Should I or should I not? Help me decide!(updated!)

[crazyme5kids]

I am jumping in here as a childcare provider. I work for a corporate center. In NY the ratio for a center (keep in mind the regs for home based centers are different here) are as follows: infants to 18 months 4:1, toddlers 18 months to age 3 are 5:1 and pre-school 3 years to age 5 is 8:1. We must have 30 hours of training for a two year period. I don't know if other centers do this, but I was finger printed at the state police barricks for a back ground check.

No prior training is required though. I think the director and the lead teacher must work with new unexperienced hires. Yes, right down to saying always do a head count. We never leave a newly hired person in charge nor do we leave a sub alone, until we know they can handle it. I explain why things are done (even if it should be common sense) and how we do things. I never, ever assume the person knows any or all. I do this even if they have experience.

Sorry you had a bad time TOV. It sounds like there were many things lacking at that center.

 

[MosMom]

Well, out of all the things this daycare owner potentially did wrong, at least she did one thing right.

 

[cgcw]

Because, tbh, that's all I'm EVER looking for in a job. There's only been one job I ever cared about and I got fired from it for a reason that, while it violated my constitutional rights, wasn't worth fighting a court battle over.

Then maybe this is the root of your problem. If you don't care about what you do, how can you give it your best?

There were a couple of kids in the class, that no matter WHAT you did, would attempt to gain access to cabinets. The lead teacher in my room attempted to keep them out by placing clear packing tape across the doors but not even that would foil even the most dedicated of cabinet-hounds for long. MOST of the kids were pretty good about staying out, but there were a couple who just could not be trusted to stay away. It didn't matter how many times they were 'reprimanded' or 'disciplined' they refused to listen and obey. And there was little we could do about it.

Clear tape on a cabinet. Just how long were these toddlers given the chance to stand there and remove it? Evidently long enough without guidance to be able to pull it off and gain access. If taped securily, it should take longer than a responsible adult turns their back for the little one to remove it. And, there are some children who are still very oral at this age and would have put that tape right into their mouths.

You missed one of my questions. What exactly did you turn the center in for? Hiring you or firing you?

 

[disneyjunkie]

Well, out of all the things this daycare owner potentially did wrong, at least she did one thing right.

 

[dmslush]

How many times have you actually been fired from jobs? If you are only in a job for a paycheck, you are going to have a hard time staying in one place. Why not find SOMETHING that you like, go to school, get an education in the subject and find a career? Life is way, way too short to just work only for a paycheck.

 

[Planogirl]

I used wonderful daycares too and two really bad ones. Both of them appeared to be nice at first but it became apparent quickly that they did not have their act together and I pulled DS immediately. It's probably good that you didn't stay very long if the place was so inadequate.

You know, some grocery stores pay pretty decently depending on what type of job you get. If you want to do retail, have you thought about Target? Some customer service doesn't require much experience while some is quite complicated but if you haven't done that before, that might be something to consider.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

A daycare center with no safety locks in a clasroom for toddlers? cabinets for art supplies the children can get into. Now I am
asumming....this is center based care ? and as such are certified?

Myself..can't imagine that would be accurate?
Now as a mother you should feel that,
it was your duty to report those safety issues.
Not report that she fired you and didn't give you ample training for the job.


Someones baby was left on a playground ? and you were not fired absolutely on the spot. Thats not an accident. thats wanton and careless.

When you are in charge of young children you should sound like Rainman 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2 minutes later panic.... Oh wheres John? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

2 minutes later 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Look at that I just trained a playground monitor.

Line up to go inside. again 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Ok screw it I am sure there all here.
SERIOUSLY? how do you not count a 1,000 times?














.

 

[Samantha]

Just one question, I guess...

Before you had your child, you simply DISPISED children. Whenever you had a chance on the boards, you would always say how annoying they were, you would never have any and that children should been seen and not heard. That being said, why in the world would you ever apply at a Daycare Center???

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Why don't I go back to school, somebody asked. Because I don't know what I would go back for. I didn't know what I wanted to be 10 years ago when I was actually IN school. I don't know what I want to be now.

I applied at a local grocery store where we shop quite often and was told by the asst mgr (I think that's her title)in the deli that she needs help badly. So I'm going to call back to check on my app on Monday and tell the hiring mgr that So-n-So asked I call.

If you want to do retail, have you thought about Target? Some customer service doesn't require much experience while some is quite complicated but if you haven't done that before, that might be something to consider.

