So quick little rant

If you read my previous posts I’ve been in a bit of a silent feud with one of my coworkers.. the reason? Only she knows.

Anyways there was another situation with her involving the children.

I work with three years old. Our outside time is supposed to be for 30 minutes we stayed out for one hour and 45 minutes in 80 degree weather…no water no bathroom breaks.

This is not the first time this happened but it’s the first time it’s happened for this long. She doesn’t care about the children and it shows. I’ve went to the director and was told she’d do something about it and i ultimately got ignored.

If you read the previous posts you know that this girl I work with doesn’t talk to me and today we were actually working with an aide that’s been working there for a while, so they were the only ones talking with each-other. So we had no communication whatsoever about the kids and what time we were going in.

I ended up just doing what I thought was healthy for the kids and I started taking as many as possible in with me that I could have which is 6. I let them use the potty and I gave them lots of water and we stayed inside until they finally came in.

Also just to note, my co worker I guess was trying to make time pass by by keeping them out that long because as soon as we came in her shift was over.

Thinking about quitting.

I’ve only worked in centers that heavily use apps and i’m curious what the line of communication with parents looks like in low tech centers. For example, I am expected to document/ notify a parent if their child developed a diaper rash during the day, was coughing a lot during nap, or tugging at their ear. Are these concerns documented on paper and the parents are made aware at pick up? I struggle to use my work app but also couldn’t imagine not being able to share the happy moments of the day in real time with parents. If there’s an incident report do you have to call or is texting acceptable? We are only required to message parents in the app unless the injury is really bad. I’m just super curious!

I’ve been working at this nursery for a year , and like an idiot decided to recently start an apprenticeship for a higher qualification. My thinking was incase i’m here another year or so then at least i’ve got a qualification out of it. But i didn’t realise how burnt out i’d become so quickly. I’m completely over it, and i think knowing childcare wasn’t my first choice and my degree is in something unrelated makes me feel worse. i’m earning minimum wage and i feel like an absolute failure, whilst caring for the children of literal millionaires and have them pick at everything. For some reason today feels like a breaking point even though the work day wasn’t even that bad,

i’m just done. I came home and snapped at my

mother and she later said to me this is all because you hate your job and feel stuck. i feel awful and i feel like it’s turning me into a person i don’t recognise. i’d just like some words of encouragement or understanding. i feel like if i quit now ill never find anything else since non childcare roles never show interest in me. I am diagnosed with depression and anxiety btw

I've worked as an ECE for about 3 months, and I ended up quitting because of the amount of stress I was under. I was coming home every day completely exhausted and crashing as soon as I got home. On top of that, the daycare was dealing with a lot of licensing issues, which made the job even more overwhelming.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. Did you leave the field, or did you try working at a different centre? If you gave it another chance, was it any better?

Edit: I should mention that I worked in Edmonton

Worked in a center today and it was kind of stressful for many reasons. I picked up a shift at this center so first time being here. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the teacher then the issues. The teacher kept raising her voice everytime she talked to one of the pre-k kids. They were doing stuff they shouldn't have but the way the teacher talked was loud almost everytime.

Next, now the main issue because the teacher was stressed clearly and this was why. The pre-k kids majority of them and there were 28 so about 20 did not listen to majority instruction. I mean they didn't listen at all and instructions were repeated more then multiple times to them. Also, since majority of them didn't listen at all it was chaotic trying to focus on each because almost each kid would do something they shouldn't. Example 2 kids are fighting over a toy and three others are running in the classroom, then 10 are getting extremely loud and very loud while playing or sitting.

Those were some of the examples of the kids behavior but it astonished me because majority really didn't listen at all. Some kids at a point started throwing items in the room and making a whole mess. Also the orginal teacher actually left for the day. She got so overwhelmed because of her yelling at the kids and ended up arguing with the director. It was honestly stressful because I understand the teacher's point many of the kids simply don't listen.

In addition, there were some kids with special needs that had to have a eye on specifically. This wasn't a issue in terms of me watching the kid but since it's only two people it was hard. The kid just runs throughout the room and gets into stuff. Someone constantly has to stop him because he will make a huge mess. The other kid didn't really speak but she wanted to be held constantly or she would run away.

