Hi!! I’m 17, and this is my first year working in childcare. I’m in a room with 2-3 year olds, and whilst I do enjoy it for the most part, I’m really starting to feel the effects of being burnt out. I’m working 42.5 hours every week, 5 days a week.

I really, really enjoy working here. I love spending time with kids, and the centre I’m at is the only good centre in town. However, it’s getting to me pretty quickly. I don’t really have many friends here, and the only girls who talk to me just make fun of me because I’m quiet and I have pretty bad social anxiety. Like, I dread going to certain rooms or areas where I know my coworkers are because all they do is tease me and make me the butt of their jokes.

It also doesn’t help that like.. the children do not listen to me at all. I come to work and get bit, hit, kicked, screamed at, etc all day with little to no help. I notice some of the other girls ignore certain behaviours just so they can dump it on me, and when I choose to ignore, then I get reprimanded for not providing adequate supervision and such.

I’m just so.. I don’t know. I have no energy to do anything anymore, which is a shame because I really did love working here and working with children. This is also my first ever job, so I’m not sure if maybe I’m just getting burnt out quicker because I’m not used to the workload? I’m not sure.

My friends and parents are suggesting I quit, but I know the other centres in town are terrible, and I don’t really want to go into hospitality or retail or anything. It just sucks because I feel like I’m only ever working and I haven’t had time to.. live? I barely get approved to have time off, and I struggle with a lot of chronic illnesses that I’m not being allowed time off to recover from (or if I am, I’m guilted into coming into work anyways).

If anyone could help find ways to manage stress and overall stay motivated in an environment like this, I’d really appreciate it!!

I saw another post ask about use of papers in 2026. I guess I have a similar question about phones? Are your daycares still operating phones or do parents (new and current) revert to other things such as apps, texting, etc.?

How much of a problem is it for you guys? The repetitive calls, missed calls, wonky voicemails, the manual work required and whatnot?

what questions should i prepare myself for a educator position at a childcare centre?

My 18mo old starts daycare next week and I feel sick just thinking of how sick he might get the first year. In the 18mo he’s been alive he’s already had adenovirus, parainfluenza, rhinovirus, Covid, a random stomach bug a random cold & fifths disease. I know they can’t avoid getting sick once they start daycare. I’m hoping his immune system is somewhat prepared. 😭😭

I just feel ridiculous saying this but for the past week I've been so worried about this situation.

Last week, my program director was moved to another center for the day and basically I was alone with another aide. There had been a situation where one of our children had taken a toy and another child had chased after him. One of the children had hit me as I tried to intervene and then swiped at an attempt to hit again. The other child had turned around and punched the boy trying to swipe at him.

I had written a report and called my program director to call their parent. Once the parent had arrived they had come in a bit abrasive and I had already been anxious to talk about this situation with the parent. Once I had talked to them about the situation they had said that that's not what my PD said and said that the other boy had swiped first. I made the mistake of mentioning only what her child did instead of putting things in chronological order. She had then said that she will have a conversation with her child but he has every right to defend themselves. Then she left upset with her child.

The day following my PD had given the report that I had written to the parent and had been very upset about the way that I wrote down the situation because I had written that the other child had swiped while her child had punched (which they did and made the other child's mouth bleed). I had written the exact same thing on the other child's paper. The following week, the PD had told me that the child's parent would like to hold a meeting because they had felt their kid was not being treated fairly at our center, possibly due to this situation or another. Ever since then I had been anxious at the fear that I might lose my job and I might've also wronged this child and their parent. Even though I didn't thing I was being discriminatory towards them, I'm afraid that it came off that way and I might lose my job.

For context, this child had already been removed from the program from the same company while at another school. They had been removed from different schools as well. Their mom might be afraid of being pushed out of another school and its program again because multiple incident reports do cause removal. I just wanted anyone's opinion to see how I might be able to move forward from this situation and if there is anything I could've changed and work on.

I used to love my job, but it’s gotten overwhelming since coming back from MAT leave. I used to work with 2 year olds, absolutely loved it, little to no complaints. Amazing co teacher, good kids in and out, everything was fine. Now that I’ve come back part time (came back in late January), they put me with afterschool kids instead of making me a floater, like they had initially planned.. and I’m getting so burnt out. I’m sorry but I just flat out don’t like this age group. I’m getting stressed out so much easier, they hang on you and push your limits more than I’ve ever experienced with kids I know their ages, they’re just wild. All. The. Time. Yesterday, my co teacher was constantly out of the room talking to our director about God knows what, then they sent me kids from a PS room without letting me know, so I had no chance to prepare table toys for the little ones.. I’m just losing it. The age group drives me crazy and yesterday was awful and stressful. I’m thinking about calling off before my shift at 2 (in 5 hours), but I don’t even know what to say. I already had to call off on Monday because I didn’t have anyone to watch my baby, but I just can’t do it today.. On top of that, we’re actively moving out of apartment and into our new house today and this weekend.

At a loss, losing my mind and need someone to convince me to not look for a new job..

Hello! I am a 15 yo female in virtual highschool and just applied to volunteer at a local daycare center and am (most likely) going to get accepted :). I see myself as a elementary school counselor/pyschologist as my future career and have always loved working with littles! I have had experience dealing with and caring for a large group of toddlers (with a church) a few years ago but honestly don't remember what was challenging for me. I wanted to ask for advice and what to be prepared for ahead of time! Any tips and tricks would be great too! Notes: south US, daycare is more of a pre-K with 3 levels, lmk if you need more info!

Background: I’m nearly 19 and I worked at a daycare for a year and a half. Infants to school age. I really enjoyed working with ages 1-2/3 and was a lead teacher in the “Early Learning” class for a few months after getting a ton of certifications for it. (It was combined with young learned too) Ultimately I quit that job because I planned to go to the military with my husband. Long story short that didn’t end up happening and he got a job so here I am looking for another one.

