It is always exciting when a fantastic part-time floater approaches you about moving to a full-time schedule. However, moving from a fifteen-hour work week to a forty-hour grind is a massive physical and emotional leap in the early childhood environment. If you simply throw them into a five-day closing schedule, they will burn out within a month.
You must build a runway for their transition. Ramp up their hours slowly over a three-week period. Have them spend their first full week shadowing your most seasoned lead teacher rather than flying solo in a chaotic room. Set incredibly clear expectations about the sudden increase in administrative responsibilities, such as writing detailed daily reports and managing complex parent communication. A new full-timer who feels supported and prepared during the transition becomes one of your most loyal long-term staff members. One who is thrown in without a runway becomes a resignation letter on your desk by week six.