Guidelines for a new job

Congrats, you’ve been booked for a job! Now’s the time to prepare so you make the best first impression and do a terrific job! More information and resources on the Creatives Area on our website. Password: YourCocoRioGuide

Some general tips:

● Make sure to study your itinerary and arrive at the session’s address on time. You should try to arrive 15 minutes early to your appointment, especially if it’s the first time visiting a family in case there are any problems finding the address, traffic, etc.

● It’s essential that you are contactable at all times in the hours preceding a confirmed job, in case the family has any communication for you or there is a last minute cancellation, etc.

● Make sure you bring a functioning charged phone to jobs and do not hesitate to contact us if there are any issues (e.g. address is wrong, emergency, etc). We are always here to answer your calls - even during weekends and evenings. This is CocoRio’s number - make sure to save it: 020812 65577

● Report any injuries/health symptoms of the child to the family

● If the child behaves in a concerning manner or says something concerning, please let the family/us know

● If the parent/guardian says or does anything concerning, please let us know 

Social skills & presentation

● Make sure to liaise with the family as professionally and politely as possible (in person and online) and do not hesitate to ask them questions about the job, children’s routine, health and safety, etc

● Cleanliness and personal hygiene are required from all our creatives during all jobs

● Concerning behaviours can take many forms. If you feel something isn’t “right”, please let us know at your earliest convenience and do not ask any leading questions to the child and/or guardian

● You are representing CocoRio at all times when working with a family, so make sure you embrace our values:

Nurturing
Creatively Sustainable and Diverse
Competent, Consistent, Flexible
Honest and Helpful

● If the family gives you petty cash for a specific purchase (snacks, tickets for a show, etc),

make sure to spend it for that purpose only and bring the family a receipt for every purchase.

● Always ask the family if you are unsure about any instructions they have given you. 

● Ask for feedback at the end of the first session and as often as possible.

● Ensure you use appropriate language when speaking with children, do not encourage

rude language or general rude/mean/bullying behaviour

● Please let us know how the session went, via phone or email and anything that we

should know about the family’s requirements. If the family approaches you directly for a

job, you are contractually obligated to let us know

Cancellations

Remember: once a job is confirmed you are under a contractual agreement and cannot cancel your shift unless you have a health or care related emergency. If you decide to do so regardless and breach our contract, you are responsible for contacting the family directly asking them if that is ok for them and let us know either way. If it isn’t, you must complete the CocoRio job you have been booked for. The safety of the children involved is paramount!

Please head to the info page of the app for additional guidelines and access to the training prior to running a CocoRio creative experience.

Creative Child Care jobs

CocoRio provides creative professionals and educators with flexible temporary side jobs where child care and creativity are equally important. Our aim is to tailor each session to each family’s requirements so listening to their needs and adapting your sessions to each situation is very important. If you have any questions regarding the session, the age-group, or anything else, please let us know. We are always happy to brainstorm ideas with you and support you. Sessions’ requirements will vary from session to session. Please also consider any communication from the agency about the job as important guidelines. 

Ensure you embrace the CocoRio Learning Journey in your sessions as this is what families are expecting you to deliver.

Recurring sessions:

If a family books you a second time, you should start thinking about devising short and long term goals together with the family, communicating goals to the family and to CocoRio, starting working towards the family’s goals for your sessions. You can get more inspiration in the Creatives Area of our website. Password: cocoriositter

If your job requires you to travel back and forth - e.g. school pick up by public transport - you may want to ask the family to cover the cost, so your hourly rate isn’t affected. Or you can consider whether a travel card may be a better option for you. Families are not required to cover travelling costs but are usually happy to do so if the job requires a lot of travelling. As for the petty cash mentioned above, this is something that you should discuss directly with your family. Any travel expenses will be between you and the family by cash or BACS and not through CocoRio.

Tip: Money is a very sensitive matter. We recommend you not to ask for any money back retrospectively, as it doesn’t look professional. We encourage you to have this conversation as soon as you start working with a family and the travel requirements become clear.

For under 5’s

Make sure you ask about nap routines, where to change nappies, any allergies that parents may have forgotten to mention, etc. Ask the parents to show you ways to sooth the children and their favourite toys/games. It is always better to ask more questions than not enough.
You need to come prepared with a few age-appropriate activity ideas in mind - bringing props and instruments are highly encouraged.

Props

Please bring any props that could help you engage with the child and/or creative activity. You can refer to this training video to help you prepare.

Our Songbook

You are encouraged to use CocoRio original digital songbook in your sessions. Stream the songs here.

Pictures

We encourage you to take a few snaps of the creative experience to show the family. Please only include the child(ren)'s face in the pictures if you have previously asked them and had had the family's approval. After the session, remember to send all pictures/videos you may have to them through the chat function.