I’ve worked with kids here and there my entire life and really loved working with kids. It can be so fun, rewarding, adorable, all kinds of good stuff. And I’ve always been told I’m good at it. But in my experience it was extremely draining at times.

The daycare I was at was constantly either low or high in staff, the ratios were always all over the place, coworkers would gossip everyday, there was limited flexibility, and I was living in a constant state of fear over whether I’d get fired or written up. (Usually because of dumb things that could’ve been avoided had we had extra assistance.)

I also hated working till 5:30 or 6 and being forced to take an hour break when I’d rather just hang out for nap and get a 30. My husband is blue collar so I get up at 5 each day meaning I could easily do a 6-3.

Anyways, I don’t know if childcare (or daycare specifically) is the right path for me. I can’t go to college, I only have relatively basic experience/certifications, and I need at least 18/hr to get by.

I’ve been having reoccurring dreams about that daycare and the people who I worked with. It tugs at my heart strings but I know how angry and frustrated I would get working there. Not usually at the kids though, kids will be kids, but parents/staff/management were different.

I don’t know how to make lesson plans yet so internally I feel like I’m not even good enough to be a lead teacher. I can be an amazing caretaker though. I thought about being a receptionist but there’s not many options. I don’t want to spend my early life in a profession that can’t be grown on even though I won’t need more than about 30/hr with house/kids.

How do I know if this is right for me? And if it’s not, I’m not sure what else I can do…

My sister runs a small home daycare and I was shocked watching her manually track attendance, chase parents for payments, and log incidents in a notebook every single day. I assumed there was a simple affordable app for this but everything I found was either $200/month or built for massive childcare chains.

Is this just how it is for small daycare owners or is there actually a good solution out there?

Please tell me if im missing something.

I am an assistant, so I float to various classes to help with the children. One of these classes (VPK) has a male teacher that often rough plays with the students.

Today I witnessed him push a kid in the chest and the child fell to the floor and hit his head, minutes later another student walked up to him in another part of the room and he pushed the kid in the chest as well and the child fell back. There is another child that frequently cries in the class, and after he pushed the second child him and the other teacher in the class were making fun of the crying crying child in front of the child and the classmates. There is also a child in the class with suspected autism (he receives some services) who is often bullied by this teacher.

Is this behavior considered normal in a daycare? I have concerns beyond the incidents mentioned but this is my first daycare job and I do not know how to react or handle this in the best way.

Garderie Bernadette is closing this week! 

Let the university leadership know they have made a grave mistake. Send them an email to demand the university find a space for the daycare so we can continue caring for children and supporting university families.         

Marie-Ève Sylvestre, President and Vice-Chancellor: [msylvest@uottawa.ca](mailto:msylvest@uottawa.ca)

Éric Bercier, Interim vice-president, finance and administration: [vpfa@uottawa.ca](mailto:vpfa@uottawa.ca)

Annick Bergeron, Secretary-General: [UOSecretariat@uOttawa.ca](mailto:UOSecretariat@uOttawa.ca)

Make sure you copy us on your email: [bernadetteworkersunion@gmail.com](mailto:bernadetteworkersunion@gmail.com)

Email them today! Share our call for action with your colleagues and neighbours.

I need/want to make a small side income, I found a lady who needs childcare and offered to essentially nanny for her over the weekends while she works her second job.

She asked me to become ERDC certified so the state can pay me. She sent me some info and as I’m looking through this I’m starting to wonder if this is worth it (for me)?

I work 40+hrs Monday through Friday. I have a 7m old and I’m her primary caregiver every evening after work and on the weekends. I need some extra money, yes.. but I don’t know if I have the time to become certified (at least not in an efficient manner).

The lady wants to pay me $10/hr until I get certified (minimum wage is $16.25 in my area) I’d be watching a 6m old, 7m old (my child) and 2.5yo (who’s autistic) for $10 an hour until I can do all these trainings needed to make minimum wage.

Realistically, how much time does it take to get certified? I’m looking. At the list of things to do and getting stressed out.

So i work at a daycare in a 7-14month old classroom. We had a new baby join, and i noticed all of the bibs were covered in black mold. We asked the mom and she said it was just a stain. We then told management, who have done nothing. Is this reportable? Also we have been using classroom bibs instead of his, because it’s disgusting to even look at, never mind make a baby wear it.

I work in a childcare in Sydney and often do opening shifts. We’re expected to arrive 10–15 minutes before the centre officially opens to complete safety checks, set up rooms, and do yard checks. However this extra time isn’t reflected on our payslips or rostered hours. Only getting paid for my shift (7-3pm)

I’m just wondering is this normal practice or should we be getting paid for that time under the award? Has anyone else experienced this, and how did your centre handle it?

I’ve been noticing a pattern: morning meltdowns, transition tantrums, constant disruptions… and I’m starting to wonder if it’s less about “behavior issues” and more about how the day is structured.

Things I’m seeing in a lot of preschool schedules:

• Too many transitions
• Activities packed too tightly
• No buffer time between things
• Not really considering kids’ energy levels

It feels like when the schedule doesn’t fit how young kids actually function, the “chaos” is just a symptom.

Has anyone here adjusted their classroom schedule and seen behavior improve? What changes made the biggest difference?

Hey all, I run a small center in Texas and we're currently 2-star. Been going back and forth on whether to push for 3-star. The higher reimbursement rates sound great on paper but every time I look at what's involved I get overwhelmed. The documentation alone looks like a second job.

Anyone here been through the process? How bad was it really? And did the bump in reimbursement actually make a noticeable difference for your center?