I work at kindercare, I’ve worked here for about 2 weeks now and genuinely hate it. I’ve been thrown into everything with little to no training. I’m also pregnant, and they have me lifting children (not infants) and I’ve been kicked in the stomach multiple times. Is it wrong to just leave and not come back? I genuinely have no idea what to do.

My daughter (11m) is a preemie and without disclosing her medical history, she is very high risk for contracting viral illnesses and getting really sick from them. I’m immunocompromised as well. Luckily, my spouse and I WFH, but we do really want her to get the social daycare experience. We just can’t justify risking her literal life for it, and her pediatrician is very against it because it’s too risky for her.

Do daycares exist where staff are trained on how to keep immunocompromised/high risk kids and families safe? She got covid in January and ended up in the hospital, so this isn’t something we’re willing to be flexible on.

P.S. I’m also an infectious disease scientist so please don’t argue with me about viral transmission and “kids need to get sick to build their immune system.” That’s not only categorically false, but is also extremely dangerous for babies like mine. I’m simply looking for an answer to whether daycares for high risk kids exist. This is not a debate about what level of risk I should be willing to accept for my child or about viruses or vaccines (she’s fully vaccinated if that matters here). Thanks!

Update: I truly appreciate how kind everyone is on this post!!! I’m so used to fighting for my daughter’s health and safety to be understood/not minimized any time I talk about it, so that’s why I’m always already defensive whenever I bring it up. But everyone here has given truly amazing and helpful advice.

Hi all!

Whether at home for the parents, or for in the classroom, what early learning online tool would make a big impact for you guys? What areas do you think in early childhood development are lacking? What areas do you think have too much focus, causing disregard in other critical areas? This tool can be a better version of one that already exists, if you like!

Thank you so much for you responses☺️

Over the course of my 14+ years of experience in early childhood education and childcare, I have observed a notable shift in the composition of classes. It appears that there is a growing number of children who require additional support, such as testing or therapy. This trend is not limited to my own observations; colleagues from other centers have reported similar experiences. One colleague recently had a private meeting with their director to request additional resources for their classroom due to the high proportion of newly enrolled children with special needs or requiring extra assistance. I am interested in learning if other professionals in the field have noticed this trend and its potential implications for early childhood education.

Hello ECE pros- coming to inquire on behalf of my son who I suspect may be on the spectrum. I am looking for reliable resources or tips for navigating getting him assessments and/or early intervention opportunities in California. (NorCal specifically)

Any tips on how I can support him the best way possible is greatly appreciated. ❤️

My 3.5 month old starts daycare next week. It’s a daycare center and my older daughter is in preschool class there currently. She started in toddler class so have no experience with the infant room. The main teachers weren’t there during our tour but they’ve been there 20 yrs and I’ve heard nothing but great things about them.

Today dropping my daughter off I stopped in the infant room to meet the main teachers and talk about some anxiety I’m having about him taking bottles in preparation for next week when he starts. He was EBF this first 2 months but we’ve been trying bottles this past month in preparation for daycare. He’s hit or miss but lately more miss and absolute hysterical screaming refusal lately. Idk I was hoping they would ease my anxiety and say they’ll work with me to figure it out.

Instead it was basically if he doesn’t eat we’ll have to call you to feed him. I did enroll him a week early before I go back to work so we could all adjust. But when I asked if most babies adjust she said they’ve had some parents have to quit their jobs. This sent me into an internal panic but I tried to smile and remain calm but inside I was dying.

They seemed nice and friendly and they didnt look overwhelmed at all. I think I saw 6 babies and there were 3 teachers, the room was calm, but I didn’t feel like I got any reassurance which is I guess what I was looking for. Now I’m absolutely stressed trying to make him take a bottle consistently. At one point one of the teachers even said if you know they’re going to daycare we recommend bottles from the start. And I know that’s accurate but it just rubbed me the wrong way and I felt so guilty.

I can’t help feeling like I set him up for failure and I cried the whole way home after the interaction. The vibes were not good. I can’t leave my work to feed him and I cannot quit my job!

My daughter had an AWFUL start to daycare at 16 months (like cried all day, both her teachers quit like a month after she started, behavioral therapist meeting awful) and they would have been there to witness that so maybe their associating him with her? He’s nothing like her at all.l though. She’s my difficult baby, he’s my easy going one, like complete opposites.

