"We are only as strong as our weakest link. And it's everyone's job to help the weakest link get stronger — not to point at it."
— The JLK team ethic
✨ THE ONE RULE UNDERNEATH ALL THE RULES
We treat others how we would want others to treat us.
Every practice standard in this course — how we speak, how we correct, how we support, how we hold each other accountable — comes back to one question:
"If this was being done to me right now, would I feel respected — or would I feel small?"
That question is the whole test. Ask it before you speak. Ask it before you correct someone. Ask it before you post something on Discord. Ask it before you share what you noticed at handover. The answer tells you exactly how to do the thing you're about to do.
🔍 The 4 checks — run one before you act
- Would I want to hear this in the tone I'm about to use? If not, adjust the tone.
- Would I want this said in front of the people it's about to be said in front of? If not, take it private.
- Would I want the benefit of the doubt in this situation? Extend it to them first.
- Would I want someone to notice this specifically about me? Then notice it about them, out loud, by name.
This isn't complicated. It just requires slowing down long enough to ask the question. The rest of this course is really just a set of concrete examples of what the question looks like when you actually stop and ask it.
Module 1
The JLK team ethic — we are ONE team
~6 min
Learning purpose: Children at JLK live inside a small ecosystem for many hours a day. What they absorb from watching adults work together is as powerful as anything we teach them directly. When we treat each other with warmth, respect, and shared responsibility, they learn what a healthy team feels like — and they carry that into their friendships, their classrooms, their whole lives.
JLK practice standard: we are ONE team, across every site, every room, every shift. Not competing individuals. Not "my room" vs "your room". Not "not my problem". One team.
💚 The 3 things that make the JLK ethic real
1 · Only as strong as our weakest link. The way parents experience JLK isn't the average of our practitioners — it's whichever one they interact with that day. If one practitioner is having a hard shift, the whole nursery is having a hard shift for the family in their room. That's not their fault to carry alone — it's ours together to lift.
2 · It's everyone's job to lift the weaker link. Not the manager's job. Not "someone else will notice". Yours. If you see a colleague struggling — a new starter overwhelmed, someone off their game today, someone who just doesn't know something yet — you offer help. Warmly. Without shaming. Without gossip after. That's the work.
3 · No exceptions for tenure. A staff member who's been here 6 years still needs the same team lift as someone who's been here 6 weeks. The strongest teams have humility built in.
- You've finished setting up your activity. A colleague across the room is still juggling three things. Instead of standing by yours waiting, you walk over: "What can I take?"
- A new starter forgot to check the sign-in sheet before the parent left. Instead of thinking "that's their job", you quietly say to them at snack: "When Amy's mum comes at 3, let's do the sign-in together — I'll show you our routine."
- A room leader is having a rough Monday. Instead of adding to the pile, you pick up the extra thing without being asked. Small. Named. Not made a big deal of.
💭 Reflection prompt: Think of the strongest team you've ever been part of — nursery or otherwise. What did the people in that team do for each other? What did they NOT do? That's the culture we're building here.
Module 2
How we speak to & support each other
~6 min
Learning purpose: The tone we use with children (the JLK Voice) doesn't magically switch off when we turn to a colleague. Children hear us speak to each other. They watch us handle disagreements. They notice if the "warm respectful voice" is real, or if it's a costume we wear only for them. It has to be real.
JLK practice standard: the JLK Voice — warm, respectful, curious, direct — is the same voice we use with each other. Adjusted register, same intent.
💚 The 5 things we DO with each other
1 · Feedback goes to the person, not about them. If you have a concern about a colleague, tell them. Warmly. Privately. First. Only if that doesn't resolve it does it go to your room leader or manager.
2 · Notice-and-name for adults too. When a colleague does something well, tell them specifically. "I saw how you handled that meltdown at lunch — the way you got down and named the feeling first. That was calm." Not "good job".
3 · Correct without shaming. When you need to teach a colleague something they're doing wrong, do it privately. Curious tone. "Hey — quick one. When we're using the paint at that table, we do it this way because of [reason]. Want me to show you next time?" Never in front of children. Never in front of other staff. Never on Discord.
4 · Ask when you don't know. Asking questions is a strength, not a weakness. New starters especially — you're supposed to ask. Long-tenured staff too — asking is how the team stays sharp.
5 · Assume good intent. If a colleague did something that surprised you, get curious before you get frustrated. "Hey, help me understand — why did you do X?" Most of the time there's a reason you couldn't see from where you were standing.
❌ Things we DON'T do — because they poison the team
Gossip. Talking about a colleague TO another colleague instead of TO them. If you catch yourself doing it, stop. If someone tries to gossip to you, don't feed it: "That sounds like something for you to tell them, not me."