I have done customer service in the past..been in retail since I was 16 years old. I absolutely HATE customer service but if that's what I have to do to get paid, then so be it. I'm only doing it for the money anyway. It's all about being able to put food in my son's mouth and clothes on his back.

Oh..and for whoever asked about where DS goes while DH and I work...he goes to DMIL's. She insists on it. She has a DS addiction that requires an almost daily fix.

TOV

 

[kristen821]

I know in Illinois the children must be able to get to all the toys including art supplies at all times. That may be why there weren't any locks on the cabinets. The cabinets may have been meant for the children. Recarding training where you in a room with somebody at first. That may be all the training you need. What else is there to teach you that you wouldn't get from experience?

To the op: Good luck job hunting!

 

[crazyme5kids]

I really feel the need to come back to this thread. Sorry I can't help it, it stems from the fact I love working with young children.

Where was the head teacher? Where was the director? Why was an unexperienced, new hire left in charge of a toddler room? If the head teacher had to leave for the day, the director or another person that had experience and knew the children should have been in the room with the OP. Sorry, but that is the bottom line.

The OP was fired as a result of her mistakes, but the way I see it is that the real issue is the way the director is running the center.

 

[swea_pea1]

I have done customer service in the past..been in retail since I was 16 years old. I absolutely HATE customer service but if that's what I have to do to get paid, then so be it. I'm only doing it for the money anyway. It's all about being able to put food in my son's mouth and clothes on his back.

This is a self-fulfilling prophecy alert! You will fail if you go into any new job with this kind of attitude. If you truly hate it, you will do it without as much care as your co-workers. You will be passed up for promotions. You'll end up slipping and say something really out of line to a customer, and you'll be fired. You are dooming yourself to failure by going in with this attitude.

One more thing about this:

Because, tbh, that's all I'm EVER looking for in a job. There's only been one job I ever cared about and I got fired from it for a reason that, while it violated my constitutional rights, wasn't worth fighting a court battle over.

The code of ethics that you agreed to when you took the job supercedes your constitutional right to say whatever you like, wherever you like. I work at a brokerage firm, but I'll not say which one because by doing that here, I violate the code of ethics. I am not permitted to post on my firm's Yahoo message board, even on my own time. Hell, if I'm sitting in a restaurant with friends bad-mouthing the firm, I can be fired for it. It's all what I agreed to when they give me my paycheck and I can live with it because I don't want to lose my job over something so stupid. But make no bones about it, I would lose my job if I had a blog filled with distasteful words or phrases and somebody connected me to the company (which wouldn't be hard to do since I send client correspondence with my name on it). It's an image thing. I am held accountable for my actions, in and out of the office.

I think you need to take an introspective look at why you're getting fired. Take the energy you spend being angry at your former employers and channel it into improving yourself.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Originally Posted by TheOtherVillainess
I have done customer service in the past..been in retail since I was 16 years old. I absolutely HATE customer service but if that's what I have to do to get paid, then so be it. I'm only doing it for the money anyway. It's all about being able to put food in my son's mouth and clothes on his back.

This is a self-fulfilling prophecy alert! You will fail if you go into any new job with this kind of attitude. If you truly hate it, you will do it without as much care as your co-workers. You will be passed up for promotions. You'll end up slipping and say something really out of line to a customer, and you'll be fired. You are dooming yourself to failure by going in with this attitude.

I came back to see what was up on this thread this morning and saw this post.. I 100% agree with you Swea_Pea1!

I had told DW Lauri (MeanLaureen) about this thread - she has been a retail manager for close to 20 yrs and has always been able to boast one of the lowest turnover rates in her company. I told her about the above quoted statement about only being in it for the paycheck. Her reply is "Good luck finding a job. Any manager worth their salt can identify a slacker employee that is only in it for the paycheck from the minute they walk into the interview. The only jobs you will be offered will be jobs where the managers are desperate for help and as soon as you get them over the hump, they will get rid of you by either firing you or reducing your hours until you leave. There are WAY too many people out there right now with college degrees and years of experience that find themselves unemployed because of lay offs or companies shutting down and if you can't give a rats behind about actually doing your job to the best of your abilities, caring about the company you work for, enjoying meeting new people and helping them make the most of their shopping experience.. well, you will find youself in a constant revolving door. And from my (Lauri's) experience, I don't even call people back for interviews that have employment histories of monthly turnovers. You better figure out what you want to do long term and change your attitude about what a job is and have an attitude that you are there because you enjoy the job - not that you are there just for the paycheck"

You might want to take Lauri's advice to heart TOV. She knows what she is doing and how the employment field works.

