Most childcare centers have a mission statement hanging in the lobby that no one has ever actually read. If your core values are just a list of generic words like "excellence," "caring," and "education," they are doing absolutely nothing for your business. True core values are decision-making filters.
When you establish values, they need to be actionable phrases. Instead of "integrity," use "we do the right thing even when no one is watching." Instead of "teamwork," use "we never let a coworker fail." When your values are phrased as actions, you can actually hold your staff accountable to them during a performance review — not as a vague feeling, but as a specific behavior you either observed or did not. More importantly, when parents see that your staff actually lives the values written on the lobby wall, they stop being customers and become lifelong advocates for your program.