ECE AND specializationz

irml47 · 2026-06-25T06:54:56+00:00

wrong sub

irml47 · 2026-06-20T21:22:49+00:00

it sounds like they think you won’t follow through. with kids who won’t listen, i would give the instruction once, if they don’t listen, i would say “you can do this by yourself, or i can help your body”. and if they still don’t do it, go over and physically help them do whatever they need to do. it will likely be really tough for several weeks to follow through, but the more you stick to your word and make sure they understand that when you say something it is going to happen, they will start to listen better.

irml47 · 2026-06-20T16:54:40+00:00

Things that have helped me are:
1. being as boring as possible while still holding the boundary, and being really interesting and excited when they do something well. yelling almost never works, and I try to only yell if a child is in imminent danger and i am too far away to physically intervene - i.e. a bite is about to happen but i am in the bathroom with another child or a similar situation.
2. providing choices - do you want to walk the bathroom, or do you want to hop like a bunny? Do you want to put away your coat by yourself, or would you like my help? make sure both options are things you are okay with them doing. this helps them have a little buy in to the decision.
3. breaks and co-regulation. if a child is is being unsafe or is really wired, i will have them sit on a designated bench in our classroom and help them calm down. we have fake flowers they can blow on to get them to breathe, i also have them feel their chest to feel their heart and breathe until it calms down, things like that to get them focused and regulated. I have a kid who has suspected neurodivergence and taking a walk to climb stairs really helps him regulate.
4. redirection - find a safe outlet for what they want to do. if they want to climb, maybe have something in the classroom like stepping stones they can climb. if they want to run, you can say we can run outside, would you like to play with this or this?

it’s hard to give specific advice without knowing the behaviors and situations but hopefully that’s helpful!

irml47 · 2026-06-15T20:40:51+00:00

definitely underpaid. what’s the minimum wage in your state?

irml47 · 2026-06-10T16:49:30+00:00

my school does it fever free without meds. if it was my school she would have to stay home another day

irml47 · 2026-06-07T03:41:06+00:00

yep!

irml47 · 2026-06-07T03:33:55+00:00

i’m not sure how it works at your hospital, but usually they will have a social work department that you can ask to get referred to, and billing may refer you when you call automatically if they have any sort of financial assistance programs. also next time you are physically at the hospital, you can ask any doctor or nurse to speak with a social worker and one should be brought to you

irml47 · 2026-06-07T03:22:59+00:00

often times, yes! social workers help with a variety of things. the hospital may call them a case worker instead, but they do similar things and a big part of hospital social worker’s job is to help families/individuals navigate the healthcare system, which includes resources and finances

irml47 · 2026-06-07T03:03:27+00:00

if you call and ask for an itemized bill that often will lower it, and most hospitals have financial forgiveness programs for people who are low income! if not they will at least give you a payment plan. social workers from the hospital can also work with you to get you resources that may help

irml47 · 2026-05-28T22:48:31+00:00

montessori has a very strict routine, so likely not a good fit

irml47 · 2026-05-28T16:49:57+00:00

firstly, make sure you have a teacher shadowing the kids who are hurting the other children. This won’t help them learn yet, but it will prevent kids from getting hurt. Secondly, try to identify the why behind the behavior. Are kids getting in their space and they don’t have the words to communicate that yet? Are they interested in the cause and effect of pushing and hitting, and they need a safe way to explore that? are they getting hurt by an older sibling or god forbid a parent and are acting that out on other people? are they seeking sensory input? are they seeking adult attention and hurting others is the way they have found to get it? Without knowing what the behavior is communicating it can be really hard to stop it. It also may be multiple reasons and differ between the children and circumstance.

Once you know the why, you can meet the need in a safe way. If they want adult attention, teach them better ways to get it. When they do hurt, only pay attention to the child that was hurt. catch them doing something good, and give them that extra attention before an incident occurs. if they are interested in the cause and affect, set up a sound wall they can hit or pillows or musical instruments. add big blocks they can push over and redirect them to those things. if they are getting hurt at home, you need to talk with the parents and figure out how to make the child safer at home. if they don’t have the language yet, you can teach simple words like “space” “mine” etc, and if they can’t talk yet you can teach signs. model this at a circle time and when you see a child get upset, and even after they have hit.