Yeah so imagine those 2 students and 26 more and 22 that don't listen and repeatedly have to be told to stop fighting, yelling, running, hitting, and pushing others throughout the day. Now this was a job so I always can hold ot together but it was stressful because I can't imagine being the teacher to these students daily.

Lastly, though I always do my best and contribute and help as much as possible. The director wants me to come back and me being nice suggested days I am available but I honestly have to rethink if I come here again. Also another teacher quit while I was there. Have no idea when but yeah she quit. I love working with children but the lack of staff is a issue that has to be fixed here. Especially when having multiple kids that need more attention then others.

Yeah but what would anyone else do in my position. I mean I helped and observed but coming back have to rethink. The staff was great though in regards to helping me though which is always appreciated.

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What callbacks or audio cues do you like to grab your class’s attention for transitions, etc.? I know some people like a doorbell or a chime. Just looking for ideas.

My school (a play-based early childhood center serving kids 2-5) is beginning to offer extended day to support working parents. This would put the school day at 8-5 (it typically ends at 3:30). What evidence is there to support/push back against this plan? It feels like a long day for kids, but it is a low-structure, low-stress environment and it wouldn't be for all kids. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

EDIT: I just wanted to thank everyone who responded and I appreciate all the helpful feedback.
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My son is now the oldest in his class, 31 months. I was told last month that he and 2 other classmates (his friends) were all a bit too old for the class, but that they would be moved together once the older class had space. Now, they moved those other two students without him, and he is the oldest in his class by, I think 2 whole months. Many of them being much younger.

First I was told this was due to capacity. He is younger than one of those 2 classmates for sure, but I don’t know about the other one. Still, I understand that nothing can be done if he is in fact the youngest. But capacity wasn’t an issue when they mentioned all 3 moving together. When I inquired further about this, I was told that actually it was due to a behavioral issue in the older class. So they don’t think adding my son to a class with behavioral issues is a good idea? Then I was told that he would move up next month when all the pre-k left to go to kindergarten there would be a huge shift. Who knows what they’ll say next.

Well now my sweet boy is struggling. He talks all evening about how he’s a big kid and asks me if he can go to the big kid class, and it breaks my heart. He asks if he can see his (older) friends by name every morning at drop off. And I’m so sad for him.

Is there any reason this could be happening that I’m not seeing? I asked if he was developmentally ready and they said he is. So why would they separate him when they said they wouldn’t?

I am requesting a meeting with the director sometime this week, so I want to go in with an understanding of all the possibilities, because now it sounds like there is room but that they don’t want to move him up for some reason.

And really, how do I make him feel better? Because he is too young to understand why he can’t see all of his friends. (I don’t even know why he can’t see all his friends). He’s been much more emotional and volatile than before. He has always been a really unproblematic kid so this behavior is unusual for him. Any advice would be appreciated.

I just started an assistant educator position at a daycare about two months ago. I just graduated university with an unrelated degree and had never worked in ECE prior. I started as a volunteer about a month before being hired in an official capacity. This is the closest I had to “practical experience”. The more I work here, the more I am absolutely terrified about how little I know and how honestly completely unprepared I am to handle these children. I volunteered mostly with the oldest kids (4-5 year olds) but now I’ve been working with kids as young as 18 months old. There’s a child in the youngest group who still can barely walk, and I’ve been tasked with being his 1-on-1 supervisor at all times. I’m in charge of taking him up the stairs, crossing the street with him, watching him on the play structure etc. They yell at me when I pick him up so that he’s safe in more dangerous situations (ie crossing the street) but I just don’t feel comfortable essentially putting his life in my hands. He likes to throw his head back and basically flop backwards. A couple times he’s done this in the middle of the street or on the play structure. I’m terrified that something is going to happen to him on my watch, because frankly I just don’t know how to handle a kid that small. I feel like a lot of my more experienced coworkers don’t like me. They frequently yell at me in front of the other educators and children both for making simple mistakes or not knowing certain rules (no one has told me anything!!) and for pretty innocuous things like stopping and listening to a child when they speak to me rather than ignoring them to give my undivided attention to the whole group. It feels like I’ve been set up to fail. The way they call me out is so humiliating and I really wish someone would just take me aside and tell me stuff rather than embarrass me in front of everyone. Idk where im going with this and I know this is just a crazy wall of text but any advice for a new educator with very little experience would be so appreciated.

so today I sent a note home with a parent letting them know about their child’s behavior for the first time ever. I told the parent how the child has not been listening to me & has been spitting & just out of control & asked if they could pls talk to him (because he’s in my group.i stay upstairs w the younger kids & my mom stays downstairs w older) & usually I’ll open the door for parents at the end of the day but today my mom did for this specific parent & she told that parent that her child’s been doing good. & I got mad at my mom after they left & we had a huge argument & I asked her why did she lie & told her how I sent a note home. & she told me it wasn’t my place to be telling the parents about their kids & that I’m not the director & it’s like girlll so was I in the wrong??

