more about daycares--would this worry you?

Autumn_bride2b · August 2009

We met the head teacher in the infant room of the daycare I want to go with. It is a new branch of a very well established and hightly recommended center, which will open at the end of the month (we do not need care until March). The teacher just graduated from college with a BA in child development this spring. So while she has many years experience working with kids, it is not professionally. But I trust the school. Would her inexperience as a teacher worry you?

Klafountain · August 2009

i wouldn't worry because everyone needs to get experience as a teacher... if she had never been around kids then i might worry but she won't be the only one in the room will she?

Mrs.tlcS · August 2009

no, it wouldn't.

ETA: I should explain why it wouldn't bother me.... at the infant stage, there's not much "teaching" going on. As long as she can provide the basics... I mean, babies pretty much eat, poop, and sleep... I'd be satisfied at this stage. For the infant room, education means less to me than compassion and cleanliness.

brandifawn · August 2009

I don't think it would. With a degree she had to do lots of classroom time, so she has spent lots of time with small children in a professional setting, although she wasn't paid, it is still valid experience IMO. I would be happy that she is young and entergetic (hopefully) as well since she just graduated.

Autumn_bride2b · August 2009

Klafountain:
she won't be the only one in the room will she?

Not unless there are only 4 kids in the room (must have 1 teacher per every 4 infants) so no, it isn't likely.

NaHoku · August 2009

No. Every teacher has to start somewhere. At least she'll have been there for a few months by the time you need care.

PAIrishBride · August 2009

Autumn..I think you are fine..by the time your LO gets there she will be working for there 6 mths so she will have some experience and I would love to get BA in child development in the Infant Room..you should be totally excited about that..she is probably OVER qualified.

Mereou12 · August 2009

It'd depend on my meeting with her--if you get a good vibe from her, I wouldn't be too worried.

SaraRose20 · August 2009

I would try to think of it this way: a new teacher should be up-to-date on the latest methods/research in regards to child development having just come out of school. They may have a lot of good ideas to add to the experience that some of the older teachers will have. I wouldn't worry.

CloudNine2007 · August 2009

No I would not be worried.

MsTammy · August 2009

Mrs.tlcS:

no, it wouldn't.

ETA: I should explain why it wouldn't bother me.... at the infant stage, there's not much "teaching" going on. As long as she can provide the basics... I mean, babies pretty much eat, poop, and sleep... I'd be satisfied at this stage. For the infant room, education means less to me than compassion and cleanliness.

Ditto this.

mooeta · August 2009

No. Some of the best caretakers I had as a child were the ones who only had non-professional experience. The school wouldn't have hired her if she wasn't qualified and they should have oversight procedures to ensure her performance is up to par.

Taylor44 · August 2009

No the lack of "professional" experience would not bother me. To me, childcare is different from other job fields. While the education and experience is helpful, and I would still recommend that someone in childcare takes that route, I don't think it necessarily makes them better. I would base my opinion more on her personality and the feeling you get when you meet her.

pandagirl15 · August 2009

She has definitely had experience in a professional setting, she just might not have been paid for it. I have a child development degree & an early childhood degree. I ended up teaching kindergarten, but I had to do many service/classroom hours in daycares, preschools, university centers, etc. Like someone else said, she will be up to date on all of the great new insights out there, plus, she won't be jaded at her job yet. The more excited you are, the better you are at it. I think that it is great your center is hiring people with a degree instead of just random people. I know that is a possibility, so I would count it as a plus.

swimrbride · August 2009

Did they tell you she has never worked with kids? Most people that work in daycares (especially someone with a BA) have worked with children before, a lot! Maybe not in a daycare setting, but I know for my minor in child development I had to do a lot working directly with kids.

Autumn_bride2b · August 2009

swimrbride:
Did they tell you she has never worked with kids? Most people that work in daycares (especially someone with a BA) have worked with children before, a lot! Maybe not in a daycare setting, but I know for my minor in child development I had to do a lot working directly with kids.

No, they did not. I asked her how long she had been working with kids and she said 9 years. But she just graduated, so I assumed she has not had a job yet which was my mistake, a big one I now realize.

mrssmith717 · August 2009

If you get a good vibe from her, I would just go with it and keep checking in with how you think things are going there once LO is in the daycare.

My BFF moved down to CA with her DH two years ago with her Bachelors in Fine Arts. She had experience nannying and got an assistant teacher position in a Child Development Center. W/in 6 months she was the head teacher of that room, and just recently she became the director of the school. And she had no previous professional experience when hired. So go with your gut! It could be great!

Edit: Also, she is actually a fabulous teacher, who while teaching, has taken the latest college courses to get up to date on the field.

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