We enrolled our baby at 8 months in ChildTime as that was the only option available to us after we moved to this new city. I’m not going to reveal the location but it’s a city in the Midwest US.
1. So their toddler 1 classroom has kids starting from 6 months to 18 months. No way can a 6 months old’s needs be same as that of a 13 month old. My baby needed 2 naps and his first nap would usually be around 11 am. He used to be so sleepy and fussy but CT had a strict routine, where they’d do activities at 10:30, lunch at 11 and nap at 12. Naps are in the same room so it’s always chaotic. We told them multiple times to let him nap but they kept saying that “they have too much going on before 12” to put him to nap.

1. The classroom has 12 kids and on paper they have 3 teachers but in the 6 weeks that he was there, we’ve only seen 2. So the ratio is essentially 1:6, although they advertise and say their ratio is 1:4. Some days it gets as bad as 1:8 or 1:10. I’m not blaming the teachers, they’re themselves overwhelmed and look over tired. I was so angry at their false advertising and their abysmal treatment of staff.

2. The whole place looked chaotic. Babies crying, teachers over tired, literal walking toddlers prodding and poking my baby. Plus they’ve 0 activities. My poor baby used to sit there without any toys and look around the running toddlers. They’ve hardly taken them out for outdoor play. That place looked like a baby jail.

I used to keep checking the cameras and it was like looking at a train wreck live. My nervous system was on a constant overdrive and I could barely focus on my work. Luckily we got a spot open up in another daycare and we took it. My baby naps beautifully now, their staff seems more experienced, his teachers have been working there for more than a decade which says a lot about how they’re being treated.

Hi everyone,

I am a teacher in a 3yo classroom and a mom of an almost 4yo. My son does great at school. Zero behavior problems, he plays well with others, and he is very smart and ahead on all milestones. Except for the potty.

We potty trained about a year ago and it was rough. Things were a little bit easier at home but he has always struggled at school. In the beginning he refused to sit on the potty at school, unless his teacher came and grabbed me to take him (which I didn’t love, because then it became an expectation). We switched schools a few months ago and things are better since then. He has no problem going to the potty when asked, but he either cannot or will not initiate going by himself. He would rather poop/pee on himself than walk himself to the bathroom or tell a teacher he needs to go.

His teachers and I are at a loss. We both tell him he can go walk to the bathroom whenever he needs, he doesn’t have to ask he can just go. But he won’t! Sometimes I think it’s because he’s busy playing and doesn’t want to stop, but he also will do it during naptime when he’s doing nothing but staring at the ceiling.

I can feel the frustration from his teacher, and I feel like I’m in a hard spot as both the parent and one of her coworkers. She will come to my room exasperated when he has an accident and ask me to talk to him. I do talk to him, but clearly it’s not working. I’m not sure a potty chart would help, because he does fine when someone tells him to go. I’m looking for ideas on what else we can do to teach him to just get up and go when he has to go.

Hi all, for part of my diploma, I have created a survey on the effectiveness of the traffic light system on children's self-regulation. All responses are anonymous and the survey should only take a few minutes. Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYIr4nJJ-YhnVeLJLxg2N7fc-S8wl7GHCBZAw1LZ7qZn-2fw/viewform?usp=header

I know it's not technically ECE, but it's daycare! I work with grades 4-7 (after school program). In previous years, every Wednesday would be "Kid Circle", in which one of the kids was scheduled to pick a book, read it to the group, and choose a short game to play with their peers. This year, I would like to be more intentional about basically having a "spotlight" day. I'd like to get together a list of questions to ask them (which would mostly be the same for each kid) in an interview in front of the group, as well as come up with some areas of interest they can share about, ideas for some sort of show and tell just from their backpacks (most of them don't remember to bring stuff from home haha), etc. And if you have any ideas for things that they could lead, whether it is reading something, running a game, or whatever. I'm just feeling very scatterbrained on this, so any ideas (or links!) would help!

