Anyone work at a daycare center?

Question

My son is 4 now and will have a whole other year of early childhood for half a day. My husband got a new job with travel and I need to work now. I was thinking of working at a daycare so I would be close to my son until he starts kindergarten. What is it like to work at daycare? Did you go nuts? Is it fun? Do you get regular good raises??? We can't afford daycare so I am hoping to also get discount. Any ideas??/

Answer 1

It really depends on the daycare as to the amount of discount you get. Sometimes it is not worth it considering daycare workers really don't make that much compared to other jobs. You have to really love what you are doing. You also have to meet the requirements in Child Development if it isn't a home based daycare. A lot of times they don't allow you to work in the same room as your child. You would have to go and talk with the Director at the daycare you are looking at and ask. It is different for each state and what type of facility they are.

Answer 2

The question that stands out the most to me:  "Do you get regular good raises?" can be easily answered.  No.  You don't go into being a daycare worker for the money, because if you did, you would be VERY disappointed.

Whether it's fun or you go nuts, that totally depends on you.  If it were me, I'd go beyond nuts.  I adore my own children, but I can't handle more than about four kids at one time.

My kids' teachers are in charge of about 16-18 children for about six hours a day.   They somehow manage to get (MOST) of the kids in the class to be sitting down at the same time.  They break up fights, soothe hurt feelings, administer time outs.  They change diapers (for little ones) and clean up accidents (for potty-training and potty-trained kids).  They wipe little butts and occasionally get thrown up on.  And they get paid next to nothing.

I personally think they're either miracle workers or saints, because somehow, in the midst of all that, they teach kids basics so they are ready for kindergarten.

I went on a field trip with my five-year-old's class, and the parent chaperones were talking about this.  The teacher just kind of laughed and said she couldn't imagine doing something different.  

If that's how you feel, then by all means, get into daycare.  With the turnaround rate being what it is, there is always a need for childcare workers.  But if you're doing it just to be closer to your son, for a paycheck, or to get a discount, I must say, I would not be happy about paying to leave my kids with you if I knew that.

Answer 3

First, the good news. If you ike kids it's a lot of fun. It's never boring and the rewards from the kids are tremendous. It is incredibly satisfying watching them grow and knowing you have made an impact. As to the rest...In most parts of this country we pay day care workers less than dog catchers and zookeepers. The money is usually terrible and it is rare to find regular raises. Benefits are usually few and far between. In other words, nobody goes into this for the money. There are some exceptions and generally not-for-profits pay better and treat their employees better.

     It's not enough to "love" kids. You have to be patient and understand that some kids require every ounce of that patience. You have to be flexible and willing to get messy. Before you decide if this is for you why not visit a center for a day and shadow one of the teachers or other staff members?

Answer 4

What is it like to work at a daycare.... well, I worked by myself in a room overloaded with 2 year olds, who had absolutely no direction before me.  I tried to quit 3 times, but when training my replacement, I felt so bad about leaving them with either trashy uncaring slobs, or just general morons,that I told the trainee to go home or they just said it was too hard and never came back.  You will not get raises or get paid nearly enough for all the work you do. You will most likely not be allowed to teach in your son's class. You will be driven crazy by insane parents who think you are being mean to their child, when you never would do that to the kid.  I was accused of stealing one childs cloth diapers by one off balance mom.  Why would I want his diapers?  What do you use dirty cloth diapers for????   In the end, I told the day care I was quitting unless they gave me a raise.  They begged me not to quit, and when I did they called me 4 times asking me to come back.  But the would not give me a raise.  Now I'm a server, I make 4 times the money in half the time, and my sanity is intact.  The kids are great, bright, and fun.  It's the adults that make daycare suck for the workers.

Answer 5

Hello, I work in a daycare and have for two years.  It depends on the regulations in which the daycare has.  At the daycare I work in, parents are allowed to work at the daycare their child is at, but are not allowed to work in the same room in which their child is in.  For example, if my child was 4 i could not work in that room, I would be placed in a different age group.  As for working at the daycare, it can be stressful and a very demanding job depending on the number of children you are responsible for, but i find it  very rewarding.  You have to really love children to be working with them.  I havent gone nuts yet haha.  I really enjoy working where i am.  it's fun you get to be creative with them, and watch them grow at the same time.

As for pay...It will vary from region to region.  I'm in canada and daycare workers where I am from are getting a raise.  Where i work, depending on if you have education in early childhood, theres level 1,2,3 depends on the wage you get and how long you have worked there.  I get a raise every year. The higher the level, the more money you make. You can work at the daycare without a level, at least the one I'm at.

Discounts...I'm pretty sure it depends on where you are in the world.  Here you get a discount if you enroll 2 children in the daycare. I'm not sure of the price.

Hope this information helps