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Parents and Guardians Forum>Licensing Question
flutterbye 04:35 PM 03-17-2011
I was a part-time employee at a preschool for 3 years. My daughter began attending preschool there part-time when she was 3 years old. I paid a tuition for her at a discounted rate. She started showing signs of ADHD during her pre-k year. She had problems sitting down during group times. She was able to sit and do paperwork if she was at a table by herself.
She was moved to the “kindergarten” class in July of 2010. She continued to have attention problems. After a few months of evaluations by doctors, she was put on medication for ADHD. She was able to focus and sit and be undisruptive. The medication caused her to develop anxiety. She did not want to sit among the other children during group time or eat lunch with the other children. She would sit in a chair away from the group, but was still involved.
During this time, the school cut the part-time program. The Director (my boss) informed me that she would not hold a spot for my daughter because they did not have a part-time program. The school has a 24 student to 2 teacher ratio. If her class had 24 students in it, she would have to be moved to another class that had less than 24. She was 5 at the time and was in a “kindergarten” class with 3, 4, and 5 year olds. I didn’t understand why a class that was supposed to be kindergarten had such young children in it.
This started to become a problem when my daughter developed anxiety. She was uncomfortable around children that she didn’t know. When the school would try to move her to another class, she would cry or say that she did not want to go. Sometimes it would take a couple of different directors to convince her to move. If they got her to move, she sat alone and hid. She was 6 and being moved to 4 year old (pre-k) classes. I requested that my daughter not be moved anymore. Her teacher’s and doctor’s felt that this was making the anxiety much harder for her to overcome.
I spoke with the Assistant Director and she stated that because the school no longer had a part-time program, the Executive Director would not lower the class to 23 full-time children so that my daughter could have the 24th spot (a spot becomes available for new students every few weeks) and no longer be moved around. I was very unhappy. My intention was to be able to keep her enrolled at the preschool and work with her doctor’s to overcome the anxiety so that she could transition to 1st grade at a public school easier.
After I expressed my unhappiness to the Assistant Director, the Executive Director called me into her office and told me that she could no longer accommodate my daughter. She stated that her reason was because of my daughter’s behavior. She stated that I needed to find a different school for her to attend.
My feelings are that she didn’t want to have to go through the problem everyday of having to move my daughter to different classrooms once her class was full. She did not want to lose out on the tuition of a full-time spot to save a place for my daughter. I am trying to find out weather or not the Director has broken any rules by doing this. I feel that if she has, she should be held accountable for it so that she can’t do this to another child. I am not “sue happy”. I just want her to be told by licensing that she is not allowed to do that. If anyone has any advice, please let me know.
Thanks.
She was moved to the “kindergarten” class in July of 2010. She continued to have attention problems. After a few months of evaluations by doctors, she was put on medication for ADHD. She was able to focus and sit and be undisruptive. The medication caused her to develop anxiety. She did not want to sit among the other children during group time or eat lunch with the other children. She would sit in a chair away from the group, but was still involved.
During this time, the school cut the part-time program. The Director (my boss) informed me that she would not hold a spot for my daughter because they did not have a part-time program. The school has a 24 student to 2 teacher ratio. If her class had 24 students in it, she would have to be moved to another class that had less than 24. She was 5 at the time and was in a “kindergarten” class with 3, 4, and 5 year olds. I didn’t understand why a class that was supposed to be kindergarten had such young children in it.
This started to become a problem when my daughter developed anxiety. She was uncomfortable around children that she didn’t know. When the school would try to move her to another class, she would cry or say that she did not want to go. Sometimes it would take a couple of different directors to convince her to move. If they got her to move, she sat alone and hid. She was 6 and being moved to 4 year old (pre-k) classes. I requested that my daughter not be moved anymore. Her teacher’s and doctor’s felt that this was making the anxiety much harder for her to overcome.
I spoke with the Assistant Director and she stated that because the school no longer had a part-time program, the Executive Director would not lower the class to 23 full-time children so that my daughter could have the 24th spot (a spot becomes available for new students every few weeks) and no longer be moved around. I was very unhappy. My intention was to be able to keep her enrolled at the preschool and work with her doctor’s to overcome the anxiety so that she could transition to 1st grade at a public school easier.
After I expressed my unhappiness to the Assistant Director, the Executive Director called me into her office and told me that she could no longer accommodate my daughter. She stated that her reason was because of my daughter’s behavior. She stated that I needed to find a different school for her to attend.