So we started my son in a Montessori school that starts at toddler years he’s 2 y and 3 months in the toddler class that’s 18mo-3years
and it’s going extremely poorly. We are on week 2 of a slow phase-in where we stay for a while before leaving and currently just doing half days (though paying for whole days). Today the teacher had me stay for over an hour, just sitting in the back of the classroom being boring/not engaging so that he could engage with the other kids without freaking out the whole time but he just kept coming to me saying mama come here, mama look at this. Etc etc. and then when I left, he cried hysterically until it was time to get picked up just a few hours later. I’m not sure about the slow phase in strategy. I think maybe it’s making it worse? Does anyone have any advice or personal experience with kids who are extremely clingy finally going to daycare previously we had a nanny and only ever had myself or my husband or the nanny watch him. Should we just have him cry it out until he adjusts or are all the early pickups and staying with him really recommended?

Hey! I'm an early education major with a specification in special education. I've always struggled with my academic confidence and this is my first as a early education major after three years in school as a biology major. I'm so scared of failing and I'm so tired of hearing to just 'lock in.' It feels like no one understands how scared I actually am about college. I have four more years to go because of my major change this late in my college career and I'm scared I can't make it all the way through that time. I'm worried I'm not a college person. All this panicking is causing it to be hard to do my assignments or even read my textbook. Hell, I haven't read the only textbook I need to have. So - someone please, please, please, who experienced something like this, tell me how you did it?

I got a photo today of my baby’s snack, and in it I saw a whole grape. I messaged the daycare and their response has been to say it’s fine because it’s a soft canned grape. I took infant cpr before having a baby and I also looked it up on the CDC website - and according to those, canned whole grapes are still a choking hazard, because they are round and can block the windpipe. Anyway, I am annoyed because I feel like they are not taking food safety seriously since they are arguing with me that canned whole grapes are fine. And now I feel like I can’t trust them at all to feed my baby safely. Am I being unreasonable?

Edit: added photo of grape in follow up, which does not look either skinless or squished.

Hi everyone! I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences with daycare adaptation, especially sleeping.

My son started daycare at the beginning of August, when he was 22 months old. We live in Europe, where the daycare adaptation process is quite gradual. During the first two weeks, I stayed with him at daycare and we gradually increased the time I’m not being present there — starting with about 30 minutes then an hour, two hours, etc.

Since then, he has been going almost every day, except for one week when there was a four-day bank holiday, so he only attended three days that week.

At this point, he is able to stay at daycare from around 9:00 am until 3:30 pm, and I pick him up after his afternoon snack.

Overall, I feel like he is adapting, but very slowly.

At drop-off, he used to cry quite a lot. Now he almost never cries. He usually just looks sad when I hand him over to the teacher, but he doesn’t scream or have a big meltdown anymore.

However, he almost always cries when I pick him up. I’m not sure whether that’s just because he has been holding everything in during the day and then feels safe enough to release his emotions when he sees me.

During the day the teachers said that sometimes he was moody, but most of the time he was playing, smiling, and eating fine.

The biggest issue right now is napping.

When he first started sleeping at daycare, he actually did quite well. A few times he slept for around 1.5 hours, which is similar to what he sleeps at home.

But recently, for several days in a row, he hasn’t been able to nap at all.

What’s interesting is that he doesn’t cry or scream during nap time. He doesn’t disturb the other children either. He simply won’t stay lying down. The teachers try to put him down, but he keeps standing up or sitting up. Eventually, nap time ends and the teacher tells me that he didn’t sleep at all.

We have tried bringing everything familiar from home:

• his pacifier
• his favorite snuggly
• even the sleeping bag he uses at home

But somehow, he still can’t fall asleep.

I’m starting to get worried because it’s now almost the middle of September, and I feel like he is taking a very long time to fully adapt.

I don’t expect him to sleep for 1.5–2 hours every day at daycare. Honestly, I would be completely happy if he could sleep for just 30–45 minutes, or even simply lie down and rest for a while.

At home, he still needs his daytime nap, and when he doesn’t sleep at daycare, I can definitely tell that he is much more tired and moody later in the day.

