"In kindergarten, I often sit on small chairs and often adopt a stooped posture so that I can communicate with the children at eye level. "As a result, I have permanent back pain", one nursery school teacher told me. The number of kindergarten teachers with back pain is enormous, statistics show that musculoskeletal disorders account for 59.9%. Neck and shoulder pain are the most common complaints, followed by low back and back pain.
This results in the following for the staffing of a kindergarten:
- Reduced performance of nursery nurses
- Dissatisfaction with the strain on their health
- Increased absenteeism among employees
I have developed an external campaign idea for nursery school teachers to attract this occupational group as motivated fitness customers.
Special stresses for nursery nurses
As briefly mentioned in the introduction, their backs have to work hard every day. The strain on the skeletal system is high, as nursery nurses sometimes have to carry the little ones, help clear away heavy play equipment, accompany them to the toilet and put a lot of strain on their spine. Even if only a few examples are given here, the daily repetition of activities adds up and may only become noticeable years later. This is where employers need to step up and set up daycare centers that are back-friendly for all employees (ergonomic daycare centers). As a rule, there is still a deficit in this respect. Your fitness studio is called upon to offer professional health advice on site.
Get in touch with the local kindergarten management and offer a staff information seminar on the subject of back pain in this facility. You will see how many interested and new customers you can gain as a result. You can find the addresses and contacts for the kindergarten management at www.kita.de to find out more.
We accompany you on your way against back pain
For the appointment with the kindergarten management, prepare an information folder with the title: "We accompany you on your way against back pain". In it, you offer the following concept:
- The causes of back pain (muscle strength, muscle shortening)
- The presentation of a back gymnastics program with individual support
- The initial back fitness test
Explain together with the kindergarten management:
- The initial situation and target definition
- The workplace analysis (ergonomics)
- The definition of target-oriented measures
Kindergarten staff information evening
Organize an information evening for all kindergarten teachers together with the kindergarten management, there will be a lot of interest. Within an hour, present the causal link between the work in the kindergarten and the frequent back pain suffered by kindergarten teachers. Have appropriate solutions ready. At the end of the event, present each employee with a voucher for three training sessions.
We had almost 100% success with each of these events, as we addressed the right interest group. The interesting thing was that this information was also passed on to the children's parents, which led to an increase in registrations at the facilities.
Multiplication is very simple
How do you get the educators to publicize your project idea? Present two to three videos (one minute each) with statements from kindergarten teachers on the subject of "back pain at work", ending with a recommendation for your successful back training program. You can also use such presentation units in other daycare centers to draw attention to the problem of postural damage caused by the workplace. Another multiplier is to contact local kindergarten associations and providers, so you have several facilities under one umbrella organization.
"The early bird catches the worm"
In order to avoid mistakes, it is important that you immediately enter the market niche with the program you have developed to combat signs of wear and tear in the workplace before your local competitors come out with similar concepts. It is advisable to refrain from advertising on Facebook or your website. Your campaign will be successful even without these "helpers".
Source: Antonio e Silva, Sales Director/Sales Manager at for me do, article published in the Fitness Management International 06/2016
Published on: 9 December 2016