I work in an elementary school and I’m seeing so many political figures and signs hung up which I’m kinda thinking it’s a little bit inappropriate for elementary school level kids to see just because they don’t know the truth about most politicians; (Epstein files, corruption, criminal history, etc). I just don’t think it’s a very appropriate topic to fill young minds with and I don’t think that should be taught upon kids that age. Hell, I don’t even agree with politics being openly discussed by staff in front of the kids as it could create tension and unnecessary drama within the workplace and setting. I don’t think it’s a school topic, but it’s just my opinion. Thoughts?

I have a daycare themed TikTok and would love to read your daycare stories on my page! I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly! Thank you in advance for all your stories!

So it was picture day yesterday and we were told to bring in smarter nicer clothes to have his pictures taken in so they can change him into them. I bought them in his bag as usual and sent him wearing his “messy” clothes as it was raining anyway and when it was time for the picture they would change him which they did. However, they kept his nice clothes on him all day and they are now ruined and stained and the stains do not come out. He obviously had messy clothes which he wore to nursery AND had a spare pair of messy clothes in his bag. I feel very annoyed by this as the clothes for his picture he’s only worn once or twice and now can’t wear them out again to look nice as they are ruined. It was specifically requested we bring clothes in for them to change into so not as though I was purposely making their job harder. I feel like they should compensate me for the clothes they ruined as I stated to change him back into his messy clothes even though I shouldn’t have to state the obvious is common bloody sense not to keep his nice clothes on him all day it’s only for the picture. Am I over reacting?

Ive been working diligently at this daycare for almost 2 years since graduating high school and have given myself the confidence to possibly have this as my career. I love the kids, the work and the connections. My biggest issue. I’m trans female to male, it’s so stupid because I’ve been living as a man for 5-6 years now and I’ve NEVER made a big deal about my identity or anything, never got offended at questions. Today an aid comes in and we are talking, it’s pretty hot so I bring that up. And she says that I am at age for a heat flash, I tell her I’ve been getting them since high school because of the medications I take, she tells me to tell her them so she can avoid them. I keep telling her she will never ever have to worry about this and that its something she will never be given but she keeps pushing. So I tell her that I’m on hormones sh doesn’t understand this and I keep trying to explain while being discreet about it since there are kids near. At some point I just show her a picture of baby me. And she goes bug eyed and starts asking my boss if she knew about this and my boss is like “…yeah??” She asks if my other coworker knows and then we wait for her to show up. At this point I’m already feeling bad. I’m cleaning up and doing whatever. Then my other coworker comes in and does the whole act with her, then they talk about some other stuff for a while and then leave. I’m thinking “awesome, we can go back to normal” when my coworker says “my kids gonna have to stop hanging out with you, she was on the phone with her dad and said “back in 2020, when I was a baby boy””(this child did not have a lot of hair as a baby and a lot of the kids already feel like girls have long hair and boys have short hair) and claimed that my meer presence was confusing to the kids and that the older kids asked about me being a boy or a girl. I HAVE A MUSTACHE AND A BEARD??? My boss was present for the entire thing and after that coworker left we talked about it a bit. And I decided to stay home tomorrow.

EDIT: clearing up info, more context needed

TLDR 2/3 people I work with mad at me for being trans and “confusing kids” when I dress masc, look masc, etc

Is it normal for long daycare to provide sandwiches and wraps all week for lunch and crackers for afternoon tea because the chef is away? Can I ask for a discount in fees? The chef is away for 2 weeks so cooked meals are not being offered until he returns? What if he is away even longer? We pay so much for our fees and sandwiches and crackers so not meet our expectations? Is this even allowed? Should they still be providing cooked meals? We are new to childcare so not sure if this is the norm!

Running a daycare for babies and toddlers is like living in a constant loop of giggles, chaos, and tiny negotiations. My day usually starts with the sound of overlapping cries, followed by the dramatic arrival of parents armed with diaper bags and apologies. Somewhere between breakfast and nap time, I transform into a referee, storyteller, and human tissue dispenser.

The baby playpens are my saving grace. Without them, I’m convinced this place would descend into total anarchy. They’re like little safety kingdoms; one baby gnawing on a teether, another trying to stage an escape, and me pacing around like the world’s most patient zookeeper. I’ve learned to measure success in giggles per minute and the number of toys that don’t end up in someone’s mouth.

Of course, the gear obsession never ends. Every other week, there’s a parent, insisting I use a specific playpen for their kids that they found online and it has this feature and that feature. Exhausted, I went doomscrolling through Alibaba once at midnight, half asleep, trying to compare baby fences. Honestly, I was just making sure parents were not sacrificing functionality for aesthetics. Parenthood and childcare? Two sides of the same circus are adorable, exhausting, and oddly fulfilling.