My feelings are that she didn’t want to have to go through the problem everyday of having to move my daughter to different classrooms once her class was full. She did not want to lose out on the tuition of a full-time spot to save a place for my daughter. I am trying to find out weather or not the Director has broken any rules by doing this. I feel that if she has, she should be held accountable for it so that she can’t do this to another child. I am not “sue happy”. I just want her to be told by licensing that she is not allowed to do that. If anyone has any advice, please let me know.
Thanks.
Michael 12:10 AM 03-18-2011
Sorry we got to this late. Welcome to the forum flutterbye. We had a similar situation with our son. He was being moved from class to class because he was gifted. The center he was at just wanted him to be a cog in the wheel. I understand that with a large group of children that a "different" child can be burdensome but what is a parent to do? In the long run we homeschooled our son and then our later our daughter. I hope you have better luck.
Abigail 12:16 AM 03-18-2011
Do they have document of your daughters needs? I think it is borderline because she does have needs they can not meet with so many children. Sounds like they have been half-way trying (keeping her enrolled, but just switching her too often which isn't ok but should have been nipped in the bud the first time it happened). I'm waiting to hear other responses. Whatever your outcome is, I hope your daughter does better in the next place. Help her meet friends and invite them over to play often so she feels like isolated and more involved in her own terms.
satcook 07:09 AM 03-18-2011
You would have to tell us what state you are in so we could look at licensing rules for that state.
We offer part time spots at our daycare, but they are on a conditional basis. If the room has 11 full timers, and 1 part-timer and someone calls wanting a full time spot for that room, then the part-timer is asked to leave. So far I have never had to make a part-timer leave, as I can put a MWF opposite a TR child to make a full time spot. I have occasionally had to move a part time student to another room where their schedule will mesh with other part timers in that room.
If you had been willing to pay for a full time spot for your child they would never have moved her to a different room. Because you were not willing/able to do that, then they had to move her.
Lori
We offer part time spots at our daycare, but they are on a conditional basis. If the room has 11 full timers, and 1 part-timer and someone calls wanting a full time spot for that room, then the part-timer is asked to leave. So far I have never had to make a part-timer leave, as I can put a MWF opposite a TR child to make a full time spot. I have occasionally had to move a part time student to another room where their schedule will mesh with other part timers in that room.
If you had been willing to pay for a full time spot for your child they would never have moved her to a different room. Because you were not willing/able to do that, then they had to move her.
Lori
Crystal 02:02 PM 03-18-2011
I'm not sure I understand. Is your daughter attending the daycare FOR kindergarten, or is she enrolled in a public kindergarten and attends daycare part-time? If the daycare IS her KINDERGARTEN she should not be getting bounced around and should have one consistent teacher.
If it is not her kindergarten and the daycare does not have a space for her and have simply been accomodating you by moving her around so that you still have childcare, I would consider that your issue and advise you to move your daughter to a daycare that better meets her needs, as well as yours.
I would be surprised if there are any licensing regulations that prohibit moving children around, UNLESS they are not properly accounting for her in each class, with emergency records, etc. on file in each classroom that she is in AND with informing the parent about which class she is in.
If it is not her kindergarten and the daycare does not have a space for her and have simply been accomodating you by moving her around so that you still have childcare, I would consider that your issue and advise you to move your daughter to a daycare that better meets her needs, as well as yours.
I would be surprised if there are any licensing regulations that prohibit moving children around, UNLESS they are not properly accounting for her in each class, with emergency records, etc. on file in each classroom that she is in AND with informing the parent about which class she is in.
Crystal 02:05 PM 03-18-2011
I reread and saw that you wanted to know if the director can terminate care in the way yours did.
Yes, they legally can terminate care for any child UNLESS there has been a diagnosis of a special need, in writing. They also can terminate care for a special needs child IF it would cause them a significant and undue expense to meet the needs of the child.
Yes, they legally can terminate care for any child UNLESS there has been a diagnosis of a special need, in writing. They also can terminate care for a special needs child IF it would cause them a significant and undue expense to meet the needs of the child.
jen 08:15 AM 03-19-2011
Maybe I am mistaken, but what I am reading is that the school doesn't have a part time spot, but you want them to create one for your daughter so she doesn't have to move around.
Have you considered paying for the full time spot? That would eliminate your daughter moving around and satisfy the requirements of the center.
Have you considered paying for the full time spot? That would eliminate your daughter moving around and satisfy the requirements of the center.