Miss DayCare
Charlotte, NC
Female, 30
I work in a highly respected, franchised Day Care Provider. I have taught in Toddler classrooms as well as Pre-Kindegarten classrooms. It's a wonderful and rewarding profession and I love every minute of it. I have become friends with many of my parents and they all ask questions which is why I want to open a dialogue here so I can be as honest and open as possible about your most prized posession's early childhood education and what really goes on in the classrooms and hallways!
If there is any suspicion regarding a child's home life, we let the director know about our findings and they handle it. I have had this happen only one time in my years of working in this industry and my suspicions were true. It's an awful situation for everyone involved but after all was said and done the mother thanked me (she was a victim of the abuse as well), and she said we helped her find the strength to leave her husband and get her family the help it needed.
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Yea there have been many. Mostly with the kids that physically harm other kids. Behavioral problems are not easy to take care of, but a bit more manageable than that of the kids that bite or hit. Biters are the absolute worst because they break skin sometimes and that can get the kids sent home that got bit and the child that bit them (due to health concerns). I have had many meetings with parents regarding biting and hitting, some parents are responsive and want to "fix" the behavior and be very hands on, and some just think that kids are kids and they will grow out of their negative behaviors. Again this is where communication is key. Sometime parents think daycare teachers are glorified babysitters and do not take us seriously. What they fail to see is that being in this industry is a career choice for many of us much like choosing to be a doctor or lawyer is to a parent. We are passionate, and want to make a difference in these childrens' lives!
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I have found that by age one they can benefit from being around other toddlers and adults. A lot of SAHM do this for a couple days a week to get their child out of the house and have some free time of their own! Just make sure that you follow the school's schedule (snacks, lunch, nap) the best you can on the days they aren't there to make sure that when they are there, it's not stressful on your child (or their teacher!).
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I'm not a fan of that kind of education because I believe that kids need structure and the earlier they learn it the better. Built into the cirriculum I use is free time where the class can go to various stations and do what they want with their friends, but when time is up, they clean everything up, and return as a group for our next scheduled activity. There are pros and cons to montessori schools, but it's just a preference to the parent. I've worked in that environment as well and some kids do very well independently and can work like that, but most of them needed a schedule to follow.
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School Bus Driver
Do the kids treat you with the same amount of respect as other authority figures at school?
CPR Trainer
Is it possible to perform CPR on animals?
Investment Banker
Did you experience the notorious 100-hour work weeks?
You can definitely tell which kids are more advanced by age two just by the milestones that they have reached and passed. I thin I stated above that while you can tell which one is smarter at 2, it may not necessarily be the case by the time they are four and the other kids have caught up and/or passed them. I have taught super smart toddlers and they have gone on to gifted programs at their elementary schools, I also had a child in my pre school class (three years old) that I thought he was going to have the hardest time with school when he got there, but she just began third grade and is reading and writing at a third grade level. Each child develops on their own and that's the best part of my job!
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Look at the cleanliness of the facility and the rooms, also when walking around the school peek into other classrooms and not just the ones that your child(ren) will be in. See what the teachers are doing, are they interacting with the kids or just sitting there? Ask to see when the kids play outside and how interactive the instructors are with them. We shouldn't be just sitting on the ground yelling at the kids when someone does something wrong. We should be running around, playing tag, pushing them on a swing, etc....Another big one is if there is "outside" food in the rooms (we aren't supposed to have any outside food or drinks in the room), and you would be surprised at what some teacher leave out....I was coming back from lunch and one of my co workers had a bag of peanuts out during the kids' nap! Also, see if the center has a reference list of parents you can call to see how they like the school. Parents put themselves on it and it's a mix of positive and negative reviews so you can get answers to questions you may not be comfortable asking the director
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I have only worked at one that had video surveillance, and quite frankly it doesn't put the teachers at ease that they are there. It was a very "big brother" feeling. That was about 8 years ago and the three places I have worked since then have not had cameras.
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