I’m assuming this is a common infant issue, do these babies adjust? Am I stressing for nothing? Is my reaction justified? What can I do this week to help him? I want to be close with these teachers, I want to feel like they’re a part of my parenting team. Any advice?

I’m going back and forth between accepting a spot in a daycare for my baby who will be 4 months old when she starts going. I’m not feeling comfortable about it because she’s still so small and can’t really socialize or play independently.

The ratio in my state is 5:1 which feels so high. I’m worried that all they’ll do with her is place her in the crib all day and pick her up to feed her and change her diaper. I’m worried she’ll just be laying there crying most of the day.

Anyone here work in the infant room? What’s going on in infant rooms? Do they do 1:1 time with every baby? Or is it mostly what I’m afraid of?

Thanks.

We are touring centres to sign our son up for preschool in 2 years. I took him to tour one today that seemed wonderful, they have a splash pad on site and lots of classes, all the kids seemed happy and having fun and the staff were all lovely.

We are not bringing him until he’s closer to 3 so we mostly saw the preschool rooms. I’m already a bit apprehensive about sending him but it will only be 2-3 half days a week as a transition to kindergarten and after hearing horror stories I want to wait until he’s pretty well potty trained and speaking.

The only thing I saw that seemed strange was a teacher was changing a child’s clothes in the middle of the classroom, where we could even see through to window. It wasn’t just like a quick shirt change, he was standing there in just his underwear. Is that a normal thing in preschool age classrooms? To change children in front of the entire class and anyone who might walk by?

I teach day camp and dance classes, I would never change a child like that in front of their peers of mixed gender. We always separated boys and girls if any amount of clothing was coming off.

Hey everyone, I was an ECE in a daycare and left to work for the government but I hate it lol! I miss my kiddos and working with kids. I’m concerned to go back due to the salary though… I was thinking about trying to work in a school, is anyone who works in a school in a kindergarten classroom etc., willing to share their salary? I can’t find any info online, I’m located in Ontario

Hello lovely ECE Reddit community,

I am completing my master's in ECE SPED and one of my last assignments is to complete a "Master's Project," which involves creating a product (website, brochure, presentation, etc) relevant to the ECE world.

As part of the project, I am required to have a certain number of peer reviewers (i.e. teachers, paras, assistants, related services like SLPs & BCBAs) and then talk about how I used peer feedback to modify my project in the accompanying paper.

I did a PowerPoint presentation on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and using visuals and visual supports to support all students as part of a UDL framework. I also have an attached resources page loaded with a bunch of useful and handy resources (free visuals, activities, and further opportunities for learning- I was even able to upload some articles and studies I have access to because I'm a student!).

I'm looking for volunteers who are willing to read through the slide show, review the resources, and fill out an anonymous Google forms survey after doing so.

So far, I have one respondent and she got back to me with feedback within 20 minutes of me sending it to her (we go way back and she didn't care about being anonymous). It shouldn't take you much longer than that unless you really have fun exploring those resources! :D

Summer semester is quite short and I am under a tight deadline. I would be very grateful for any volunteers I can get! If you are interested, please DM me and I will send you instructions and links to everything.

Thank you for considering it!!

Just out of curiosity.. so far in the two years I’ve been at my centre, I’ve gotten: -colds 6 times -flu 2 times -pink eye -head lice 3 times -covid 2 times -bladder infections 2 times (from holding in pee and being so busy that I forget to drink water) -bed bug bites (luckily didn’t come home with me) -and severe back pain

Thank god I get paid pretty decently or unless I probably would’ve left a long time ago lol

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to start off by saying I deeply respect all of you and what you do for children. I have a toddler (24 months). She does SO well when I add a song to transitions/activities/daily routines.

I wanted to ask everyone - what are your FAVORITE, gold-star songs for daily routines?

Songs for - hand washing, hand drying, going to the potty, taking a bath, brushing teeth, getting dressed, putting on shoes, cleaning up, going to eat snack/lunch, nap time - ANYTHING!!

I am desperate to learn more songs! My speech delayed daughter transitions better and even attempts to say some words! Please help!