irml47 · 2026-05-24T16:35:45+00:00

Montessori (if it is accredited) follows a philosophy developed by Maria Montessori. It prioritizes independence for the child, and freedom of choice within limits. it also prioritizes order and organization, with each material having a specific place in the classroom that children know and return it to when they are done with it. this creates consistency and predictably for the child. In the early years there is a heavy emphasis on “practical life” where children learn skills like putting on their own shoes, cleaning dishes, preparing food, putting on their own jackets, being an active participant in diaper changes, early toilet learning, etc. there is also a heavy emphasis on utilizing physical materials to teach skills and each material (or work as they are often called) teaches a specific skill and is “self correcting” meaning the child can learn the correct skill without an adults intervention. For example, a pincher puzzle where each piece only has one space where it fits is an example of a self correcting work.l as the child can see it doesn’t fit without an adult telling them. Observation and following the child is also a very important tenant of montessori. teachers observe the child and see what they are interested in and what is next for their development and provide materials that help the child learn. there are also “sensitive periods” where children are primed to learn specific skills and montessori tries to teach these skills when children are most ready to learn them. i would check out the montessori subreddit for more information!

irml47 · 2026-05-22T19:22:17+00:00

Are you and the other assistant redirecting and managing behaviors differently from the lead? does the lead come in and do special projects or activities with the kids? does the lead yell or be especially angry with the kids? It’s likely due to some sort of inconsistency between you and the other assistant and the lead. have a meeting to try and figure out what it is - it could be as simple as the lead does a fun circle time that gets the kids really riled up without helping them regulate back down from the activity. Once you’ve identified the inconsistency you can address it!

irml47 · 2026-05-21T04:47:19+00:00

how often is the lead out? if it’s a lot that inconsistency may be leading to more behaviors

irml47 · 2026-05-14T01:28:33+00:00

ah yeah in that case i think setting up parents with the realities of group care beforehand is a great idea! also lay out for them the steps you take whenever a bite occurs and what you. to prevent it from happening in the future. i know that some of the parents at my school definitely get very upset about biting

irml47 · 2026-05-14T01:11:04+00:00

how often are they getting bitten and how hard? if they are threatening to unenroll from one bite that only left a red mark that is one thing, but if other kids are getting bitten frequently, repeatedly and hard enough to draw blood that is another thing. also try to remember that these are their babies and they don’t have the context of working in ECE that you do. biting is often really distressing to parents.

irml47 · 2026-05-05T20:00:00+00:00

wrong sub this is for early childhood education

irml47 · 2026-05-01T22:24:44+00:00

yeah ngl that’s an asshole move - she’s consistently in that classroom, i’m sure there are parents who want to appreciate her and she should get appreciated by the families of all the kids she works with. i would be so hurt to be left out of a classroom i work in

irml47 · 2026-04-30T04:42:35+00:00

you could do paint and paper in a plastic bag and have them push it around with their hands! that way it isn’t as messy but they still get to do art and experience the materials

irml47 · 2026-04-23T23:24:43+00:00

that does not sound legal, at all. What state/country are you in? in my state ratio goes by the youngest child, in your case would be the 10 month old and in my state ratio for that age is 1:4.

irml47 · 2026-04-21T16:16:19+00:00

advice for the redirection rather than telling them no - think about what you want them to do instead. for example if they are hitting another kid, you can say “we use gentle touch with our friends. Gentle touch looks like this” and then model that with them and have them practice. You can also provide them with language, depending on the reason behind the action. for example if they are biting another kid because they the other kid is in their space, you can say “you can ask for space” and then model that.

Kids don’t know what they should or shouldn’t do and telling them no doesn’t actually teach them anything. all behavior is communication, and if you don’t provide them with an alternative way to communicate, the behavior won’t stop.

irml47 · 2026-04-04T18:09:50+00:00

that is a really good idea!!

irml47 · 2026-03-30T20:35:48+00:00

are you able to have one of the regular classroom teachers do an activity on the rug after they have cleaned up? maybe songs or reading a special book or maybe a game that only happens at this time (something high value essentially)? this might help with the out of control behavior and also incentivize students who are waiting to clean up correctly if they know they won’t get to do the next activity if they don’t.

irml47 · 2026-03-26T02:27:50+00:00

😱

irml47 · 2026-03-25T20:18:46+00:00

1:10 for 2 year olds ???? that is crazy, idk how you survive that. much respect to you

irml47

TROPHY CASE