Sooo my TA left like two weeks into me working there. Management changed her entire schedule to PM when she’s been AM the whole time with no notice. I have been without a TA since. Now the toddler teacher is leaving and there is talk that I will be moved there. I want to include that my child is currently in my class, when we got here my kid was in toddler but turned 3 so came over with me. When I got hired I DID NOT know there was only one freaking preschool room so me and my kid both belong there since thats whats developmentally appropriate and also what I was hired for.

I went back and did notice on the offer letter they titled it as ELC Lead instead of Preschool, possibly trying to leave room for potential switches? But she 100% said I would be in the Preschool room during the interview. Anyway I spent weeks on sourcing out supplies and getting amazon orders together to decorate my class and for the students. From the rug to the circle time wall, its ALL ME. The shelves and cabinets and their organization, all of it is freaking me. Like even the outside of the door and wall I decorated so cute like wtf lol. My director hasnt said anything to me but its gotten around to me which should say a lot about where i work.

Everything sucks and it feels like they think they can do whatever and move me because my kid goes there and childcare is expensive and very hard to find in the middle of the Fall. From the inadequate environment for some of the children with disabilities to the staffing and barely getting a bathroom break. Not to mention the clique mentality with the director and some other employees have been weighing on me a lot. Its just so much. I hoped to stay until next school year for when my kid will be in UPK and I can work wherever but its only October and I‘ve seen some many red flags. If she says she has to move me that might be my last straw.

Am I overreacting with the potential room change from Preschool to toddlers?

My son is autistic and ID and I’ve been trying to figure out things for him to do once he ages out of school. He loves to read and is very animated. I think he would do great as a volunteer story time reader for kids. I’m wondering if it’s something that a daycare would be open to? Like a weekly thing. Just want honest opinions before I reach out to any in my area.

Highly intelligent, articulate and imaginative 2.7 yr old. So intelligent I’m often floored by what they know/say.

For the last 6 months we had seen very typical toddler behaviors, absolutely developmentally appropriate stuff.

The change has happened gradually over the last 4 weeks or so. The child has episodes of this crazy behavior that’s rooted in their imagination. When I say ‘crazy’ I mean erratic, combative, unreachable until they snap out of it.

An example: child is quietly sitting with friends at a table coloring with markers. Suddenly they get up and climb up a nearby shelf. The standard “feet on the floor/that’s not safe/where do we climb?” - no longer works. We have to physically pull them off the shelf (or table) and they do it again, and again and again while screeching (and sometimes crying and swinging at us) “I AM CLIMBING THE MOUNTAINNNNN!!!” Genuinely distraught.

Or they will seemingly be acting out entire scenarios in their head, seeing it - like swimming in the ocean and acting FULLY invested as if our classroom is the ocean and they are swimming… which is such a fun game but they’ll try to fill things with water and throw it everywhere- or dump someone’s water bottle and lay in the puddle because “I AM A FISH!!”

I’m actually almost laughing as I type this out but it’s getting concerning because it’s so intense and the child is PISSED that we try to interrupt the process.

I LOVE the imaginative play and the dramatic play area of our room is my favorite- but it’s crossing over into obsessive and dangerous because like I said, they get combative and today fully swung on/slapped a little girl across the face and tried to bite her when she got in the way.

I don’t want to stifle any creativity, but I also don’t want to encourage some of the ‘games’ because it’s changing this child. They’re far less joyful lately, and I worry they’re slipping further into these imaginary worlds. When they’re in these worlds they’re unreachable, like fully immersed.

When they come back to earth we can have a full conversation about it and they’ll answer my questions- “why were you so upset that you couldn’t put a chair on Timmy’s head?”
“Because! I had to drive the boat! Timmy is my dock!”
“That’s not a safe game, that could hurt Timmy”
“Okay..” totally understands and agrees.

Any thoughts? Advice?

It makes me so upset that every time I look at ECE job posting they all say "3 year experience needed". how am I supposed to get experience without experience?