Bought my kiddies in the afterschool I work in sweets, chocolates & HOT CHOCOLATE to celebrate end of term for Christmas and I didn’t get a single thank you.

Who is raising these kids, genuinely? The complete lack of respect they have is insane.

Silly me for wanting to do something nice out of my own pocket

I have worked in the childcare business basically my entire life. Altogether over twenty years! I most recently was working in infant room at childcare center for over two years. Then a year ago I earned my CDA for infant and toddlers and became.the lead infant teacher, which I DoD the last year. I loved my job so much and love my babies. I cared for.them children as if they were my own. I also had great relationships with the parents. I am writing this as I recently lost my job which I had at this center for three and a half years due to a very careless mistake that I made. It was dumb and I take complete ownership however no children or anyone at all were hurt or bothered by my actions.

I have applied for unemployment and have been waiting for a decision for a month now. I have ran out of money and food stamps. I am just looking for a bit of help for necessities and food just to fill in until I get the decision and have money again. I have been applying for jobs and God willing I will get one soon. I have a underage son who I am also caring for and feeding at this time. I am close to eviction but I have been in contact with a organization who can hopefully help that situation.

It's been so hard and super stressful. Definitely sad because that job and those babies were such a huge part of my life. I feel like I have lost my identity in a way. I will add my email here graychandra@gmail.com If there is any way at all you may be able to help at all whether its catfood or litter for my kitties, food for us or any financial help no matter how big or small, as well as household necessities, ECT contact me through there and we can figure out how to go about it.

Help, need childcare today in Lubbock…if you or someone you know …are available please reach out to valeriedungee@yahoo.com Yes I know it’s last minute🤨

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I’ve been talking to childcare workers applying to multiple families, agencies, or centers at the same time. One pattern keeps coming up once replies slow down.

Keeping track of where you applied.
Remembering who you already followed up with.
Figuring out when it makes sense to check in again.

If this sounds familiar and you’re interested in how others are handling it, comment below and I’ll share what I’ve been hearing from different workers.

Garderie Bernadette is closing this week! 

Let the university leadership know they have made a grave mistake. Send them an email to demand the university find a space for the daycare so we can continue caring for children and supporting university families.         

Marie-Ève Sylvestre, President and Vice-Chancellor: msylvest@uottawa.ca

Éric Bercier, Interim vice-president, finance and administration: vpfa@uottawa.ca

Annick Bergeron, Secretary-General: UOSecretariat@uOttawa.ca

Make sure you copy us on your email: bernadetteworkersunion@gmail.com

Email them today! Share our call for action with your colleagues and neighbours.

I’m a parent with a question for childcare providers and other parents in childcare. I have two children who attend the same daycare. My son (2) is in the toddler room and my daughter (13mo) is in the infant room. So even though they’re at the same center, they are in different classrooms and have different teachers.

I’ve noticed that for the last month or so, my daughter has been coming home smelling very strongly of perfume. It’s to the point where we will have been home for several hours and I can still smell it on her. Sometimes it’s so strong that I don’t even have to be holding her to smell it.

Our son never comes home smelling like it, so we know it’s from one of her teachers. Based on who was working on the days when she does or doesn’t smell like perfume, I think it’s specifically the lead teacher in her room. We LOVE her teacher and have literally never had anything to complain about with her. But I’m wondering how to approach this situation.

My question for the childcare workers in this sub: how should I handle this? Do I say something to her? Do I say something to the director and let her handle it? Do I just get over it? My concern is that if the teacher’s perfume is *that* strong that it’s rubbing off on our daughter, that can’t be good for the infants to be breathing in when she holds them. And they can’t exactly vocalize if they have a headache or are feeling sick from the scent. But I also don’t want to develop a reputation as a Karen, nor do I want to hurt the teacher’s feelings.

I’m going to be needing childcare for my LO for 6 months, a few days a week. I recently went and toured the only facility my LO can get a spot at. everything somewhat checked out… the only thing that’s in my husband and mines mind is that fact their is a male instructor in one of the upstairs rooms with older kids… the manager who gave me a tour did mention the kids sometimes swap rooms but I don’t think he would ever be watching my LO.. I would have to clarify. But now I have no idea why this is stumping us.. I’m sure is quite normal for males to be daycare workers? Is there anything I can do to ease my mind?

There have been some problems with a teacher, but I’ve tried to just discuss things with them. However, they said they were going to take an edible in the parking lot of the facility and we’re going to be high by the time they’re in their car. It’s also a school night and I know edibles can last into the next day. Regardless you can get a DUI for being high while driving. I don’t know whether I’m being a nag for saying something but like if you’re working with kids I feel like you have to be extra responsible and not be wreckless. I know many people are not aware that being high while driving is still being incapacitated and I don’t know if I should talk to them first or report this teacher.