We are bracing for hurricane /TS Beryl my area was going to be effected but looks like the storm has shifted for now as a precaution my director closed our center tomorrow a lot of businesses have closed hoping everyone in the wake of this storm stays safe !!

I work 1:1 with a preschooler who really likes “creepy” stories. Think silly campfire stories that are dramatic but don’t actually really have high stakes, appropriate for a preschooler entering kindergarten in the fall. One of his favorite books (that we’ve read over and over and OVER) is “Creepy Carrots” and of course its companion “Creepy Pair of Underwear”. We also love “Ms. Nelson is Missing”. I’m looking for suggestions in that realm.

He’s also interested in werewolves, vampires, cryptids, that kind of thing. Creepy is his favorite adjective. He has specifically asked for “more creepy books”.

Please spare me from having to read “Creepy Carrots” again 😆 Suggestions appreciated!

Anyone with experience in or familiarity with Abecedarian programs, please provide feedback. Thanks!

I put in my two weeks due to constant drama between me and my coworkers and my boss. This week is the last week and I’m absolutely dreading it. I’m so sad to be leaving my class. I love these kids so much and if I had my way I’d still be their teacher, but I’m moving soon, doing school full time, and my mental health is suffering. Any advice on how to emotionally distance myself so I’m not a mess when I leave?

So the parents at my center are terrible when it comes to labeling the kids things. They either don't bother at all, use masking/painters tape and sharpie so it peels off after a while, or they have siblings so we just get last names on things (ie-Smith only) or we only get first names (do you know how many Olivias and Xaviers we have?!) So I want to make a list of reputable label making services to send out to our families. I also make a point during intakes to beg and plead with them to label everything!

So far:

Mabel's Labels

Luvable Labels

Bright Star Labels

who else? We're US based BTW.

I run a small, in-home daycare. I am licensed, highly-qualified, Masters in ECE, and 10+ years in a classroom, please don’t worry.

A boy I watch is 3.5 and still not potty trained. His mom texted me today and said they potty trained this weekend, great! But she is expecting me to keep him in underwear and take him to the bathroom every 15 minutes??? Am I right in saying that’s crazy and I can’t do that??

I am looking to incorporate a treasure chest for my classroom, and was looking into what other teachers do to ensure the treasure chest is fair, while also not making any child feel less than. I was doing some searching, and it looks like a lot of people have negative experiences with having a treasure chest, which I understand and respect. However, does anyone have any positive stories about how a treasure chest has uplifted/ enriched their classroom?

My idea on having the treasure chest would not be to single any child out, or to tell a child they are unable to pick a prize. My theory is it can be a classroom effort - for example we have a jar we fill with Pom poms when I or my co teacher notice the children making good choices, being a good friend, or going out of their way to help someone. I was thinking once we fill the jar, everyone can have a turn to pick a prize from the box! The prizes I got are little animal squishy’s with the consistency of a foam stress ball. I also ordered some cute summer rubber duckies.

Our class just transitioned over to Pre-K and they are so excited to officially be in pre-k. I would love to give them more incentives and to feel like respectful and responsible children!

I also have an affirmation station in my classroom with a mirror and different cards saying positive affirmations for the children to say to themselves in the mirror.

If anyone has any ideas or positive suggestions I’d love to hear how you reward your class for good behavior.

My mom had just finished with college and has been working on promoting and trying to get new clients but we've been doing this for the past month and haven't been able to find any clients. We've tried Nextdoor, Care.com Winnie.com, Facebook groups promoting with flyers and we haven't gotten a single response at all. Today I come to this community asking for help and advice with what we should do and the most effective ways to get new clients for the daycare and how to stick with those clients so that they don't leave for other daycare (not trying to say that in a negative way). As of right now we're working on the website for our daycare and we're about to finish up, Im just not sure what to do afterwards because I don't want to be having my mom stressed out about all of this. If this includes paying for ads, I'm willing to do it. Please let me know and thank you!!! (reposting this not sure why it was deleted)

Hello! It was recommended that I cross-post this here for some additional advice/help/perspective:

My four-year-old has been hitting and punching. It was a problem a couple of years ago when he was younger, but it resolved. Recently, it’s resurfaced, and my husband and I are at our wits’ end. We can’t seem to find anything that stops the behavior.

