Day Care Provider

Day Care Provider

Miss DayCare

Charlotte, NC

Female, 30

I work in a highly respected, franchised Day Care Provider. I have taught in Toddler classrooms as well as Pre-Kindegarten classrooms. It's a wonderful and rewarding profession and I love every minute of it. I have become friends with many of my parents and they all ask questions which is why I want to open a dialogue here so I can be as honest and open as possible about your most prized posession's early childhood education and what really goes on in the classrooms and hallways!

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44 Questions

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Last Answer on October 19, 2012

Best Rated

How much is tuition at your daycare center? And how competitive is it to get a kid in?

Asked by BartBaugh over 13 years ago

Daycare can run anywhere from 250 to 135 a week, it just depends on where you go. Typically infant care is the most expensive and it tapers down from there. It depends on the facility how competitive it is to get in. In Charlotte where I am, the daycare industry is becoming to saturated so "competitiveness" isn't a problem. There are of course centers that I wouldn't recommend and they're even on the higher end of the pricing spectrum so you just have to tour a few centers and see what you feel best. I've found with my friends that have kids on daycare that whatever center they feel comfortable in immediately was the one they chose. When my daughter was born, and I was working in a different place than I am now, I wasn't fond of the infant program there (and it was one of the more expensive ones!), in face I wasn't fond of the facility and was trying to find another place to work. I placed her in the facility I am in now and waited for a position there to open up! I have found that the centers that are 250-300 a week really are all show and no substance.

If a kid has horrible, horrible behavioral problems, what's the furthest you're allowed to go in disciplining him or her? If it gets bad enough, will you kick him out of the program?

Asked by Chucky over 13 years ago

I've had kids in my class that were absolutely unbearable and there's only so many timeouts and trips to the director's office that you can give them and they still just don't care. That's when we need the parents to intervene and help us figure out what's going on. Sometimes it's a problem at home and they're simply acting out, a lot of times i've seen it be a behavioral problem that has been undiagnosed and once it's recognized and a treatment plan is in effect the behaviors get exponentially better. I have never seen a child be "kicked out" of a daycare center but I know teachers who have. In those instances they said the child became a physical threat to themselves or the kids/teacher around them. Like I said earlier, there might be some things going on at home that can cause behavioral problems, that it why communication is so important between teachers and their parents. I know it can be difficult to "air your laundry" to your child's teacher, but once we know what's going on we can help with the child's behavior.

Are the kids potty-trained or are you changing 20 diapers a day?

Asked by toozl over 13 years ago

in the infant and toddler rooms you are obviously changing a million diapers a day but around 2 1/2 years old we start putting them on the potty even if they are still in diapers. By three years old, in order to move up to the pre school classrooms, you must have your child be fully potty trained....of course there are still occasional accident but for the most part, they must be self sufficient in the potty area. sometimes parents get offended when their child hasn't moved up because of this reason and then we find out they aren't potty training at home at nights and on weekends. They're just leaving the work up to the daycare teachers and that just won't suffice when it comes to potty training!

Do you have a favorite kid?

Asked by toozl over 13 years ago

I hate to admit it but I do, there are always one or two kids in your class that make it worth your while to go to work! And any teacher that tells you otherwise is lying. I don't treat them any different than anyone else in the class, and in most cases your "favorite" child started out as your favorite parent/family. The parents you have the most communication with, the parents that treat you like a person not just a full time babysitter for their children, those are the parents of the children that become your "favorite."

What is the typical career path for a child care teacher (kindergarten and preschool-age) and what are the timelines associated to each step up?

Asked by Bunnz over 13 years ago

you must have an early childhood certification to be a lead or assistant teacher in a classroom. To be a "floater or teacher assistant, you do not have to have that qualification. To obtain a certification, you take a class (EDU 119). Kindegarten teachers have to have a bachelor's degree.

Do children you care for remember you years later and come say hi, or are they too young to remember you?

Asked by MikeR over 13 years ago

Some of my Pre-K kids remember me when I see them around town, especially if I have kept in touch or became friends with their parents after they have left, but for the most part, they are too young.

Do you have to be accredited by the State to run a daycare center? What sort of incident could get you decertified?

Asked by mortsaul over 13 years ago

I know you have to be accredited and receive permits for either a franchised or private in home day care. There are a lot of things that can get you decertied. One of the main ones is having to many kids and not enough teachers. I know where I work, our director and assistant director are sticklers for this one. Each age range has to have a certain ratio that you must stay in so you can't just slip out for a second and leave one teacher with 6/7 2 year olds. You must get a floater in to help for the few minutes you need to step out. The ration problem you see more in a private in home day care than you would in a public facility.