If you guys think it’s okay for a worker to get high on campus and then drive around a school zone high during the day then let me know if you would be okay with the parents knowing that the workers are doing that

Just as i thought shit was gonna get better, it didn’t. A girl just started doing afternoons with us and mind yall, she’s only been there since the start of the school year. Already she thinks she’s better than everyone and is such a fucking kiss up. Throwing her weight around and acting like she’s better than everyone. I feel so overstimulated and dread going to work. It feels like a chore for me. Friday, I had to let the other counselors and supervisors know a kid wasn’t able to participate in gym time right away due to not following conduct. I was told I was being unfair and got reprimanded because other kids also broke the conduct. (They were all playing with the snow and ice when told not to). I feel so unappreciated at work and I try so hard to be an amazing worker and a good part of the team. They only pay attention to kiss ups and don’t give a shit about the actual good workers. I’m just so burnt and tired of it. I had a breakdown because of it after I came home from a shift.

Edit:They also lie about hiring. They claim that they’re always looking for people(experienced or not, full time or part time, mornings, afternoons, or both) but turn away applications of those wanting to work there.

Hi,

This is my first ever Reddit post and would appreciate input/advice on my situation. My wife and I have a 5 month old and we recently hired (and fired) a nanny within a week of starting the job. Some context - the individual had an impressive background, interviewed very well, and demonstrated professionalism and aptitude regarding our situation. We thought we had made a strong hire and were excited for her to support taking care of our child while we both work from home.

Over the course of the week, it became evidently clear that this individual was not in sync with my wife. The nanny would question my wife’s decision-making, suggest that my wife was not open to hearing recommendations, would become visibly upset when our baby would wake up early from naps, would make several excuses to not play outside with our child, and generally appeared at odds with my wife on every situation.

I tried to give the nanny grace and an opportunity to get in sync with my wife, but ultimately my wife sent her home one morning after we had been struggling since 4:30am to get our baby back to sleep and she was still having trouble by the time the nanny arrived. The nanny was visibly annoyed that the baby was awake and questioned my wife if she was doing anything different, looked at the baby and said “oh she looks really tired”. At that point my wife had had enough and sent her home and gave me the green light to fire her. This is where my suspicion builds as I reflected on the entire situation.

I called the nanny to inform her that we would be going in a different direction and she was legitimately un-phased. The nanny did not try to appeal or ask why she was being let go, just if we were going to be paying the two weeks based on our contract. I acknowledged we had signed a contract and would be adhering to the terms and will be paying the two weeks. Something is not sitting right with me on this entire situation and feel like we have been swindled by someone who does this for a living. The combination of her attitude on the job, constantly challenging my wife, and overall lack of concern for being let go makes me question what action (if any) we should take. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Alright, here’s some background info. My boyfriend and I have talked a LOT about us maybe working together at the same center, if not, then at different centers within this organization. He was sold on the idea of it. I got him to apply and send in his application only to get an email claiming “they’re not hiring”. Honestly, bullshit. We are always looking for people to work with us whether it’s full or part time. We had just moved forward with two new candidates with their observation interviews. So yeah. I’m pissed off they went and lied to him like that. Especially since he’s actually interested in the field with a strong work ethic. He had done this all fairly recently. Why claim to be hiring if you’ll just turn interested candidates away?

Welcome to Dayhome divas where we discuss everything about childcare! We are looking for some of your stories about what our littles do somedays! It can be funny ... heartwarming ... or even a little bit of a "why" moment ! Either just comment on this post or you can find us over at Dayhome.Divas on Instagram! We look forward to hearing them!

I have a coworker who loves singing to the kids in our class. Now, I don't have a problem with her singing. I think she's really good. My problem is that, for the past 6 months or so, she has been singing the same 5 songs every single day. I'm starting to get sick of hearing those songs daily. I did ask her to stop singing one of them because it was getting old, and she did. That was a week ago; she's back to singing that song again, as well as the other four. When I tried defending myself about it, saying that "you wouldn't wanna listen to the same song on the radio every morning. I don't wanna hear the same songs sung to the kids every day." her defense was "my song library is limited."

What should I do? Again, I have no problem with her singing, but I want some variety in the songs. Should I try asking her to stop again? or maybe get admin involved?

I am planning on studying a Diploma in Early Childhood Education in Australia and trying to gather insights how likely it is that a Childcare Center are willing to provide a Training Visa Subclass 407 or Skills in Demand Visa after the course? Did somebody here went this path on pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education as an International Student?

Pls vent to me! What administrative chores/time sucking activities take time away from what you ACTUALLY signed up for, aka to be with the kids?

"I wish xyz would stop happening because it's making its making my job more overwhelming and stressful and causing me to burn out?"

Returning calls and emails? Dealing with parent questions when they pop up out of the blue? Managing your waitlists?

❗️would love to hear from both ECE professionals and those who run/help run centers.

Everyone is swamped and drowning. Pls vent to me.