 

[Mskanga]

Just one question, I guess...

Before you had your child, you simply DISPISED children. Whenever you had a chance on the boards, you would always say how annoying they were, you would never have any and that children should been seen and not heard. That being said, why in the world would you ever apply at a Daycare Center???

I'm wondering the same thing too.

I might not have reported them, but I still would've been uncomfortable with the lack of training. That was a feeling that was there all along, Obi-Wan. I never felt truly 'comfortable' doing my job due to lack of training. But had I not been fired, I would not have known that state law says you are supposed to have X number of 'pre service training hours' before you are actually taking care of the children.

So you would have not reported them eventhough you knew children's safety was compromised daily ? now THAT is one place and daycare provider I would not want. Many companies lack of proper training and you have to just use your common sense and wing it , anyone knows that children need to be kept safe at all times , geez my 12 year old knows that.

 

[HoneyPooh]

Debbie--I was already leery of daycares after several incidents throughout the past few summers where kids were NOT counted and somebody got left inside a hot van to die. Now it would take a lot and I mean a HECKUVA lot to convince me that daycare are anything but a bad idea.

I don't usually jump into these threads but the above quote caught my eye. You were leery of daycares after these incidents, yet you still managed to leave a child on the playground? Wouldn't this have inspired you to count constantly? Not really trying to be mean here, but what if you had been a pre-school bus driver instead of a daycare provider? You could, concievably, have left a child on the bus instead of on the playground. With little kids it's a really short span from "Ooppss" to tragedy.

You really do need to come up with a plan on what kind of job you LIKE to do and find a job in that environment. Certainly daycare is not the place for anyone just looking to get a paycheck. You have to have a really special way about you to handle kids all day. I admit that I don't have it, so I would never consider a job in that field.

Sit down for a few minutes and make a list of all the things you LIKE to do and all the things you are GOOD at doing (not always the same list like in my case!). Then seek out jobs where a few of those criteria are met. It's well worth the time it takes.

 

[mom2boys]

How does a daycare become licensed in your state without safety latches?

 

[kristen821]

How does a daycare become licensed in your state without safety latches?

If there isn't anything dangerous in the cabinets they don't need safety latches. In fact (at least in Illinois) the children need access to all the toys and art supplies so that may be why the cabinets weren't latched.

 

[disneyjunkie]

If there isn't anything dangerous in the cabinets they don't need safety latches. In fact (at least in Illinois) the children need access to all the toys and art supplies so that may be why the cabinets weren't latched.

We have the same policy here in NYC.

We keep glue and paint in our unlocked cabinets. Whenever someone from ACS or the health department comes into our classrooms, they look inside the cabinets to make sure the items stored there are nontoxic. As long as the items are safe, it's ok not to have latches.

 

[dreamflight99]

Save the legal fees and put them towards your job search.

Ditto. Do you have any "special skills" or degrees which may make it easier for you to find regular employment in another field?

I'm with HoneyPooh too...and would have suspected YOU to be so much more vigilant than any "normal" daycare associate (given your fears, etc). I too, would never consider a job in this field. I LOVE children, but do not have the patience and other assets necessary to work around "pre-schoolers" all day, every day. I commend and appreciate those who do such work.

Obi-Wan Pinobi's wife Laurie is 100% right in her assertion as well. Most any manager worth a penny can see a "slacker" a mile away. Your attitude speaks volumes, before you even open your mouth or a pen (to fill-out an application). Do you enjoy working with animals? The local SPCA's are always on the look out for people (at least in So. Cal). There must be something you can do, and be fulfilled (other than just collect a paycheck), etc! Hmmmm..... What to do? What to do?

swea_pea1 wrote how this is a "self-fulfilling prophecy alert" (like a valid EPIPHANY!). Too bad there is not a candy factory near you (like in that LUCY episode) where you could just sit and do "line work" which requires little/no skills and no attitude, (negative or other), etc. Maybe a long-haul trucker, or even short haul? You are not required to have any social skills for these jobs, and/or be around people. Something is out there for you...somewhere.

Have you ever contemplated work at the DMV or POST OFFICE? Seems like you would be perfect for these jobs! But then again...there is a bit of "counting" required at both. Hmmm. (sorry...couldn't resist).

 

[Samantha]

Ditto.
Have you ever contemplated work at the DMV or POST OFFICE? Seems like you would be perfect for these jobs! But then again...there is a bit of "counting" required at both. Hmmm. (sorry...couldn't resist).

Sorry, that was just too funny to not comment on!! LOL