Godfrey-Lee — Godfrey-Lee’s Early Childhood Center students typically start their school day when they walk through the front doors, down the main hallways and gather in the gymnasium-slash-cafeteria for breakfast.
ECC caretaker Itzel McCoy begins her day before the first student steps foot in the school.
A second-shift caretaker would have finished around 11:30 p.m. the evening before, but McCoy still double checks to make sure bathrooms are stocked and the entryway and hallways are free of litter.
She helps the breakfast team clean up after the morning rush and continues with her daily routine of taking care of what needs to be done. McCoy also makes sure to pass by her son’s first-grade classroom and say, “Hi baby, I love you.”
“It makes me excited to clean their school and see their smiles every day,” she said about her son and his classmates.
Celebrating the ‘Unsung Heroes’
By definition, a custodian or janitor is someone who guards, protects or maintains. A school custodian is typically responsible for general cleaning of the floors and classrooms within a building and strives to accomplish their job unnoticed.
On National Custodian Appreciation Day, Godfrey-Lee staffers know their custodians do that and so much more.
‘This job isn’t for everyone. You need to know how to clean, sure, but it’s also problem-solving, being proactive, adaptable and trying to balance work and life.’
— Leonard Branch, lead district caretaker
During a recent special class, ECC library media specialist Susan McCaffrey explained to her students, “Custodian is a fancy word for the people who take care of our school. Our custodian, Ms. Itzel, is the best. She does things we don’t even see during the day.”
District-wide, Godfrey-Lee refers to its custodians as caretakers, because they do more than simply clean floors and wash windows. They are valued members of the staff and care for the teachers and students, as well as the ins and outs of the district’s seven buildings.
Lead caretaker Leonard Branch and his small but mighty team make sure every bathroom is stocked with toilet paper and soap; that every piece of trash is picked up from the hallways and classrooms.
Branch said making sure teachers and students walk into a clean school every day brings him joy.
“We have to do everything, as much as we can,” he said. “I want to make sure students have a clean place to learn and go potty. Everyone deserves that.”
Branch has worked in the district for almost two years, but has 45 years of experience cleaning schools and other buildings and facilities. He supervises up to 14 people throughout the school year and summer months.
“They’re unsung heroes that do this every day and often go without hearing a ‘thank you’,” he said.
The district employs teachers and staff members from several different countries of origin, who speak an array of languages. Branch said he strives to overcome language barriers with his staff but struggles with the challenge of hiring and retraining employees.
“The job market has changed and people want to get $25 an hour with a $10 per hour work ethic,” he said. “This job isn’t for everyone. You need to know how to clean, sure, but it’s also problem-solving, being proactive, adaptable and trying to balance work and life. You have to find the balance or you’re going to burn out.”
McCoy said having a good support system at home and at school helps her balance her work with spending quality time with her husband and three children.
“I like spending time with them at this age,” she said. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
‘They work so very hard’
With only two full-time caretakers and a handful of part-timers, McCoy said some days “it’s all hands on deck.”
“We do more than just clean,” she said. “If a teacher needs someone to watch their class, I can do it.”
“(McCoy) does things we don’t even ask her to do,” ECC building secretary Keyla Araujo added. “I’ll look outside and see her out there cleaning all of our windows.”
ECC Principal Johana Rodriguez said Brand and McCoy are two dedicated staff members within the district, alongside their entire team.
“We have several caretakers that are also parents of students, making it such a wonderful way to appreciate their excellence,” she said.
Godfrey Elementary Principal Colleen Heyboer added, “They work so very hard, and since becoming our district lead caretaker, Leonard Brand has been incredible.”
It’s not easy. Brand said Lee Middle and High School presents specific cleaning and maintenance challenges.
“Newer, more modern buildings are easier to keep clean, but parts of Lee are over 100 years old,” he said. “You’re putting out fires all the time, especially when you’re short-staffed.”
The best part of his job, Brand said, happens at the end of the night, “when you look around and see it’s all done and know for at least the first couple hours every day it looks good.”
He sums up his work this way: “I try to leave things and places better than I found them.”
Read more from Godfrey-Lee:
• Kent County schools expand CTE offerings with state grant
• Learning to be kind without being asked
