Free template
Staff performance review form
A review built around what actually matters in a classroom: supervision, how they are with children, how they are with the team, and how they communicate with families.
- Six areas rated on a short scale, with a line for one specific example each
- Space for what they do better than anyone else on the team
- Two goals for the next period, written in their words rather than yours
- Signature lines for both, plus room for their own comment
PDF, two pages, letter size. One per staff member, filed after the conversation.
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Six areas worth reviewing
Supervision and safety
Counts, line of sight, transitions, and whether they speak up when something is unsafe. Weighted highest for a reason.
Interactions with children
Warmth, getting down to eye level, how they handle a hard moment, and whether children seek them out.
Curriculum and routine
Planning, following the daily rhythm, and adapting an activity when it is not working.
Teamwork
Covering a break without being asked, communicating a handover, and how they behave on a short-staffed day.
Family communication
Daily updates, how they deliver hard news, and whether families come away reassured.
Goals and support
Two goals, what you will do to help, and a date to revisit. A review without this is just a grade.
Reviews people do not dread
A useful review contains nothing surprising. If the conversation includes a complaint they are hearing for the first time, the problem is the six months before it.
Collect examples all year. A note in a folder each month. Reviews written from memory always describe the last two weeks.
Let them fill it in first. Their self-assessment beside yours makes the conversation a comparison rather than a verdict.
End with what you will do. Training, a schedule change, a mentor. Goals without support are just expectations.
Staff reviews, answered
How often should we review staff?
Annually with a shorter check-in at six months works for most small programs, plus a thirty-day conversation for new hires.
Should pay be discussed in the review?
Many programs separate them by a few weeks so the feedback conversation is not overshadowed by the number.
How do we document a performance problem?
In writing, with dates and specifics, at the time it happens, and keep it in the file. Employment law varies, so ask an employment attorney about your process before you rely on it.
Does a review need to be signed?
A signature recording that the conversation happened is good practice, and a note that they may add their own comments keeps it fair.
Evidence for the conversation, not impressions
Daily logs, message history, and incident records give you specifics to point at, so feedback lands as observation rather than opinion.