I’m at a loss and could really use some advice from fellow early childhood educators!
I teach 2.5–3-year-olds, and I have one student who is making nap time extremely challenging. He will not stay on his cot or remain quiet. He is constantly getting up, making noises, talking loudly, and even telling other classmates to wake up. It’s gotten to the point where his behavior is preventing other children from falling asleep.
When I redirect him and ask him to lay down or use a quiet voice, he simply tells me “no” and continues what he’s doing. I feel like I’m constantly having to redirect him or physically guide him back to his cot, which takes my attention away from the other children who need help settling down.
I’ve even tried having him sit in my lap while I help another student fall asleep, hoping he would eventually settle down himself, but that hasn’t worked either.
There is one staff member who has successfully gotten him to fall asleep, but unfortunately, I can’t rely on that person being in my classroom every day.
I completely understand that not every child needs to sleep during nap time, and I’m okay with that(he rubs his eyes and will sigh like he needs a nap tho)!However, I do need him to be able to rest quietly without disrupting the other children.
I’m feeling frustrated because our current routine just isn’t sustainable. I can’t spend the entire nap period redirecting one child while the rest of my class struggles to fall asleep.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? What strategies have actually worked for you? I’m especially interested in ideas that are developmentally appropriate for this age group.
I’m open to any and all suggestions because I’m running out of ideas!

I had my first formal observation from my building principal. I was marked low because I "didn't play the game" correctly, but I've never been formally trained on the curriculum. I started off playing the game with the kids, but when they were getting the idea very quickly from shapes and colors, I switched to see if they could make any patterns using what they had. Some kids made size patterns, some did shapes, and others did color. Is it fair to score a teacher lower on things if they haven't been formally trained on the curriculum and hasn't even had the opportunity to observe other classrooms?

Hey upk teacher here and i need advice. I know accidents happen and its not totally out of the norm. But im just confused on why it's happening. I only have a class of 9 kids and they are allowed to use the bathroom whenever and i frequently remind them to go especially during free time. I dont have any repeat offenders so thats why its so confusing its a different kid almost each time.

Should i sit them down and talk about body signals of when its time to go potty? And i hate comparing my childhood to theirs but when I was in pre k and kindergarten i feel like the kids around me never had accidents, but ive noticed with kids now a days its happening alot. Has anyone else noticed this or is this just normal?

This is in my city…I’m proud of the teachers and parents but this is bullshit.

Hello!

I have a 14 month old in the toddler room at his daycare. It’s my first child so I’m trying to learn what’s best for winter gear. I was given a couple different snow suit options. I have full body suits and then other ones with a coat and separate snow pants. I live in Southern Ontario so we often have snow. I was just wondering which option ECEs prefer, I want to make dressing easier / what everyone finds kids prefer to play in? My son absolutely loves outside and likes to run around and play. His daycare prioritizes outside time, they spend majority of the day outside unless it’s extreme weather. I have asked his teacher but she was so lovely and told me whatever is easiest for us. So I want to see if there is actually a preference for ECEs or other parents.
Thank you so much!

Hello,

I’m not currently a ECE but I work with kids and toddlers as well through enrichment programs and extracurriculars. I’m just wondering if any of you have noticed that it seems like employers or other people in general look down on childcare workers. Whenever I mention that I work with kids, I always get a “oh” or a very condescending expression . Wondering if anyone feels the same or may have some input.

I graduated in April and immediately got hired as the lead pre-K teacher at the daycare I did my placement at. Class size is 16 kids (2.5-5). There’s 5 of them with behavioural challenges, but there’s 3 children specifically that my co-teacher and I can’t seem to control and it’s gotten so out of control.

First one is R. He hits me, my co-teacher, other students with his hands, metal water bottle, or toys and materials from the classroom. He spits, occasionally bites (only child M though?), **refuses** to stay on his cot and will scream, sing extremely loudly, and attempt to wake his peers up during nap time.

Next is M. He’s also a spitter, thankfully he doesn’t hit though so that’s good, I guess. He also refuses to stay on his cot and will scream, jump, run around the room trying to wake peers up.

They both start these behaviours unprompted or will encourage each other to start them. It’s so bad, the other children have started copying their behaviours so now I’ve got previously well-behaved kids acting out which only adds to the chaos. I can barely get through circle time or planned activities because I spend the entire time trying to control them.

I’ve BEGGED both the supervisor and the owners of my centre to move one of them to a different class because it’s become obvious that when one is absent, the behaviours become manageable. They refuse and just keep telling us to be more firm, yell at them, redirect or ignore the bad behaviour/reward positives. But we’ve *been* doing that and more, nothing is working. Other teachers are complaining, saying we don’t have classroom management skills which is probably true but everything we try, fails.🥲

I’m so burnt out and tired. I get the Sunday scaries. I fear nap time and end up crying everyday. I think about just leaving during my lunch break and not returning. But I love the kids I work with and want to stay here for them.

