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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Frustrated.... Daycare Assistant Issues
kpa0627 02:05 PM 09-22-2010
I have a daycare assistant that comes in 2 hours a day Monday through Friday so I can step out and run errands, attend appointments, do homework, etc. She's been here for 2 months. She comes mostly during rest time but sometimes at other points during the day. Today I had a doctors appointment out of town and had to be gone from 1030 to 330. I came home to CHAOS!! The playroom had EVERY toy thrown off the shelf. They had somehow pulled the door stopper out of the wall and a screw out of a chair. It was LOUD and one of the boys was hitting another as I walked in. My assistant was with 2 of the children that were still eating and the other 4 kids were in the playroom obviously not being even monitored at all! I'm just really frustrated because a parent knocked on the door probably 45 seconds after I walked into this and I know it looked bad! I don't know what to do. I have a cyst on my ovary so I will be attending more appointments and it obviously has to be during the week. I'm just really frustrated. I've not had any other big issues with her in the past except texting ALOT (but it's during nap time) and she's very timid and lets the kids pretty much walk all over her. What should I do or what would YOU do? I've got to figure something out soon as I will have appointments to attend but I just can't close and make parents upset.
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missnikki 02:14 PM 09-22-2010
First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your health issues, and I hope you get it straightened out very soon!

I would definitely sit down with her for a meeting (paid for her, of course) before her next shift and go over a list of expectations. I would mention the situation you walked in on last time, and that it has come to the point where you need to go over the job description in a little more detail. Ask her if she has any questions, have her sign the job description and give it one more try.

That is the most professional way to go. If you sugar coat it, she will not know how peeved you really are, and as her boss, you owe it to the kids to get her to knock it off ASAP.
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Preschool/daycare teacher 04:52 PM 09-23-2010
Just wondering, how many children did you have that day and how well behaved are they normally? Did your assistant seem stressed, as in trying to do her best, but the kids were just in a mood? How much experience does she have working with a group of young children? I would say, if this was a one time thing, hasn't happened before with that much chaos, I would say to give it another go. You should mention what was going on when you walked in, though. She may feel really bad about it, and seriously have been doing her best. Maybe shewon't want to stay while you go to other appointments anymore. In that case, you won't have to worry about her working for you then. But if she can't be authoritative with the kids and they run all over her, it's no wonder there was so much chaos (unless the kids are all perfectly well behaved all the time lol). So it sounds like you may have to find someone else to work while you go to appointments and all that, leaving her just to work during nap time. That is, if you want to keep her on, considering that she can't take charge as it's needed in a daycare setting.
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momofsix 07:16 AM 09-24-2010
Since she usually comes in at rest time, does she know what your days are like? Has she gotten the chance to interact with you and the kids, follow your routine with you there, see how you keep order and have the kids under control? Does she know your rules? If not, then I would make sure to have her come in when all the kids are awake and you are there. Let her take charge, and you be the back-up "enforcer" as needed. Make sure the kids know that she has the same authority that you have, and they need to respect the rules with her just as they do with you (remember subs in school-no respect ) I would do this at least a few times before I left her alone with the kids again. Also, it sounds like she was there during meal time, maybe a less stressful time of day would be better for you to leave.
I would also do as Missnikki said and sit down with her and go over her job description so that it's very clear what is expected.
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Preschool/daycare teacher 03:32 PM 09-25-2010
Originally Posted by momofsix:
Since she usually comes in at rest time, does she know what your days are like? Has she gotten the chance to interact with you and the kids, follow your routine with you there, see how you keep order and have the kids under control? Does she know your rules? If not, then I would make sure to have her come in when all the kids are awake and you are there. Let her take charge, and you be the back-up "enforcer" as needed. Make sure the kids know that she has the same authority that you have, and they need to respect the rules with her just as they do with you (remember subs in school-no respect ) I would do this at least a few times before I left her alone with the kids again. Also, it sounds like she was there during meal time, maybe a less stressful time of day would be better for you to leave.
I would also do as Missnikki said and sit down with her and go over her job description so that it's very clear what is expected.
Sorry to post again, just wanted to say I think momofsix had a very good suggestion. If the owner at the daycare I'm at had left me alone before I'd had a chance to see what goes on all day, and how you handle things, etc, I'm sure I would have had a lot of problems. Luckily the owner didn't leave me alone until I'd been there for a few weeks to get a feel for it, so I knew what to expect in the morning; before, during, and after nap; closing; meals; etc. Also, we had taken on a school ager and anytime he was there after the owner left for the day he would give me major attitude. Told me since I was "just the helper" he didn't have to listen... Good thing the owner and I worked together most hours of the day when he was there this summer. He finally got the point, but it took him awhile. And I'm not exactly a push-over with the kids either!
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