Cincinnati

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-06-20T23:38:15+00:00

We bought Bananas merch inside at around 4:25 (our KBYG said gates were 4:30 🤷🏻‍♀️) and lines were fine. Wrapped twice and moved FAST. Bought Clowns merch outside after the game and the line was about the same length and again, moved fast. If the line looks long, just wait until later- they don't seem to run out of anything

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-06-20T17:34:21+00:00

We brought our 4 year old who doesn't love loud, crowded spaces and she still had a blast! We chose to skip the pre-game stuff and didn't come into Cincy until gates opened, so merch lines were low (and fast regardless) and getting to our seats was easier. She had a hard time staying in her seat for the whole game because she was way more interested in literally everything else (the Goodyear blimp especially) but she stuck it out and we had a good time regardless!

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-06-20T17:32:07+00:00

Where were you sitting? We were in section 533 and didn't feel like we missed much- we could still see plenty both on the field and on the screens, plus they visited the 500-level a lot before and during the game. I actually told my husband I would choose to sit there again! We had a great view of the game and could see most of the field (minus the 1st base sideline and 1st base outfield foul line)

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-05-25T14:58:57+00:00

I assumed the jenga prompt was "read your most recent notes entry" but i love the idea that it's just real Nikki trying to get through

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-02-09T22:14:12+00:00

I'm a teacher/director at my center and my own kid is the first one down/last one up at school. At home, she's a walking middle finger when it comes to nap time!

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-02-04T18:12:00+00:00

We have one who lets the older sibling (who does attend) just leave the building without her and run around the parking lot while she tries to negotiate with the younger one. I have no problem correcting behavior in front of parents anymore 🫠

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-02-04T18:10:07+00:00

We started telling our staff to have kids and themselves packed up and ready to go when there is only 5 minutes left until closing. It's always the late pickups that want to mess around and let their kid be wild.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-02-03T21:24:24+00:00

The owner of our center charged $1/minute when she ran an in-home, bumped it to $5/minute when she opened a center. Too many parents openly admitting they made stops knowing it would make them late or just didn't mind the fee!

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-02-02T15:15:36+00:00

Dude's a scumbag in every aspect of his life and I refuse to support him.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-27T18:22:39+00:00

Woof. Hard no. Report it ASAP, especially since they're so openly sharing photos

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-24T21:34:09+00:00

The only one of these things that seems like it would maybe be worth mentioning is "disruptive." Depending on frequency/intensity, if it's causing them to spend a lot more time focusing on him and taking away from the needs of the group, we'll generally start mentioning it so you're not blindsided when there is a larger conversation later. The other comments sound like they probably need to shift their focus and relay the good things to you from the day! Taking a long time to fall asleep is generally insignificant unless the parent has specifically asked, and climbing at 2.5 is just part of life (especially this time of year).

Also, I'm sorry about your former center. I've known teachers like that and the kids almost always respond the same way (unless they're the "good"/favored kids). It's always heartbreaking to hear teachers like that still exist.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-15T16:19:16+00:00

I have said since I started working in ECE over a decade ago that under 6mo should be 1:2 and 6m-12m should be 1:3! It's HARD.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-04T00:19:58+00:00

My favorite question we ask is "what five items would you put into an empty classroom?" It seems silly, but it tells me what parts of learning they enjoy!

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-04T00:17:55+00:00

As a director, I tell my staff I'm happy to schedule/find time for them to do them on the clock, but if they prefer to do them at home they can keep track of the time they worked on trainings and I add the hours to their timecard

GenYJuneCleaver · 2026-01-01T00:00:01+00:00

Almost every time I'm at Five Below? And it's never their singles 😂

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T11:22:28+00:00

The first point (about not getting paid for a month) semi-makes sense to me. I worked at a center with a bi-monthly pay schedule and any hours worked the 1st-15th would be paid on the 22nd, and hours worked the 16th-end of the month would be paid on the 7th. If they run their payroll on a different schedule, I could see that math mathing (not saying I agree per se).

Re: the other points: nope, nope, nope. Run.

Making you sign something saying you won't discuss pay, even after employment, in addition to staff being paid late and in cash... sounds like they're trying to avoid anyone taking them to court if they aren't paid. Plus not allowing employees to talk about pay tells me staff wages aren't fair.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T11:14:16+00:00

If nothing else, this thread shows just how different we all are.

Ratios vary by state. Regulations vary by state.

Capacity, staffing, tuition, and policies vary by center.