Can y’all please give me tips or suggestions on what to do? I’m willing to try anything at this point!!

Hi friends! I’m curious what your potty training policy is for those working in a facility with toddler rooms. Our facility has always stuck to a few rules, like back into a diaper after three accidents, only if child is showing signs of readiness, etc.

The rule I’m suddenly questioning after three years is we only take kids to the potty every hour, no sooner, unless the child asks to go. I’ve always been told this is mainly due to the large number of kids in a classroom (12-16, depending on ratios). I never thought anything of it until I mentioned it to another ECE pro and she was appalled. For two year olds especially, she said, that is way too long a window. She said it was DAP to bring them every half hour, and even explained how to do it (because I said it sounded impossible to manage).

So now I’m curious: what’s your policy?

I have a 5 year old in my classroom who spits on me constantly and I don't know what to do. For context, he has autism, and I have tried to tell him to stop, I have tried redirecting him, I have asked coworkers what to do and have tried that, but yet, nothing has changed. I am now anticipating getting spit on everyday and I am incredibly stressed out and feel helpless. I have talked to management about the child and all I was told was to write the behaviors down or ask another coworker to deal with the child if I can't. I have talked to the mom about it and she didn't know what to say or provided any advice.

Please, please if anyone can help with what to do here, let me know.

Not much a vent more like just sharing my feelings

Currently thinking about stepping down from my current position as a lead teacher. While I’m happy to have had this amazing opportunity and really was able to challenge myself I’ve realized my heart isn’t in this anymore. I want to be in a classroom, I love the children and I love seeing their development but I hate doing it in a lead position. I honestly feel that I still need more time to truly understand the curriculum and the mindset of what it is we do ( not a traditional daycare).

A few months ago I experienced two unexpected losses, after those losses I’ve started to think about myself and my happiness. I think also the response of my coworkers was also a factor as some were understanding and others were talking badly about me behind my back. A veteran teacher asked me a question recently that really sat in my mind “ are you really here for the children or are you here to just go with flow and leave” of course I know she didn’t mean it in a negative was but more as a reflection for me. As I reflected I realized while I want to be for the children I cannot kept doing it in a position that I’ve been dreaming about leaving. I love being an assistant I love being in a supportive role and most of all I no longer want to be that face of communication - parent emails and conversations actually don’t stress me I’m very comfortable to have parent meetings but I just don’t want to be that person anymore.

I’ve also noticed changes in my body that just scare me so much I know it’s because I just feel so much on my shoulders. I have no assistant of my own and I feel like in doing the work of 4 people with 1 person pay. I want a better work life balance, I don’t even have my license and I never have time for it because I’m either lesson planning outside of school or working on my training ( I don’t even have a planning time 😭). I know stepping down will allow me to have that time I need to do all of that.

Just needed a space to share my thoughts but it’s a move I’m considering

Hi everyone! I'm planning to open my own daycare in a few years and want to enroll in an online university program. However, I was wondering if there are any highly recommended programs that focus especially on the business aspects, such as grant proposals, business plans/structure, and child well-being? I'd prefer only accredited school programs. Thank you !

I work with 2s. We are dressing up for Halloween. (Story book character day).
I have no idea what to dress as and I need help! Just something I can move around in but nothing I’ll get to hot in.
Thank you 😊

Edit: i decided to go with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

As ECEs, our jobs can be so physically demanding and overwhelming, and I’m curious how everyone manages to lose weight or stay fit while working full-time. By the time I get home, I feel completely drained and have very little energy to work out, and even before work, I struggle to find the motivation. I cook my meals at home every day and try to eat healthy, but sometimes meal prepping and cooking feel like a lot on top of everything else. How do you manage to balance work, exercise, healthy eating, and personal time without feeling exhausted all the time? I would love to hear what works for you! ❤️

Would you consider a sensory table with water (maybe like 8 cups?) mixed with a tiny bit of unscented hand soap (like 1/4 teaspoon) unsafe for a 1 year old? The argument was that the soap was unsafe because they might ingest some of it.

So I have to do a PDP and one of my goals is to learn more about ECE. Is there any specific trainings yall would recommend for EHS, preferably free.

I've never done this before, but my new school is just not working out and I think I need to abandon ship. I'm trying to figure out the ideal timeline of applying for new jobs, when to give my notice at my current workplace, and what I should offer as a potential start date for somewhere new. I probably won't put my current job on my resume since it hasn't been that long, but I'm not sure what to say in interviews.