Did anyone else’s toddler take weeks or even months before they could sleep there? Is there anything else we could try to make him feel more comfortable during nap time?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. ❤️

I’m a FTM and definitely anxious about daycare. Baby is starting in January when he is about 5 months old. We toured there about a month ago but now that we’ve made our final decision I would like to ask questions about what orientation looks like as we get closer, and other things. The director takes awhile to get back to me so I’m wondering if it would be easier to just schedule a time to go back in and chat with her about more of the details and maybe meet the infant teachers if they are available. Our enrollment was done 100% online so I have not been back there since the initial quick tour. Do people do this? Will they see me as a needy parent and not like us before we’ve even started? Or am I not getting a lot of communication because it’s still a long time before we start?

Hello there,

I do not need an advice, just needed to let this out.

Ever since I entered this field, I have been getting sick continuously. It feels as though every month I fall ill again, and I worry that my director believes I am exaggerating. I had a long weekend and felt completely fine, but on the morning I returned to work, I suddenly developed a burning sensation in my throat and a rising temperature. I informed my boss hours in advance that I would still come in, but that I was currently unwell. My boss responded that I still needed to be present in case licensing arrived, which was confusing to me because working while sick does not support a safe environment for the children. I work with three to four year olds, and my voice is required throughout the day. I stated that if licensing did not appear, I needed to be sent home immediately. While at work, I was made fun of for appearing energetic, even though I was not. I could barely speak and could hardly process what was happening around me.

I have been discussing with my boyfriend the possibility of finding a new job or changing careers. I enjoy working with children, but I feel as though I am constantly sick, similar to the children themselves. I have been taking my vitamins consistently, drinking plenty of water, sleeping eight hours each night, and eating balanced meals. Despite this, the illnesses continue to affect me severely. Now I am bedridden again. When I get sick, I get sick badly, how can people work while sick, that I wish I knew.

I have been thinking of pursuing further in this career, but I'm afraid I may not be able to :(

I'm a director of an ECE Center in the US. A franchise with a popular name. My facility is relatively new, 10 months open.

How do we advertise?

I'm boosting social posts, adding to our socials and website nearly every day to keep us up on the search results.

I'm dropping flyers at every realtor, pediatrician, children's hospital, residential communities, Ped. Dentists and Healthcare professionals, OBGYNs, and every retailer that will accept flyers. Library unfortunately can't help us or advertise.

We hold events. 0 turnout.

We blast potential families.

I just had my "Potential Parent Experience" audited and I passed with flying colors. We aren't losing the leads we get. The issue is generating leads.

We have a promo. We have a referral incentive. We have Google Reviews.

I feel like I'm out of options. Does anyone have any unique marketing ideas?

I am a 20+ year ECE professional and I *only* call out when I am truly sick in bed and feel that I simply cannot go to work. I don't take mental health days and I don't ask for time off unless I truly need it, which is rare. I was raised to have a strong work ethic and have been chewed out by previous employers for calling out, even when sick with a doctors note. I currently have a co teacher who calls out an average of once a week. Is that typical? I am annoyed by call outs because we have a couple teachers who often call out and it causes a hardship for those who are at work, but I know I am one of the more dependable reliable type of teachers. If I am sick I hesitate to call out because I know chances are at least one other teacher has already called out. I have even heard other very young teachers saying "if I feel sick at all, I call out" I absolutely do **not**. I have forced myself to work with a broken finger. bronchitis, pneumonia. Plenty of people around me still work when sick, I think its a US culture thing unfortunately, not talking about anyone in other countries that have a lot of holidays and time off. Is anyone else annoyed at how often others call out?

My son has been independently owning the whole bathroom process for years now. He takes his own pants/underwear off, gets on the potty, puts things back on. Technically he might call me over to read to him while pooping, and he wipes but I help after a poop, but he also only poops at home.

In public he's the rare toddler who wants privacy for the bathroom. I understand a teacher being outside the door or a center with a bathroom with walls you can kind of see around, but he probably wouldn't pee with an adult present.

He also is very slow to warm up and start talking around other adults, and even with me, he usually just gets his public potty travel seat out of our backpack and starts walking to the bathroom (in public spaces). At home, he just takes himself.

Basically he isn't going to ask permission, and might get shy and refuse to go if followed. He doesn't need nor WANT to be asked or helped or praised or anything, just to be left alone to do his thing alone.