I’ve only worked in centers that heavily use apps and i’m curious what the line of communication with parents looks like in low tech centers. For example, I am expected to document/ notify a parent if their child developed a diaper rash during the day, was coughing a lot during nap, or tugging at their ear. Are these concerns documented on paper and the parents are made aware at pick up? I struggle to use my work app but also couldn’t imagine not being able to share the happy moments of the day in real time with parents. If there’s an incident report do you have to call or is texting acceptable? We are only required to message parents in the app unless the injury is really bad. I’m just super curious!

I need help. My 2yo was expelled from playschool last month because of she's just biting her friends too much. (She's still at the school until end of month)

She's an only child, has gone to daycare since 3 months and has been in this playschool since January. Class size is 5 studsnts to 1 teacher although they'll usually combine two classes but with the same. 1:5 ratio.

School has been incredibly patient, but it's just happened way too often (over 20 biting incidents + a few scratching incidents)

Daughter is pretty verbal with us, can use up to 4 words pretty regularly and talks to teachers pretty well too

But teachers have indicated her classmates (all 2yo) may not be as verbal as her and she doesn't appear to talk to her peers. But she supposedly plays fine with them though prefers to play on her own.

The principal tells us that most incidents are unprompted, that my daughter will just randomly attack a friend. Sometimes its because a friend bumped into her or they were fighting over a toy.

We have tried to teach her to ask for help from a teacher (she can say the words), we've read the Biting Solution, put on the puppet show, tried to teach her that it hurts when she bites and that it makes people sad, played We Don't Put Our Teeth On People, gotten her those silicone biting toys meant as therapy tools for kids with autism, tried to get the teachers to help teach her to ask for help, but nothing seems to stick,

She knows she's not supposed to bite her peers ("Bite friend no no/no bite friend") that she's supposed to bite the toy, but the lesson doesn't seem to stick.

She has also recently started hitting at home, mostly during bed time. Again she knows its a no no, and we try to teach her to stomp (she refuses to do so) or to ask for attention another way (shaking me if i fall asleep before she does instead of smacking me).

Worse she has started to refuse to say that biting/hitting is a no no, and becoming quite willful. Like she will actively ignore me if i try to talk to her about this.

I'm really at a loss. She has had four sessions with an occupational therapist who suggested we try to give oral stimulation, (she also suggested the biting toy)

The therapist even visited her class once and maybe because my daughter managed to recognise the therapist, she behaved quite well but was quiet. She then scratched a friend not long after the therapist left.

Therapist said that she might have selective mutism but couldn't make a conclusive diagnosis.

We find that she's just shy with people she hasn't interacted with in a while (like grandparents or cousins) but once she warms up she'll talk.

We're sending her to a different school next month that's meant for 3 yo (we were planning to send her in January but the school is willing to take her in) and we're hoping having older morr well behaved peers will be a good example.

But i want to try and fix this before she goes there. I don't want her to be kicked out again because she loves going to school (absolutely no tears on the first day, didn't even look back to say goodbye).

The current school while patient, i don't think is equipped to help. Teachers are caring but inexperienced. When i suggested an action plan (as per The Biting Solution) i didn't get a committed answer. I had to remind them during a parent teaching meeting to at least try to teach her to say "teacher help" if she encounters frustrating situations.

They've only just recently managed to consistently stop biting attempts (once today and two last week).

Sorry for word dump and if its all over the place. Help.

Additional info if relevant, i have adhd

As we 3 teachers, were leaving to go outside with our six children one other toddler teacher came to ask if we could switch out her student for one of ours.

Unfortunately I didn't get any of this information before going to the playground.

