I absolutely love my job or at least I used to. I love the kids and I love some of my coworkers and I love some of my parents. I have been working at the daycare since I was 18 and that was eight years ago. I drive the bus to pick up school kids every Friday and any other time that my director needs me to, I take payments I show new parents around that are interested in putting their child in daycare, and I do my job very well. I am very well liked by most parents there are a few that dislike me because of small issues (IE: when I write notes on behavior chart about negative behavior). I have been trained in every room with every age group but I am currently a preschool teacher and have been for the last six years. I am there from 8 to 530 every day and I see every parent and I communicate with every parent. My coworker in the morning is pretty much insane but she is my directors best friend and I don't know what to do anymore. When I come in at eight I get my room set up with toys and TV or music and I gather my kids and bring them in the room and get them quietly playing or quietly watching TV. If we are watching TV I will sit with them and watch TV with them as an example. My coworker comes in between 838 45 whenever she feels like it and the kids immediately get excited when seeing her which is understandable because they love their teachers. She flaps her hands around and flails and says "no go sit down! Don't touch me!" And commands them to sit down. She will look at me like its a crime they're up and excited to see her. It drives me crazy. Around 9 o'clock I will tell her I am going up to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and she is normally OK with that but once I leave the room the room gets chaotic. I can hear her screaming and yelling at the children and normally my director is there by nine and is fussing at me because they're screaming. By the time I get back in there which is normally five minutes later she already has four or five in timeout and they are screaming and having tantrums and she is calling them babies. Are used to go out to each one of them give them a hug and talk it through and then tell them that their timeout is almost over but now I don't even do that because it doesn't help. Last year I had a mental breakdown because of this job I have witnessed stuff that I have never thought I would see in a childcare industry. I have seen abuse I've seen my coworker slap children I've seen her scratch them and I'm in a tough spot because I can't tell my director because she has questioned me before saying did I really see that. I know I could get a Nother job but right now I have tried to get another job and it's proving quite hard. I don't know what to do I hate my coworker. She leaves me in my room with 18 children and expects me to get them to the bathroom which is in a different room and then down for nap by myself which I can handle but is very frustrating to do by yourself. Help

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You could, and should, report your daycare regarding them having you take care of more than the legal limit of kids to the licensing department, or whoever would be the one to check on them violating regulations. You could also report the verbal and physical abuse. You should be able to do so anonymously and as long as you are able to make it sound like a parent complained, maybe your director and co-workers wouldn't be able to figure out it was you who turned them in.

You could also look into opening your own home daycare if you are able to do so. If you've been working in a daycare center for many years, I would think that you should be able to get hired at another center fairly easily, that is if there are any openings near you.

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I totally agree with PV! Report them immediately! I'm surprised they have kids left. Let's face it, kids go home and tell their parents things. Sometimes they're not to be believed cause kids are kids and love to tell tales. But maybe some of these parents should get together and discuss it among themselves. If so many kids are telling the same stories then parents need to listen.
I'd be looking as hard as possible for a new job and as PV said, can you open your own daycare? Once word spreads that you're doing daycare yourself, I'll bet you'll get a following from the center.
Good luck and hope something changes soon! What they're doing is terrible.

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I'm not interested in working in child care anymore because of this place. I know of one daycare that I would like to work at but they're not hiring until January so I'm trying to hang in there.

I have had parents ask me things about my coworker and I have only told the truth which didn't turn out very good for me. DSS was called and investigated the complaints and my director made me feel bad for communicating with parents (which we were friends but that doesn't matter). One child told their mom that my coworker bullied him, calling him a cry baby and hurt him
When she put him in time out. The parent came to me and I only affirmed it. I told her to call DSS and report it bc there was only so much I could do.

Ive had parents tell me their child is only there bc of me bc they know I'll look after them and take care of them if someone ill treats them. But my director hates when I take older children from their class (their teachers bully them too) .. I only take them to give them a break from this god forsaken prison!!

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