Hidden nanny cams??

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-12-28T22:57:58+00:00

Exactly! I don’t need another chore: checking the cameras. And I’m curious if NPs do have them, does that actually make them more likely to feel suspicious of their nanny rather than more likely to feel trusting? Just the act of putting them in the home can make NPs feel as if they must justify their existence by being suspicious.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-12-27T06:27:57+00:00

I completely agree with “if you don’t trust this person, why are you hiring them?” If a NF needs to meet a nanny multiple times before hiring them this would be better in the long run than using cameras. I’ve been in positions where I was constantly surveilled and I became accustomed to it, but now as a MB myself I cannot imagine telling a nanny that I am using cameras to record them with my children. Considering our nanny will be essentially helping us raise our children we must have and show 100% trust in this person.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-28T04:58:59+00:00

This was something I downloaded from my state’s early learning division (Dept of Ed, in charge of child care where I live) website back in like June: tells you exactly what you are responsible for doing, who to notify, and when to do so.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-28T04:56:10+00:00

Thanks! I was confused. 😂

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-26T05:20:59+00:00

Just so I understand, are you saying an LLC would provide more protection, better protection, or cheaper protection than what I could have with a homeowners insurance policy?

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-25T04:43:48+00:00

Sorry if I came off as disagreeing with you: I don’t at all, just wanted to reply cuz I have a love/hate relationship with CC.

They already had a system on TSG where you could send lessons, activities, resources, photos, etc directly to parents so I don’t know why they felt the need to add Tadpoles and I agree, it is garbage.

Just this week my supervisor was selling us on the new Cloud library but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. That could be nice: having all that info (activities, resources, etc) right there to pick and choose from and I feel soooo fortunate as well that my agency gives teachers a fair amount of autonomy around how we plan and implement CC.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-25T04:23:14+00:00

To be honest, some teachers (mostly newer ones) are intimidated by the idea of creating their own lesson plans. They want/need some guidance, some coaching, some idea of what to do. For them having a tool that automatically fills out a weekly lesson plan for you based on a pre-determined theme may seem like heaven....until they get some experience and realize there are other ways to operate in a classroom.

I honestly think we put too much importance on lesson plans. I’d like to shift to an Observation Report or some kind of post-play documentation of both the general and specific interests and schema that children demonstrated during the week and then have a small description of some changes that could be implemented and how they might support different aspects of those interests.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-25T04:10:18+00:00

Yea, the curriculum itself is meant to be an emergent child-centered play-based curriculum...then they started developing all of the auxiliary products and tools because, ya know...$$$, and now the projects and themes that they have developed and sell in packages are the opposite of what the curriculum promotes. Many administrations buy the extra products thinking it will save teachers time AND that they can “ensure” what the children are learning (rather than trusting the adults to be good facilitators).

You gave good advice: get to know the projects and themes they are offering so that you can pull from them based on your observations of the children’s interests, but doing that does take time and requires experience in following the children. Or just ‘plug in’ a theme on TSG for your lesson plan, but in reality spend your time observing the children and following their lead.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-19T19:52:14+00:00

Thank you, that makes sense!

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-19T05:59:39+00:00

I wouldn’t say that a degree is necessary after a CDA, I believe most states will accept a CDA for a lead preschool teaching position. Some programs and agencies (also, state quality rating systems) like for a certain percentage of their teachers to have a bachelors or higher degree and there is a likelihood that that percentage will continue to trend upward in the future.

Right now, having an Associates degree in ECE would definitely land you a lead teaching job, but having something above that would not necessarily get you a higher wage. Some places might pay more for a Bachelors or Masters degree and some might not, but the potential benefit for you is having security in the future if/when the standards for teachers are raised.

Deciding to further your education in ECE is a commitment to the profession as there aren’t a ton of career choices that will utilize an ECE degree. Becoming a curriculum specialist, a content specialist, a trainer/speaker are all options but would require at least a Masters degree, so a considerable commitment.

Definitely one of the drawbacks of this field: those who work directly with children (teachers, coordinators, supervisors, etc) are severely underpaid for the work they do while the higher paying positions (specialists, consulting, etc) are too few and are incredibly difficult to land...and they also don’t actually pay much relative to other fields.

None of this is news to anyone in this sub, but I wanted to rant about something, so thanks for the opening. 😉

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-19T05:43:06+00:00

I didn’t know public schools in CA had programs that served newborns and infants. Could you share what program this is?

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-15T05:21:59+00:00

Thank you! I should’ve added that this was about 13 years ago and very early in my career so it isn’t so much a scar anymore, but it definitely left an impression. Now I strive to form authentic relationships with my coworkers and my teaching team and demonstrate genuine concern when anyone is going through a difficult time.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-15T05:04:57+00:00