It might be helpful to start by pointing out that our son most likely has AHDH (said by a psychiatrist), and he’s starting to show some autistic tendencies. He’s also highly sensitive both emotionally and to external stimuli. He had a major life stressor around November 2023 where he and his younger brother had to move to another state to live with his grandparents for a few months due to some health issues I (mom) was having, and my husband had to devote all of his time to my care. We moved up to where they were in March, and they’ve been back with us since.

We are currently living with some friends while we wait for our house to become available. Our friends have a 13-year-old son who has mild (I hope that’s the right term to use) autism. He doesn’t hit (although his parents said he used to), so I don’t think my son is picking up those behaviors from him, but he has adopted other behaviors he does.

He doesn’t just hit when he’s angry. It’s also when he’s excited or happy. Sometimes I can’t even tell the reason. Like, he’s started doing it at night when we’re trying to get dressed and ready for bed. He’ll run around my husband and hit him and laugh as if it’s a game. My husband will continue to tell him in a calm but firm voice that they aren’t playing a game, and it isn’t okay to hit, and if he keeps doing so, he’s going to have to hold my son’s hands until he calms down in order to keep him from hurting people. My son will continue to hit, my husband will (gently) restrain his hands until my son starts crying and begging to be let go while my husband continuously asks if he’s going to hit anymore (sometimes he starts kicking during this time, and my husband will also have to hold his legs). Eventually, my son will say he’s going to stop hitting, and my husband will let him go. That process will just continue to repeat and repeat until he’s eventually dressed.

At school, we’ve been told that he’ll hit a child, and, when asked why, he says it’s because he wants the child to play with him. There was an instance my sister witnessed where he hit a child, the child (who has been described as very similar to my son) hit him back, then they both smiled and ran off to play together. He’ll also hit because it’s time to pick up and a kid isn’t “following the rules” and cleaning up. So many different things. He’ll also threaten us by saying things like, “Daddy, I will punch you in the face.”

We’ve tried giving him time to have rough and tumble play. We’ve tried giving him appropriate things to hit like pillows or the ground or telling him to clap or stomp. We’ve tried telling him that he can give us high fives or fist bumps if he feels like hitting. We’ve tried taking things away or denying privileges. We’ve tried timeouts (we’re still in the room, he just sits by himself in a chair). We’ve tried praising when he gets frustrated and chooses to do something different other than hit.

He doesn’t seem to have trouble communicating or talking. His teachers have noted no delays in that area, and they’ve even said he’s considered “ready for kindergarten” in that area.

Anyway, we’ve tried every single thing we can think of or read or research or com across to stop the hitting. Even the things that are shown to not be helpful in the long run. I know I feel like a failure, and I’m sure my husband does too. We’re planning to meet with his pediatrician and to start looking for a child therapist, we just have to get some insurance things figured out first.

Does anyone have any advice or help to offer? Or just commiseration? I just don’t know what to do.

This may come across as a random question but I am looking for ideas to change my Facebook name to since starting in early years. I need it to be something that means I won't be found on their by parents but is still recognisable by people I know. I go by my shortend name at work so l can't use that.

I joined a Facebook group where spanking is a hot topic almost daily. I’ve been seeing a lot of people advocating for spanking, and to me they sound the same as people who believe the earth is flat. All scientific evidence shows the earth is spherical just like all scientific evidence shows the possible negative outcome of spanking and they still say “I know the facts and still spank.” I’ve even shared endless scientific studies, a recent one showing that brain function of kids who are spanked is similar or the same as children who have experienced SA, and they still claim they know and don’t care.

I know spanking is a generational curse, but it’s so frustrating to me to hear “why is my child so “bad”” after seeing the same person swear by spanking. I just want to grab their shoulders and shake them and yell “your child isn’t bad they’ve just never been taught any actual skills to deal with their emotions.” Within the first week of a new class I can tell which kids are spanked and which are not. Maybe it’s something that you just have to see the difference to actually understand? Idk but it gets me more worked up than I’d like to admit.