Public shaming. Correcting a colleague in front of children, in front of other staff, or on Discord. Never OK, regardless of how right you are.
Sarcasm or eye-rolling. Same rule as with children — sarcasm is for the person delivering it, never the recipient.
"That's not my job." The words don't exist at JLK. If it needs doing and you can do it, you do it (or find who should).
Silent disapproval. If you think a colleague is doing something wrong and say nothing, you've chosen the culture too. Silence is a decision.
- Offering help: "What can I take off your plate right now?"
- Noticing someone's day: "You OK? You seem quieter than usual today."
- Correcting warmly: "Hey, one small thing — [x]. We do it [this way] because [reason]. All good?"
- Asking for help: "I'm not sure about [x] — do you have a minute to walk me through it?"
- Getting curious not frustrated: "Help me understand — what was the thinking behind that?"
- Refusing to be dragged into gossip: "That sounds like something you should talk to them about, not me."
Module 3
Positive productive behaviour — being proactive
~8 min
Learning purpose: There's a difference between a nursery that runs and a nursery that hums. The difference is small acts of proactive ownership — a hundred moments a day where someone sees something and does it, without being told, without being asked, without being credited. That's the difference between an OK team and an outstanding one.
JLK practice standard: every practitioner is expected to be positive AND productive — the two go together. Positive without productive is nice but doesn't get children fed. Productive without positive is efficient but cold. JLK is both.
💚 What positive productive behaviour looks like
1 · Own your patch. Your room, your shift, your children — you own them. Even things that "aren't officially your job" — if you're in that room and it needs doing, it's yours. Nobody outside your patch cares as much as you do. That's the point.
2 · Anticipate, don't just react. Look ahead 15 minutes. What's coming? Snack? Nappy round? Transition to outside? Set up before it lands. Anticipation is what makes the shift feel calm; reaction is what makes it feel chaotic.
3 · Fix small things without waiting. Missing pen? Refill it. Bin needs emptying? Empty it. Toy on the floor no child is using? Put it away. Don't wait to be asked. Don't note it for later. Do it now.
4 · Communicate handovers clearly. When you finish your shift, the next person needs to know: what happened today · anything to watch for tomorrow · anything the parents said · anything a child needed. Two minutes of clear handover saves twenty minutes tomorrow.
5 · Bring solutions, not just problems. If you spot something not working, that's brilliant — but come with at least one idea for how it could work. "I've noticed X isn't going great — I was thinking maybe we try Y?" Way more powerful than just "X isn't working".
6 · Show up ready. On time is late; five minutes early is on time. Uniform sorted before the shift starts. Phone in the staff room. Head in the room from the first minute, not the fifteenth.
❌ Habits that quietly kill team energy
The waiting game. Standing by an activity that's finished waiting for someone to tell you what to do. If you can see something needs doing, do it.
Clock-watching. Especially in the last 20 min of a shift. If a child needs something, they need it — the clock doesn't matter.
"I've done my bit." Same energy as "not my job". The team isn't a set of individual tick lists — it's a shared project.
Complaining without proposing. Bring the problem AND at least one idea. Complaint without solution is just weight for someone else to carry.
Dropping out of Discord. The team channels exist so we can lift each other. If a colleague asks a question in #jlk-academy and you know the answer, answer it.
- The Croydon 2-year-old team notices a colleague across the hall dealing with an unhappy drop-off. A quick "Need anything?" across the hall — not intrusive, just visible.
- Snack routine — instead of waiting for the trolley, you check what's needed and pre-set the table for the next round.
- A parent mentions at drop-off that their child had a bad night — you tell your team so everyone can be gentler with them today, without the parent having to repeat it.
- You notice the paint pots at the messy-play area are running low. You refill them at the end of your shift so the next practitioner isn't scrambling.
- A new starter is doing their first nappy on their own and looks a bit unsure. You catch their eye and give a warm nod — "I'm here if you want me".
💭 Reflection prompt: What's ONE small proactive habit you already do that makes a colleague's day easier? What's ONE more you could add this week — small enough that nobody would even notice, big enough that it matters?
Knowledge check
End-of-course quiz · 6 questions
Pass 80%
Pick the best answer for each question. You need 5 out of 6 to pass. Unlimited attempts.
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"We are only as strong as our weakest link" means:
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A colleague did something that surprised you and you're a bit frustrated. The JLK move is:
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Which of these does NOT happen at JLK?
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"Positive AND productive" means:
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You notice something that isn't working well in the nursery. The JLK response is:
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A new starter is doing their first nappy change alone and looks unsure. The JLK response is: