New to Early Child Care Teaching and Feeling Overwhelmed

[Catmom1995]

Hello, I’m new to the world of daycare teaching. I also ramble so this may be a novel. I was furloughed and saw a job add for a daycare near my home looking for childcare providers. Did the interview and found out it would be teaching, was explained more of like co-teaching. I don’t have a daycare background and figured I would be paired with someone whose been doing this for a while and help. Was explained briefly about the job details like being given the curriculum and lesson planning on top of stuff like diaper changing or potty training. My only time working with children was babysitting for many years growing up. But they assured me they love to take on newbies willing to learn the childcare industry.

So I started, my first week they were training me in a 3 year olds class room to eventually take over as the teacher of that room. It wasn’t working out, I asked for a younger room and I’m now in the 1 year olds class. This room has just reopened and they are training me to take over as the teacher in that room. I definitely like the age better. But I feel over whelmed I don’t know if I’m being overly dramatic or what. I’ve been briefly shown the curriculum and how it goes. The one girl who trained me said just copy the examples of activities listed for your lesson plans. Which I said okay I guess that makes sense. Till I get in the one year olds class, Friday the director comes in and hands me a paper for a theme week next week and says incorporate this into your lesson plans.... I had no idea o was expected to write one yet.

Spent my lunch break googling activities. Found one for each day of the week. Till someone else showed me the actual curriculum papers for next week and that I needed to fill out a whole weekly planner with sensory activities, math and science things, crafts, and motor skills activities. I did what I could but I feel like I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to do. I feel lost a girl came in to help me in the room on Friday and I explained I was just handed a theme week paper and was told to use it in my lesson plan without knowing I was expected to write one yet. She said she wasn’t surprised and that she had to write lesson plans at one point with barely any supplies.

If anyone can offer any advice for a new teacher or ideas of lesson plans for 1 year olds it would mean the world. Or advice in general. Cause I feel lost why I’m being tossed head first when there’s other teachers that float. I don’t know if it’s cause I’m older then the other two girls or what. The lead teacher in the baby room said she was surprised she had to float more then I did. I honored they trust me and believe in me to be a lead. But I also think they are just trying to reopen this room to get more kids and it’s really giving me anxiety. I love the kids in this room I just feel like I’m not doing them justice. I’m still learning their daily schedule

[PB&J]

http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/tottrays.html

This site has a lot of good ideas and will help you categorize things into “sensory” “fine motor” etc for your paper trail.

I could have written your post! New to childcare, bad fit for the threes, love the baby group. And....thrown into curriculum planning. Be your own advocate and ask for more examples and more training. The daycare has to fill out those categories for their “quality” requirements. If they are like my daycare, they realize the lack of training they are able to provide (due to staffing limitations and applicants), so they will guide you by correcting your plans, showing you how to improve, and giving feedback. My daycare values dependable workers and will guide them, but due to lack of training time staff is quickly thrown into a planning role.

If they don’t acknowledge their limited training and help guide you, you will need to speak up. They won’t let a dependable and reliable worker who is showing initiative flounder. If they do, you shouldn’t be staying very long!

[Catmom1995]

Thank you, I’ll definitely have to look into that site. As you can probably tell. I’m one of those when stressed can write a novel haha. When I was training in the 3s I was physically seeing the kids already following a lesson plan. The babies room, is I guess getting back into that swing so their opening this room fresh and that’s where I felt lost. I felt confident advocating and saying the 3s wasn’t working for me. I definitely feel comfortable with the babies. But I’m getting into the overall time schedule of changing, who needs feeding when, when are we supposed to be out of the room playing non the play yard. That having the director just throw the lesson planning in tossed me through a loop. I think I’ll definitely try to talk to someone tomorrow a bit more in depth about the areas I’m struggling in. I tried to on Friday and everyone just kept saying how easy it is. They told me to download Pinterest and how I have so simple cause their 1 year olds so the kids won’t follow to much. So sing songs, read, and do arts and crafts that follow the themes for that week. I just feel intimidated seeing all the areas I have to plan for like language arts, sensory, math/science. I feel like I may be overthinking a bit. I’ll look into this site. I appreciate the feedback and honesty

[Cat Herder]

My state has a free site for all learning domains and lesson planning help to include templates, videos, resource's, training and ideas. It is free and easy to use. Not enough people take advantage of it, IMO. Be sure to go through each tab. It really is worth your time and it is just handed to new providers. I did not have access to stuff like that until after I paid for college, it was like they were gate-keepers back then. Take advantage of it.

http://www.gelds.decal.ga.gov/Default.aspx

[Cat Herder]

Be sure to scroll down to the very bottom of each page tab for the webinars. The site is not as user friendly as it could be, but it is free.

Especially this page http://www.gelds.decal.ga.gov/Resources.aspx