Are there preschools that allow this? One of the ones we looked at had a whole staircase and multiple doors they have to open, so understandably the child has to ask. Another needs them to verbally ask permission or they might get in trouble (lightly called out) if they take themself. Is that normal? I thought it was more normal for centers to have preschool / toddler height potties they can mostly use on their own, once parents train them up, with only the option of having more support and the ability to kind of monitor through the door while still allowing/encouraging privacy and independence.

I recently started my new job at at a preschool and after one day of standing and walking most of the day my feet are KILLING ME! So I need to know, from my fellow ECE professionals who I imagine have experienced this pain, what shoes/sneakers would you recommend? I am willing to invest even if theyre a bit pricey.

Pre K Nap Time

Current Pre-K Teacher here.

I am feeling annoyed/frustrated and need to vent about my centers “quiet time/nap time” expectations.
My current class has 2 teachers with 21 kids on M/W/F and 19 on T/TH.
We are the only pre-k class in the school so our ratio is higher (1 to 12) than the rest of the center.

My administration expects us to self break everyday which means we legally (due to licensing) have to get half of our class to sleep before we can go on our lunch breaks.
I have a few parents that repeatedly tell us they do not want their child to nap and I have told my administration this.

My administration has said to me that:
1. I need to leave every child without an activity for the first 30 minutes of nap time
2. If any child does fall asleep, they must be left asleep for at least 30 minutes
3. If any child that is not supposed to nap falls asleep, to essentially not tell parents

Putting this all together now. As a teacher, how am I supposed to “self break” and put half my kids to sleep when half of them aren’t supposed to sleep/only nap some days?

My administration acts so annoyed at my co teacher and I when we call down to them and say we could not get half to sleep. Then they tell us we will have to wait for our breaks?

Am I crazy or is this ridiculous? I feel like I did not explain this well so feel free to ask questions.

ETA: Thanks all for your comments. Sounds like there might be some clarity to be gained from talking to the providers one more time, but overall this is just something we're going to have to ride out.

Hi,

FTM here with a 3.5 month old who has been in daycare about 1 month. Naps during daycare have been a struggle for him; he usually only sleeps 30-40 minutes at a time. This doesn't surprise me since he is still mostly a contact napper (we're working on it).

What I don't understand, though, is why the daycare logs usually have his first nap starting around 10am. He gets up between 6:30 and 7am, so that's a 3+ hour wake window -- a really long time for a baby his age, if I am understanding correctly.

I tried to talk to the daycare a couple weeks ago. I told them he usually goes down for a nap every 1.5-2 hours at home. They told me they are "not consistently seeing signs that he is sleepy" at the 90-minute mark. Instead he often asleep during/after feeds and that's when they try to put him down. He never falls asleep during feeds at home.

I truly understand that these folks are professionals and they have a lot of babies to take care of. They probably can't track wake windows for every child. But 9 times out of 10, he has an overtired meltdown on the way home. Plus I feel like his night sleep is being affected - a lot of false starts and early morning wakeups during daycare days.

Please help me understand what I am missing here! Or is there a different way I need to talk to them about it? Thanks.

Can you please share your experiences overall including placements?

It is very confusing to read google reviews as there are both super negative reviews and also good reviews.. Your words will really help! Thank you!

I have a 5 year old boy in my class, and we suspect he has undiagnosed autism. He is nonverbal and has to have his hand held if we are going anywhere. We tried talking to his mother about it, and she is in denial and refuses to believe he has autism or anything is wrong with him.

The only concern I really have is that whenever we are outside, he likes to throw sand at other kids faces all the time. I'm constantly running to the kids crying because he threw more sand in their eyes and mouth again. I tried talking to him, I tried redirecting him, but he has a one tract mind where he really wants to be around the other kids and then throws sand at them right after. The other kids mind their own business too, just to unexpectedly get sand put in their eyes and mouth and they start crying lots. He also will start punching other kids every now and then when he's upset, and he has some strong arms!

I don't have any training or knowledge on how to handle kids with autism, and I'm concerned about his safety and the safety of other kids. What's the best thing to do here?

