May I rant about the state of preschool education??

Question

I just left a job at a kindy that I have been at for seven years because of a change of management. They were employing slack staff who don't do any extra to help the kids develop and are there basically as a social get together. Anyway, I got a job at another preschool within two days of looking, and started on Monday. Today, I was on my lunch break when I heard the Preschool teacher say "Don't be such a little smart ****"! Nobody supervises the children, so there are constantly children crying and fighting. The staff stand around and backstab everyone that walks out of earshot. Why do people get into childcare when it's obvious they couldn't care less about children??? Are there decent centres out there??

Answer 1

no one cares welcome to the problem plaguing this country

Answer 2

Where the **** do you live? I've never seen that here in Hawaii.

Answer 3

A lot of people just go to work at daycares because it earns them a paycheck , and there own children can go for free or at a discounted rate. I have encountered this type of atmosphere at daycares that i worked at.  If you are a concerned parent, drop in and observe spontaniously.  The center shouldnt have problems with this. If it is a good center, they will encourage it.  If it is "shady"  they will not allow it or discourage it.  Go at lunch/nap time.  That is when you can see what they are made of.

Answer 4

I really feel for you! I know exactly what you are talking about. Right now I have 3 little ones running around my feet. They are children of friends that have become my little "preschool." I worked for a really great preschool at my church and it couldn't afford to stay open. The pastor wanted to help out the parents and kids by keeping tuition low, but the problem is you cant keep quality workers if you don't pay them well. A few of us where there with the low pay just as ministry and we had several volunteers. But that only goes so far.

If you can find a good "stay at home mom" that you can pay, that is what I would suggest. Make sure you know them well or they come well recommended. People that are in it for the money sometimes scare me. I have seen in home day cares that looked like they just warehoused kids, so be careful. Kids are our most precious gift, they are only little for a while. I have often asked people in your situation to start your own care. You seem like you really care about it and maybe you could be part of the solution. Good luck to you and God Bless.

Answer 5

I have worked in day care before and the only issue I take is your calling a day care center preschool education.  And although the lead teachers were often very qualified and professional - I nearly quit because I could not be a part of how one assistant treated the children.

Now I am at a SAHM, and I see a vast difference between the "preschools" that my child attend and the day care where I worked.  She learns more during 2.5 hrs 2x week then I saw the day care kids learn being there all day 5x a week.

The sad thing is in many regards "you get what you pay for" yet if moms could afford the more expensive daycare providers, then they may also be able to afford to stay home or to hire a nanny.  

And I think some women go into childcare because they think it sounds "easy" and it often does not require the same hours as working retail so they are home for evenings and weekends so it fits in well with family life.  Because the pay scale is relatively low the job seems to attract the really passionate (like yourself) or the under-qualified.    And the national "chain" day-cares are notoriously bad because there is not only a responsiblity to children, but corporate profits.

If you wish to stay in the field I would recommend looking for a state-accredited preschool that does not offer any child care , or a day care that is affliated with a non-profit organization (like a chruch or the Y), or perhaps try a privately owned day care.  (And yes, there are many women in corporate chain day care centers that are amazing teachers, but your changes are greater elsewhere).  There you will almost always find professionals that care more about the development of children.

Good Luck - kids need you!

Answer 6

Libby,

I usually try my best to avoid rants, but yours needed a response.

Yes, there are decent centers out there...but most of them are priced out of range for most working folks.  Those that are decent are VERY good...they hire good staff, pay them well, and find out quickly if they're there to just 'pick up a check.'  Once they find good staff/teachers, they keep them happy (read: money).

The kind that folks can afford that are 'decent' are out there, but much harder to find.  Most, like the one you described, cut corners to make to operation profitable...since preschool centers are labor intensive operations, the first thing that gets a tight budget is personnel.  Most of the time, you do get what you pay for.

Answer 7

Yeah, find a Montessori school and apply there.

Answer 8

I like where my kid is goin. you can sit on outside of class and watch as room is mostly windows, they have an schedule of everything they do each day, and once a month they have either a field trip that requires an adult for each child, or open class where you can sit in and watch. Its at the puyallup rec center.....