first day of work and/or their orientation day. Most of the information here is available through the WA Department of Child, Youth, and Families (DCYF) website.
CreAte A MErit Account
All Washington State child care employees are required to create an account through MERIT Workforce Registry. Once registered, you will need to:
Create a STARS account
Complete a Portable Background Check
Add Employment to Play Frontier
HeAlth And SAfetY TrAining
All classroom employees are required to be up to date or complete the following courses, and upload documentation to their MERIT account upon completion.
Provide TB Test results (a medical test done through your primary care provider, takes 2 days for test completion and results)
CPR and First aid certification (Usually taken through Skamania EMS)
Health and Safety Trainings: Recognizing and Reporting Abuse, Emergency Preparedness, Serving Children Experiencing Homelessness, Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome, Infant Safe Sleep, all through your DCYF student portal- you will need to create one.
WA Food Handlers Permit (As required when Play Frontier is serving food)
Required reAding
Please read the following documents in full prior to signing your employment contract or your first working day:
Required on File
Each employee will need a copy of the following on their first day:
Resume
Diploma or GED (and uploaded into Merit)
Drivers License
Copy of your immunization records
After your first day, you will be assigned a Playground PIN number for clocking in and out, as well as a Gusto account for payroll. Please be on the lookout for the initial emails to create these accounts.
All employees are required to have a Child Care Basics training or education equivalent on file in MERIT. Every calendar year (January 1-December 31), employees are required to receive 10 continuing education credits. There are many free options online that qualify for “Washington STARS credit”, and an option to submit trainings that aren’t pre-qualified through MERIT as well (although this is more difficult!). Play Frontier wants to support your interests and needs as well, and welcomes discussions for paid courses or conferences as we are able. Some of our favorite continuing education courses include Raffi’s Child Honoring Course, CDA Stars, Explorations Early Learning, Early Childhood Investigations, Child Care Exchange, and Learning Wild. The MERIT Portal also offers free STARS hours (and sometimes offers big ones for free/reduced price if you watch closely!).
Additionally, employees are required to renew the following certifications:
Recognizing and reporting child abuse ( MERIT)
Infant Safe Sleep (annually, MERIT)
Abusive Head Trauma ( MERIT)
Bloodborne Pathogens ( through state L&I link above)
Food Handlers (every other year, through the state link above)
CPR & First Aid (every other year, in person, with “pediatric” certification required)
Portable Background Check (every 5 years)
These certifications are listed in MERIT and should be up to date at all times. Emergency closure days are an excellent time to catch up on these.
Currently on Pause: Play Frontier participates in the “Child and Adult Center Food Program” or CACFP, which dictates a lot of our healthy eating requirements. Anyone interested or working closely with the food program can find great basic trainings through The Institute of Child Nutrition. Directors of the program are required to attend the annual sponsor training through OSPI by November 1.