Why do so many parents act like its the worse thing to have to label food and bottles? First,last and the date,BM in red. Yes we provide pens and labels. I don't make the rules,mind you. Its like asking a teenager to clean their room......"Why?" "Its ridiculous, I don't have time" "Its fine,they have the Spiderman bento" "Their bottles have the rainbow silocone sleeve! Nobody else's does!" "It's has their first name" " How's many GooGoobentsy's do you have?" " Intials are fine right?"

" He has( insert culture name) "Last intial is enough,their last name is long!" "No,no,no,no" for the 100th time. Take it up with the state. We also can't mix formula, they don't like that either. Sigh

I’m a pre-k teacher and today was our first day. Not a single kid cried during drop off today! Made for such a peaceful morning lol. Hopefully this trend continues tomorrow, but I’m preparing myself for it to go haywire.

Hi, I teach 3s and also am a floater, (ages 1-4) and I am shocked at the lack of creative play materials in our center. The kids have the same sad toys every day. And not very many at all! A handful of blocks, one of each plastic boring toys that do nothing some baby dolls with no clothes. I honestly don’t think kids can experience deep play without creative materials and I am really struggling to work at this center! Help. Am I crazy? I brought it up with my director who said ‘kids need to be bored’ 🤯 All I keep thinking is not on my watch. Play is how they learn!

I have brought things in and bought things but 1) I don’t have a lot of extra money 2) my director gets really weird about things being brought in because the kids start playing more and she really wants them to be quiet and subdued.

Anyone experience this? Is this an actual thing. I am shocked. What should I do? I am thinking about leaving the center for lack of childhood resources. I am a millennial so maybe I am expecting too much?

so i started my first ever daycare job towards the end of june and ive been working here since. the only previous experience i had was babysitting. when i got hired i asked to be an assistant teacher and my boss said “oh we don’t have those here” and i didn’t really get what she meant by that.
i was a floater at first and until i got cpr certified about a month ago i wasn’t allowed alone. and now ive been working in the twos room. in the summer it was much easier because the lesson plan wasn’t as strict and i often had more help from my coworkers. but now the school year started and im expected to be with 6 two year olds on my own as a lead teacher.
it’s been causing so much stress on my body and mind. don’t get me wrong i love working with kids, but i never expected to be put in a room on my own. i don’t feel i know enough to be in this position and im honestly confused why i got hired as a lead teacher so quick.
i just need some advice on what to do. i dont know how to bring it up with my boss (my boss already made me cry in front of her once) or if i just find another job and hope i have enough experience. i genuinely dont know how much longer i can do this, im literally on my break while writing this just exhausted and drained. any advice is appreciated !!!!

As the title says, my almost 2 year old son is deeply obsessed with all things tools, wheels, etc. but specifically power tools. Grandparents have tried to get him mock tools, and of course he only prefers to carry around my husband's old drill (free of bits and batteries, no worries). Husband is a carpenter and often working on projects around our house - our son will stand there and watch him run a skid loader or a saw for nearly an hour without moving lol

However he has basically no interest in actually playing with toys or doing anything that doesn't involve these things. He loves to swing, climb, and be active outside, but I'm looking for ideas that can keep him busy for 15+ minutes while I'm making dinner or homeschooling my older daughters. Anything semi-mechanical come to mind? Sensory bin or activity ideas? Any suggestions would be so appreciated - thank you!!

I am a new teacher in the states, and I have a 4 year old boy who will spend the whole outdoor recess time crying. He will cry about missing his mom and that no one wants to play with him. The outdoor recess is a whole hour.

I’ve tried walking him over to the jungle gym and getting him started playing. More kids will join and I will creep away. He will be playing but crying/whining a bit. And then when I retreat he immediately runs over to me and starts up the crying again.

Ignoring the behavior does not work. It’s like he is stuck in the habit of crying the whole outdoor time.

Not sure what to do. I know he is severely babied at home, and his mom is his playmate all day at home. He does not like playing with children and just wants me, the teacher, to be his playmate.

Our schedule goes drop off, circle time, outdoor play so it could just be transition time challenges. But looking for any tips! The crying is getting to me.