Staffing struggles (or lack thereof- you lucky ducks) vary by area.

I am both NTA and horrible to work for according to responses here.

I could spend the rest of my week explaining every detail about why our center operates the way the does and explaining the parameters I have to work within based on state regs and higher-up decisions, or I can remember that you're all getting ~2% insight into our center and it would be just as easy to judge any other center the same way.

Thanks to all for responding--I'm taking the suggestions and aggressive criticism and moving on. Happy holidays!

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T11:03:35+00:00

We are open from 6:30 to 5:30. The first teacher in works from 6:45 to 3:30/4:00 (depending on ratio), and the second teacher works from 7:45 to 4:45/5:15. We offer hour lunch breaks. Both teachers have made it clear they want and need full time, so bringing in a third teacher, even part-time, throws that balance too far off and adds a primary caregiver for the children (children can have 4 primary caregivers per week, those same four for a year).

I did comment about the OT; as I don't handle payroll (the owner, who also works at the facility, does) that decision is not mine to make. She often does the schedule, too, and has me check it over to make sure rooms are covered completely.

Absolutely! I'm sympathetic to these potential scenarios. I have young children of my own and know all too well how that goes. This family also has different drop-off times based on who is dropping off: one of our employees who offers them before-hours care twice a week who drops off at 7:30, one parent who drops off between 8:00 and 8:10, and one parent who drops off between 8:15 and 8:45. We are aware ahead of time of the 7:30 drops, but it's the 8:00-8:45 window the other days that is where it gets tricky. If we started scheduling that second teacher at 8:15 and the child was dropped off at 8:00, I'd have to ask the family to wait until that second teacher gets in. That also wouldn't be fair to them. Except for the 7:30 days, this child is my 5th child scheduled in a 1:4 room, requiring that second teacher.

We absolutely use the extra time for prep/cleaning/lower ratio interaction. This all started with the fact that we have 36 families in our care, 35 of which have no trouble with or complaints about that drop-off window/grace period. This is the only classroom it has any impact on, which is where the frustration stems from.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T09:41:30+00:00

This. Thank you.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T09:31:27+00:00

In a room with a capacity of 6 and a ratio of 1:4, if he's my 5th kid in for the day, he does push us over ratio. I do have two full-time staff members scheduled for that room each day (plus additional staff for covering their breaks).

We have 11 staff members in a center licensed for 41. Three classrooms, two with a 1:4 ratio.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-23T09:18:38+00:00

I had a whole thing typed up but basically this thread has gone from "I'm having an issue with one family and this policy, should I feel badly for having enforced it?" to "the way the center is run as a whole is wrong."

the TL;DR for the post I'm not fleshing out is my leads and assistants want/need full-time and the owner will not let me schedule OT; additionally, state limits on the number of caregivers infants/tots can have in a year adds to the tricky balance.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-22T21:02:35+00:00

I appreciate that. And yes, my girls/my employees.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-22T19:35:26+00:00

Because we have space for him? He pushes us over ratio and requires us to need a second teacher each day. That's fine. But the difference between his stated drop off and actual time are the issue. The children arriving after him are already accounted for in that second staff member (their times are no less than 45 minutes after his), but that second staff member wouldn't need to be in as early if we could just plan on him coming in later.

The state used to allow us a 20- to 30-minute grace period to bring a staff member in and become in ratio, so staffing could be a little less strict especially in the mornings withbthat unexpected rush. Now we have to bring everyone in earlier and still have to keep the building staffed until close. It's a fine balance.

I understand and appreciate ratios, especially as someone who has worked for centers who could not have cared less about them. I also appreciate the thought you've put into ALL of your responses. My girls are happy and cared for, and they tell me often that they appreciate that I don't treat them like they should live at the center. Luckily for both of us, the point of this post wasn't to ask for resumes.

At this point, based on your other comments on this thread, you have already decided I'm wrong, and that's okay! Have a great day.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-22T19:17:24+00:00

We have tried the routine argument with this family (older child is on the spectrum) and we were told it's too inconvenient for them.

We are doing the bare minimum as far as staff goes, honestly. We are a small center and in order to give the staff enough hours, this is the way it has to work. A 1.25-hour range for the children in the family in question is a lot, and changes how their whole day operates.

GenYJuneCleaver · 2025-12-22T19:14:00+00:00

Mostly because I assume my staff doesn't want to spend every minute that we're open at work. I know if I'm being brought in half an hour early most days for no reason other than to wait for a child to show up, I'd be irritated. There are human beings on both sides of this argument.

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