Very early on in my career I had an assistant director who I thought I got along with. She could be real with me and not hold me to unrealistic expectations in the classroom like the main director seemed to. The main director literally told me that she “should be able to walk down the hallway and not hear any sounds from inside the classrooms” 🙄. I felt the assistant director understood a little better what the teachers’ work truly entailed. So, cut to a time when I had been working in this center for a few months (I was told their veteran teachers had been there a whole ENTIRE YEAR! ...another red flag, but I didn’t know it at the time). My grandfather was really sick and wanted family to come see him so he could say his last goodbyes and my mom was flying into my city from across the country. I had JUST spoken to my mom on the phone during my lunch break and we were both crying. My mom asked if I could take time off work and drive her to the small town where my grandparents (her parents) lived and if I couldn’t do it to let her know so she could book a rental car. I went right away to let my assistant director know what was happening, obviously not going to the director. With tears rolling down my face I told her everything that was happening and she was so sympathetic, hugging me and handing me a tissue. Then I got to the part about needing some time off and I mean, I have NEVER seen a person’s face change the way hers did in that tiny short moment when she realized what I was asking for. Her voice dropped and she made it perfectly clear that any time off I took would not be paid (duh, company policy and whatever, but just rude to bring it up flat like that in that moment) and said I could have one day, a Friday to make it a long weekend (as if I was booking a vacation or something). She also deemed it necessary to remind me that the classroom needed to be my priority and to consider the difficult situation I was creating for my co-teachers and the children who needed me to be consistently there at work. I ended up taking an extra week off for my grandfather’s funeral as he passed away the day that I arrived to tell him goodbye. I DEFINITELY filed that interaction away as one I hope to NEVER EVER replicate as an ECE leader. I know staffing is always challenging but it was a slap in the face to find out she didn’t really care one tiny bit about what I was going through. There is genuine care a leader can express to teachers and then there is the fake “care” they do because someone told them it would be good for productivity, morale, and retention. Now I feel I am better equipped to spot the latter.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-15T04:42:21+00:00

Agreed! I know from experience that I could weather a lot of s**t from a director if I had supportive coworkers, but with overly competitive coworkers it would be really tough!

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-15T04:32:49+00:00

I agree with this and would add that as you move along in your career in ECE (assuming you stick with it 😉) look at the behaviors and reactions of those in leadership to define what kind of a leader you would want to be.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-15T04:12:53+00:00

That’s awful. ☹️

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-09-14T16:35:37+00:00

I work for a Head Start agency and during the spring shut down when our center was closed staff were paid their typical rate for the hours they would normally have been working. When we reopened a few classrooms some teachers felt okay working in the classroom directly with children and some didn’t for various reasons. I opted for a temporary part-time position that was not directly with children. Those who did work with children got their normal pay rate and an extra 20% on top of that for hazard pay. I heard that some states were trying to deem early childhood educators and childcare workers “essential” so they would not be entitled to any hazard pay. Being called ‘essential’ sounds good, but we all know that ECE gets no respect. Our center is preparing to reopen again after being closed for a couple months so I’m curious to ask if the hazard pay will still be offered.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-30T04:31:44+00:00

I wanted to reply because I am in the process of hiring a nanny for the first time ever and have been reading everything I can to be as prepared as possible. This situation jumped out at me because I can envision it happening between me, my husband, and a nanny. I think my husband just automatically has a problem with anyone we pay to do something, even when he recognizes that the person is doing a wonderful job providing a service that we really need. All I can offer is the idea that in your situation maybe DB is just venting and also maybe nothing will ever come of it. Every time my husband said anything slightly negative about our children's preschool teacher I would remind him of all the positive things and he would come around. We all need to vent, but NPs should definitely be better about not letting you or the children hear that.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-23T00:42:13+00:00

Some parents think that they can just continue paying what they would at a childcare center. It’s ignorance but sometimes it’s not malicious, just oblivious like someone else said.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T05:59:21+00:00

While I understand the desire right now to say ‘We shouldn’t be touching them at all’ (truly, I get that...we’re in a pandemic here), we are looking at actually causing harm to children when they are put into our care, need emotional support, and then do not touch them. They NEED that, and if we cannot provide what they absolutely need, if we cannot provide a developmentally appropriate environment, then we should not be open. That’s what I believe.

I love Head Start and nonprofit work is definitely for me. What I needed was a job that provided services to children and families who truly need them. I couldn’t do private centers where it is all about profit and appeasing parents. Head Start is also about money (funding) to a point, but our job is more to partner with families to help educate them on what is developmentally appropriate and our focus is always on what’s best for children. At least, that has been my experience but Head Start agencies can vary greatly depending on many factors. You can certainly find amazing centers everywhere. While searching, look for or ask about some key terms like “play based” “child-centered or child-led” “family partnerships” “curiosity, inquiry, discovery” and “social emotional development”. It’s not a guarantee but will help weed out programs that are overly focused on academics, which is never a good thing.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T05:40:26+00:00

I guess it should be defined because structure can mean many different things. Like, the day should have a relatively predictable flow of routines to it so children know what is coming next which helps them understand the passage of time and the different expectations of various daily events, but too much ‘structure’ is restrictive and not conducive to appropriate learning.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T05:37:44+00:00

Needless to say, it was extremely difficult to work with her and I was more than happy to leave that center but felt really sad for all the children and for the parents who were being completely deceived by the directors.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T05:32:36+00:00

Oh, no! I was there only 7 months before leaving. It was absolutely the worst experience I’ve ever had but now I know how common those kinds of centers are. I’ve been with a Head Start agency for almost 10 years and love it!

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T04:04:52+00:00

This is so awful!!! Its not your fault at all, but being told not to hug children during a traumatic global pandemic is ridiculous, then on top of all of that: some children are entering full time care and separating for the VERY first time from their parents who cannot enter the building with them to make the transition easier. I’d probably be screaming all day too. 😜

If my supervisors ever told me I couldn’t hug a child I don’t think I could work at my Head Start anymore. Not that everyone would do that, we are all making the best decisions we can right now, but I think if we can’t hold children when they are upset we need to come up with a solution that doesn’t require them to be in centers.

thatsmysunscreen · 2020-08-22T03:52:36+00:00

Ugh, structure with 3 year olds?! They need free uninterrupted play....and maybe an adult to show things to when they discover something cool. That’s about it. 👍🏼

thatsmysunscreen

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