With summer, I have two kids in my care (7,9) Their behaviour is atrocious, rough, not listening, foul language, destructive etc. Their parents are very permissive and have never disciplined them beyond idle threats, it seems. This cannot continue, but I have no idea how to work with children who don't have some degree of respect for boundaries and routines. It's almost as though their window of behaviour management has closed.

I'm doing the same natural consequences the others get, but it just doesn't work It only amplifies their behaviour. I can see why their parents are permissive, it's exhausting. But at the same time, I won't allow it.

My best guess is to treat them as I would a new toddler. Structure, routine and consistency. Very little privileges until earned. any other suggestions? Terming would be my last resort.

Hi all. It’s been a whirlwind pregnancy. My lead educator in the room, ended up putting in their resignation, due to the amount of disregard and shit management has put us through. It was the last straw, when she got violently kicked and punched by one of the children, she went out and resigned. During the two weeks of her resignation, management blatantly ignored her. I reached out asking for support, as I am 20 weeks pregnant, and also was being exposed to violent behaviours with kicking and hitting, specially my stomach. I claimed how I felt unsupported just like my room lead has. The assistant director, was livid at this, and got visibly heated and started yelling at me by saying “You feel unsupported? Really? Have a look at this room, it’s disgusting. Your program is disgusting. No wonder you have these behaviours”. She then told me to step outside. My lead started crying, and then started packing up her stuff and pulling her room decorations off the world (this was all during rest time). I got pulled into a meeting right afterwards where they practically blamed everything on me, said I was purposely excluding the children with behaviours by mentioning how they kick and hurt me. I didn’t even mention any names when I brought up the situation. They then said my attitude was poor, and that if I spoke to her last director like I did to her, the director would pick up a vase and throw it at my face. Which was…. Concerning. Thanks for not assaulting me with a deadly weapon? My lead has since left, and they’ve stuck us with random diploma qualified staff on different days . Which isn’t a big help, no one’s doing our program and I’m trying not to stress over this job for the sake of my unborn child.

My ECE center’s enrollment is pretty much at max capacity. On our Pre-k roster(for the fall), we currently have 37 students… my classroom can only hold 20 and the other pre-K classroom can only hold 10. Management is dismissing us when we bring it up but the other pre k teachers and I are really concerned. How can I address this?

Honestly, I could go into detail about the amount of favouritism that my management team display to staff but that would be long ass story. Last year, I was in the 3 year old room, and new management came onto board in October. I had 5 special needs children who were undiagnosed but very clearly needed extra attention and support. Me and my other co worker begged for help from new management, and they dismissed us and said there was nothing that they could do as we are in ratio and there’s no official diagnosis that have been made. We sucked it up and dealt. Then, the next year, at room transitions, the directors wife was headed into the next room and was to receive the same group of kids I did. Once the children transitioned, first day, the directors wife was in tears at the children dynamic and behaviours. The director who once told us they could do nothing, got onto the phone to higher up and did everything in her power to get that room and her wife ISS support. One child ended up getting diagnosed, but she isn’t 5 days a week, but they provide iss 5 days a week to support the other children. I feel mistreated and like this is a major service of favouritism. Especially considering the director has a close and personal relationship with the educator in that room. Need some advice on how to address this ?

I have signed a contract to teach Pre-K (4/5s) at a well respected private Preschool(3s)- 6th grade school this coming year. It is a half day program with a traditional, kindergarten-prep type focus. I have taught in Reggio, Montessori-adjacent, and (currently) Waldorf programs, and never in classrooms older than 2s/3s. So very much play- based and/or developmentally-focused learning. I was pretty transparent about the fact that I do not possess experience in a more "traditional" learning environment (I went to school for fashion LOL) and was very surprised when I was offered the Pre-K room and not the Preschool (3s). Now that the year is about to begin- I do not even know where to start! (For example, my previous schools did not even use formal lesson planning!) Any suggestions and/or advice would be so appreciated- I'm so anxious over it that I'm about to walk entirely!

Hi everyone,

I was originally applying for a behavior technician job but recently a preschool reached out to me for an ECE teacher aide position. I have an interview with them on Tuesday and wanted to know if anyone had any advice for the interview. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, but not much experience working with kids

Additionally, are there any podcasts or videos you recommend that can help me get acquainted with the job position and responsibilities?

Thanks in advance!