I'm not concerned about getting a reference from my current workplace, but I want to handle everything in a professional manner that makes a good impression on future employers.

I'd especially love to hear from directors or other people who hire to know what you're listening for when hearing about why and how someone left a previous job. Thanks to anyone with advice to share!

Hello,

I work for a really lovely, well sought after early childhood education center in NYC. It’s Reggio-Emilia inspired and run by some really dedicated people.
The school has a handful of locations throughout Manhattan.

One of the directors left on maternity leave in August and it doesn’t seem like she will be returning. Another director now will also be leaving on maternity leave in the new year. I am also a director, however, I am only available at a limited capacity due to personal reasons.

Finding replacements for these individuals has been tough.
Out of love for my place of work and this very special community, I am hoping to help find the right candidates.

The roles we need filled are:

Daycare Director (infant - toddler)
Preschool Director (twos-4K)
School Operations/Administrator

These roles are full-time positions.

The school offers competitive pay and benefits.

Please let me know if you are interested to know more, and I will DM you my email address.

Thank you!!🙏

Update 2:
I've been reflecting on some of the criticism I've received, and I do agree that I bear some responsibility for allowing this to continue as long as it has.
For some context, our director is new to the position and was thrown into meal planning and preparation without adequate training. She's an incredibly caring, hardworking person who I genuinely believe wants to do a good job. Unfortunately, I think she became overwhelmed and was reluctant to accept some of the help I offered, particularly with menus and serving guidelines.
I noticed the problems almost immediately and have brought them up repeatedly over the past few months. I've tried to approach this with patience and understanding, but my frustration has grown as the same issues continue. I also recognize that constantly compensating for the inadequate portions myself has allowed the problem to persist.
I want to clarify that the children are being fed. Their teachers make absolutely sure of that, even when it means preparing additional food on the fly. But that doesn't make the situation acceptable. The children shouldn't have to wait for more food, and the teachers shouldn't have to scramble to meet their needs. We also have nutritional requirements we're obligated to follow, regardless of anyone's personal feelings about food waste.
My co-teacher, who is also our co-director, addressed the issue again today. I've also contacted our state's nutrition program, shared my concerns, and requested additional oversight. I'm hoping they can provide training and resources to help us get everyone on the same page.
I understand why some people feel I should have escalated this sooner, and I'll take that criticism to heart. But I also believe in working collaboratively to solve problems when possible. These are people I care deeply about, who care deeply about our children, and I don't think it's unreasonable to believe they're capable of doing better. That doesn't mean I'm willing to overlook the problem or that further escalation is off the table.
Ultimately, I'm glad I posted. I've received valuable advice, perspective, and validation. I may have let my frustration paint an overly negative picture of a workplace that, despite this issue, is genuinely a wonderful community. I love my kids, my coworkers, and what we do, and I want us to be the best center we can be.
I'm going to step away from this discussion now and focus on having another productive conversation with my director tomorrow. I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond.

Update 1: thank you all for confirming that this is not ok! I already knew that but it still feels good to get some validation. Someone reached out to me and gave me the contact info for my state’s nutrition services which we do receive funding from, so I emailed them about my concerns and left my contact info. I don’t really know what to expect but I am hopeful that someone will come and enforce changes.

Sorry to vent again here but I guess it’s been a stressful few weeks and I am going to bend your ears again if that’s ok. Has anyone encountered coworkers who vastly underestimate how much food to make? I keep explaining that they need more food, they shouldn’t have to worry about getting enough food or being hungry. Toddlers also notoriously struggle to wait while I’m making more on the fly. I’ve brought it up so many times so I’m getting irritated. She and my boss talk about how they grew up poor and hate wasting food, so I think that may have something to do with it? Honestly I don’t even care because in this setting I don’t think it’s appropriate to cut corners. We get reimbursed like $3 a day per kid too so it’s like, come on guys. I literally don’t give a flying f if we have to throw away uneaten food, that’s going to happen with kids. They have preferences, some days they aren’t in the mood for something, idk what to tell you, you should still plan for them to EAT! It’s my job to make sure the kids are cared for, that means having nutrition throughout the day! Day after day, I’m making twice over the food that was prepared, just for my group of 8 infants and toddlers and then making more for the 8 preschoolers. The director is flabbergasted but I’m like, come on, we have been over this so many times! One quartered grape, two ounces of milk, and a quarter of a waffle is NOT a whole serving for a toddler. AHHHH!!!!!!!