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Date: 1/19/2006 10:25:00 AM
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Author:
Melissa
(logan1963@sbcglobal.net)
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Subject:In my opinion,I have found that large Ch...
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In my opinion,I have found that large Childcare Corporations such as Chesterbrook Academy/Nobel Learning Communities are too big to be concerned about each individual school in their company. I have worked for both kinds. The District Managers(PA especially) and above do not know what is happening in their classrooms good or bad. They only see what is on paper as far as Profit or loss for each school. The positions above the Directors never enter the classrooms. They say they do but, they don't. There are so many things overlooked in these schools, praise or improvments, because everyone at the top are too removed from the children/classrooms. I strongly suggest that if you are a Teacher looking for a job or a Parent looking for a school, go to a small owned school. And ask to meet the person above the Director if there is one. If it is their own buisness, chances are they will put their "all" into it just as the "good" Teachers and Directors do. Look for the ones that "live" for the children. The ones that are there for a reason...not just to collect a paycheck!
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Date: 12/10/2006 10:55:00 AM
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Author:
Vera
(www.veralovesherfamily@hotmail.com)
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Subject:I understand
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You are actually right Melissa, I am a teacher who knows what it is like to work in childcare center's with upper management not caring about the children and their parent's needs. I use to work for a center that really gave a damn about the children and the parent's. In our two year old class we had this tradition to have a pot luck with our parent's. Every parent in that particular class had each other's email addresses and we as the teacher's would schedule which parent's house we were having the pot luck. This would be in the beginning of the child's first year with new friends. It was a great gathering for the parent's, the children and the teacher's. At the end of the year we would have a play date picnic with the parent's and their children to adjust getting involved and making transition go smooth. To me that was more of a family oriented child care center than corporate. We as the teacher's had a bond with the parent's and their children and that was more important than anything. The parent's trusted us teachers of having their child in our care. Childcare facilities are all about the mighty dollar and are totally missing out the real reason childcare was created. That childcare center I worked at was in Baltimore Maryland I am no longer there but I sure miss it. It was a learn through play and the parent's adored this place. I said if I ever open child care center it would have that same feeling for the parent's.
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Date: 4/27/2007 5:02:00 AM
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Author:
Joann
(joannalin23@gmail.com)
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Subject:I agree
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Melissa-
I highly agree with your observation. My son is currently at Chesterbrook Academy and we are pulling him out in two weeks. He started in October 06 and had two extremely caring teachers. Through the months, both of those teachers left the school, and the teachers that are left are not very personable. We are looking into a family owned daycare. Your comment really confirmed my feeling about chesterbrook.
Thanks!
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Date: 8/28/2007 11:32:00 AM
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Author:
WB
(esl.2007@hotmail.com )
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Subject:Corporate childcare centers
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I have worked in childcare centers in different parts of the country for 10 years, and I have to agree that the larger the center, in general, the less emphasis on the education of each child. The smaller, private schools that I have worked at have been tremendously better at nurturing children and supporting families. However, I did once work for a small, private school that was owned by a family that only cared about profits.
My advice to parents is to ask a lot of questions before enrolling your child. Especially ask about staff turnover. Never enroll your child in a school that discourages parent visits or parent involvement. Visit the school and see if the children and staff seem to be happy. A lot of crying children (no matter what excuse is given) is never good. And never trust a school that allows you to enroll your child without a site visit and an interview. Quality schools have thoughtful, firm guidelines and specific curricula. They want to have parents who will be a good match with the school's philosophy and the other families. If the school cannot articulate its educational philosophy, that's a bad sign. It means that the school or classroom environment will change drastically depending on which teacher is working there.
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Date: 2/19/2006 11:22:00 AM
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Author:
Cathy
(childcarediva@aol.com)
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Subject:Melissa - your experience is unfortunate...
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Melissa - your experience is unfortunate. I've seen the complete spectrum from great to awful in every possible management structure. I've come to believe that the director sets the tone for the quality of care the children recieve on a daily basis at that center.
And I do agree with you, Melissa... Before making an employment or childcare decision, talk to whomever you can and learn as much as you can about the philosophies they personally embrace.
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Date: 2/24/2006 7:26:00 AM
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Author:
Karen
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Subject:i agree
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large corporate childcare is in the buisness of making money. period. they are selling their services to anxious parents who are hoping that the glossy brochures reflect the kind of care their child will consistantly receive.