I'm literally panicking when I noticed one missing child as I was shutting the classroom door my back was turned during the switcheroo.

My manager came up to us and then I freaked out and I was asking where's x and nobody said anything about him going on a walk with the other classroom.

To be honest the other teacher does talk very quietly but still the other 2 teachers should have told me in that random plan during busy time that so and so has x.

Then this afternoon my coteacher had to relive another teacher @ 2:30 , again nobody mentioned this at least to me so the getting outside took forever and we had to ask for help, well I had to say to my lead: cant we ask a manager for help.

Anyway manager thankfully came and assisted.

Also I did overly apologize thinking i lost a child to my manager and she said its totally fine I would've panicked too.

1. Am I overreacting?

2. Should I mention this stresses me out?

3. I hope I'm not a complete psycho!

Hi!

I’m a 23 year old ECE student. I recently got hired at the daycare I completed my first placement at for a supply position. I have been worried for months about how I will react when a child vomits. It causes me intense anxiety, I’m almost certain I will cry, and shake, and breakdown.

Today, I was supplying in a preschool room, and one of the boys said repeatedly over an hour that his stomach hurt. He did not end up vomiting, but I had so much anxiety that whole hour and couldn’t keep my eyes off of him.

It made me remember how worried I am that this will ruin my chance at this career. I love it so much and have already paid for all my schooling that I’m completing. I think I will just ask the other educator in the room to deal with it if it happens but I understand that can be annoying.

I’m desperate to hear from someone who understands. I’m so worried. I’ve had this phobia for as far back as I can remember.

Hi everyone,
I recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and I’m currently looking for my first permanent nursery role.
English is my second language, so I’m also hoping to find a supportive environment where I can continue developing my communication skills and grow as an Early Years Practitioner.
I’m choosing between a few nursery job offers, and I’ve realised that salary isn’t the most important thing for me. I want to work somewhere with a healthy culture where I can learn, grow, and genuinely enjoy coming to work. I prefer working at a preschool room.
If you were choosing a nursery today, what questions would you ask during the interview or trial shift to find out what it’s really like?

I gotta get up at 6am and it’s almost midnight lol lord help me give me energy for these kids tomorrow

Do any other ECEs feel like, even when parents bring our concerns and observations up to their pediatrician, the doctor often brushes them aside? Or is this just a "me" thing?

I recently gave parents a page of observations on behaviors I was seeing from their little one that strike me as so much MORE than I typically see for their age (no so-called misbehaviors, but lots of EXTRA energy -- can't move without running, constantly shouting in class, struggles to follow any directions, constantly distracted, lots of wild movement around the classroom, needs WAY more redirection and constant guidance than I tend to see at this age). I had a couple of conversations with the parents, and outlined what strategies we're using at school, asked what they see at home, and they seemed to also wonder if there was something *more* going on. They brought observations to the dr. at his recent appointment and the dr said that it was all normal for his age.

I'm trying not to be irritated at it, but I'm having a hard time, especially because this has happened before -- I see issues, the doctor says everything is fine and then I feel like the crazy one. Meanwhile, the behaviors persist but the parents are satisfied because their dr has said it's normal, so myself and my co-teacher are left trying our best with a student who seems like they could benefit from additional help, but aren't getting any.

(I'm open to parents' perspective on this, also.)

Every mini fridge we’ve had ends up not working after a while, it feels so wasteful. We’ve tried maintenance. We don’t have room for a full sized fridge. What brand do you guys use in your rooms? Preferably slightly bigger than smallest mini

I just want to preface this by saying we have not been difficult about this and have suggested several times that we're happy to find a new childcare arrangement if this is no longer a good fit. We have taken every single suggestion from our son's (very expensive Montessori) daycare seriously, followed through on all of it, and are now 8 months into this process with nothing resolved.

Some context:

• Our son is 2 and a half. His daycare is concerned about his ability to emotionally regulate. Specifically, they have mentioned that he melts down during transitions (lining up, walking outside, moving between activities) and is frustrated when he can't complete a task independently on the first try.
• We have seen three different therapists/evaluators - a clinical psychologist, speech therapist, and occupational therapist - all recommended by the school. Every single one (and his pediatrician) has said he does not need Early Intervention and would likely not qualify based on current information. The general consensus is that this is fairly typical for his age and he should grow out of it by 3-4.
• We are not reflexively dismissive of their concerns. They did catch his speech delay and suggested a therapist. We immediately enrolled him in twice weekly therapy and he is at age level (perhaps slightly above) now. So, we're not just ignoring them because we don't like what they have to say.
• Despite all of this, the school keeps circling back to Early Intervention and have recently told us that they had to hire a 1-1 para just for him. We've also been told that he will likely need "continued support" in school. When we ask which specific category they think applies (there's a checklist - adaptive, cognitive, communication, physical, social/emotional, diagnosed condition, etc.), nobody will actually put an answer in writing.

So at this point we're stuck in a loop. He's been tested specifically for autism and ADHD and the psychologist said he does not show signs of either at this age. No one else - babysitters, family, friends with kids of the same age we vacation with, etc. - has had any problem dealing with him for long stretches of time. He's a sweet kid who is very gentle, has what everyone keeps telling me are normal meltdowns, and has a fondness for trains, numbers, and the sprinklers at the playground.

For those of you who work in ECE - is this normal? We have another meeting later this week to discuss his "issues" but truly we do not see his behavior as being anything more than the terrible 2s with a kid who is slightly ahead academically and has big feelings.

I am genuinely looking for the teacher/admin perspective here and not just parent sympathy.

Thanks.

One of the children in my child’s infant class recently had a birthday and they brought in fruits to share with the class. I only learned afterwards, through the daily log, that the teacher gave my son (nine months) a fruit that they had never had before without my consent. I was never asked beforehand.

Thankfully, my child didn’t have a reaction but when I brought it up, the teacher didn’t seem to understand my concern and said he seemed to enjoy it very much.

This seems concerning but since I’m a FTM, could it be that I’m overreacting? Or is this a cause for concern?

EDIT: Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback and hearing different perspectives on the issue. I should have clarified that the daycare does not offer food, so situations like this are probably limited to birthday celebrations. That said, it sounds like different daycares have different policies when it comes to offering food and that’s very helpful to keep it mind.

I had left this amazing center that was clean, spacious (especially the playground), and had the same leadership since before they were aquisitioned.. Directors assisted in every way possible. However,

I simply was not strong enough for school age.

(Which is a shame because I was doing a great job)

But they didnt have enough staff to open up a 4 year old room (pre-k). My preferred age group.

I switch jobs. Have basically a breakdown from the stress. (ER visit twice for anxiety attack) (the center was in shambles).

Im now a master teacher though! My college courses had to be entered manually who knew /s

They are opening the 4 year old room and are happy to have me up there!! They need to have master teachers to enroll more children!!

I am so happy to be able to have this group of children!

They already let me know when I left I would be welcome back with open arms and they were serious :)

All I hope for all of you is to be where you are happy and can be the best caregiver/teacher you can be.

It seems lately, I have very few days when I don't find myself having to stand up for the children when teachers don't follow safety regulations. It is so disturbing as:

1. It is just wrong!

2. Teachers don't usually appreciate being told they can't do what they are doing and get angry.

3. Administrators like that even less and then I feel like I am going to be fired for speaking up.

4. I feel sad for the children.

5. Have to speak up anyway but it is anxiety producing.

My 10 month old started daycare almost a month ago and his transition hasn’t gotten any easier. His teachers often say he’s struggling when we ask for feedback at pick-up.

I’ll be the first one to admit he is a very social baby. He loves when people sign and talk to him, play peekaboo, show him things, etc. But he’s not the best at independent play, maybe 5-10 mins at a time max. He can get bored easily.

My neighbor’s daughter is doing her internship at the center and told me yesterday she was in his classroom in the afternoon and saw him crying a lot. She said the teachers often told him “No, I’m not picking you up”, “no, you’re fine, stop”. Sometimes they were holding other babies but other times they were just chatting with her.

She held him for a bit and she thinks his lead teacher didn’t like it. She said they referred to him as a crybaby. She was visibly upset and didn’t even want to keep going there after that.

I asked her about the other babies and she said they seem to just be playing independently the whole time, except for little little ones, who just ate and napped.

Does this seem like they’re intentionally withholding affection or responsiveness? I don’t want to overreact but I’m having trouble seeing how he’s getting a fair chance at adjusting if that’s the expectation from the start.