In my 20 years of experience, it is a misrespresentation of the facts!
I agree that the district managers are in an office all day, out of touch with reality of the daily functioning.
However, what people fail to understand is that all that these companies really care about is the bottom line-the profit.
If a center is full of kids, the care they receive is not an issue to corportae management.
the fact is, the center is making money.
the director is given the green light to keep cutting corners, to do whatever it takes to make a profit.
it is a business and the the families think it is a school.
teachers too often think it is a school until they finally accept that they too have been fooled by the brochires and the talk, the jargon, the typical "we care about children" blah blah blah rhetoric, that clashes with the reality of understaffed classrooms with untrained teachers and incompetent management and totally ditzy directors!
Kindescare is an example, part of a corportation that owns many other big name centers, it is all about proift, and nothing lese matters, even tho they fly the flag of "we care", etc., they DO NOT care about anything but profit and protection from liability. as do all others.
parents are in the dark
staff realize it somewhere down the road and become so disillusioned that they quit.
hence, extemely high turnover, inadequate bodning for children, low quality service to parents
a cycle that will never end
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Date: 4/14/2006 3:21:00 PM
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Author:
tina
(hunel123@yahoo.com)
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Subject:Nobel learning
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I work for a Nobel learning school. You are right all they care about is filling up every space possible in every
classroom. The classes are really large 21- in a pre school class. They put kids who are supposed to be in pre-school in a pre-K classes to fill up the slots. Then the parents get upset bc/ the kids do not make the cut off age for kindergarten and end up doing pre-K again. It is all about the $$$$$$$$. Our pincipal will do ANYTHING to please the parents so she will not lose $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
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Date: 4/14/2006 3:26:00 PM
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Author:
tina
(hunel123@yahoo.com)
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Subject:Nobel learning
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PS: The best is when our school gives tour the principal makes it sound so perfect and wonderful
Never mind we are always out of ratio
The pre-school has been through four teachers in ONE year
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Date: 2/2/2007 8:02:00 PM
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Author:
Cindy
(Sunshyne318@aol.com)
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Subject:Noble learning
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Hey Iam in agreement with you. My director is the same way and we have gone through 3 teachers in six months with our 21/2 to 3 year olds. We also end up with more Chinese children then we do with any other nationality. In the afternoons we seem to be over ratio because our staff starts leaving at 4:30 and by 5:30 out of ratio because we do not have enough staff and our director knows it and does not do anything about it. We also lack supplies and promises things she has not delevired for three years. Yes this complaining but it is a challenge for me working with a different nationality. We change children like herding animals from one room to the other when they are not ready.
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Date: 9/4/2007 2:45:00 PM
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Author:
Lisa
(bigred151@aol.com)
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Subject:Chesterbrook Academy
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I also work for Chesterbrook Academy for several years, and have had a different, more positive experience. While there is no such thing as a perfect childcare facility, the school I work at is always in ratio, and the children are loved and well taken care of. I have worked for other "chains" and it was terrible- the schools were dirty, the directors were never there except for drop-off and pick-up times, and they were ALWAYS out of ratio.
Obviously, those of you talking poorly about Chesterbrook have not worked for other companies as well-known as this school. Beleive me, the grass is not greener on the other side!
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Date: 10/3/2007 11:42:00 AM
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Author:
Linda Arocho
(HappyHands12302@aol.com)
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Subject:Family Child Care
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I personally, love the choice I have made in doing child care from my home. I am registered with NYS, have my CDA and in the process of accreditation.
It's funny reading about the care in Centers. The thing I find "humorous" is that, it could happen anywhere. There are people running illegal child cares from their homes and they aren't caught until a child is injured or killed. There are people who have decided to get registered or licensed with NYS and still take in too many children for that almighty buck - -
But someone is right - you have to grill the people with whom you're interviewing. There are quality centers and quality home based child cares. Unfortunately, all the bads ones get all the press and the rest of us are stereotyped.
Like personally, when I tell people I run a child care program from my home, I often get, "Oh, you're a babysitter." I am quick to reply with my CDA, the accreditation I'm going to get, and also add, "A babysitter sits on your couch, eating your food, and talking on the phone. Seeing as how I don't do any of that, NO, I'm NOT a babysitter."
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