Help With Possibly Losing Job

[mommyneedsadayoff]

Thank you to everyone to posted a reply from advice. In the context, this post probably made me sound like a horrible daycare provider. I should have provided a little more background. First thing, it is not my choice to be out of ratio. It happens every single day. We are currently very understaffed. We even have to have temp people come in and help out just to have us make it through the day. So it is not my choice to be out of ratio. I hate it. Because yes it can be crazy downstairs, and I’m by myself trying to manage all of it. Second, I do do active head counts, and check our children in and out regularly on the sheets we have.
With all this being said, I love my job! I love those kids more than anything in the world. I’ve been loyal to them for 2 years, and I am hoping that things will straighten up around there. But I will take your recommendations to heart. Thank you to everyone who posted.

I have to agree with pestle. You are setting yourself up for failure. You do have a choice. You do not have to work there and you do not have to work there under those conditions. Unfortunately, you are the one responsible for the children and being out of ratio is not a good thing. If something happens on your watch, you will be held liable. You seem like a very nice person who just wants to help. So help yourself, and get out of that job now. I say this with love not to be mean I hope you can understand.:hug:

[ColorfulSunburst]

You get a lot of advise. All of them are right.
I think you can not afford to stop working there.So you must organize all around you as much and as fast as possible.
1. get some tambourine and use it when you want to get attention of all the kids.
2.describe to the kids that all of them must look at you if they hear the tambourine sound and then do what you ask them to do.
3.you can ask them whatever you want: jump 2 times or say woof or clap or ....
4. when kids just BEGIN getting loud get all their attention by the tambourine and say "low (indoor) voice". In your situation it is most important thing you must get under your control.
5. stop trying to get them sitting on a rug and entertain them by some activities. It doesn't work in your situation and with your age group of kids.
6. organize a few activity centers and keep kids in group of 3-4 kids in each of them. (coloring/lego/bloks/fine motor skills/cars/dolls/reading.... ) You rotate kids from center to center. Do not allow them to leave a center without cleaning after themselves.
7. set your own place by the entrance and keep 2-3 kids near you with some activities. You can read to them, or let them to play with some puzzle ... it can be anything that does not take too much of your attention.
8.make two box "school" and "home" and cards with kids names. When kid leave (s)he must find own name and move the card from the "school" box to the "home box". You can start your shift by little art activity: they can decorate own name card by using stickers or color them or ... (just be creative)
9.choose some of kids as your helper. S(he) should remind to kids to move a name card from one box to the other. It will slow them down and help you to see who is leaving.
10 count kids!
11 Use low voice.

In Russia I used to work as an elementary school teacher. 25-30 6yo kids and one teacher. No problem.
In public daycare centers are 25-30 kids for one teacher and one teacher assistance.

[Josiegirl]

ColorfulSunburst, you have some wonderful ideas!! Some days I don't know even what to do with my small group because they get so crazy without focus. I'm stealing some of your ideas.

[ColorfulSunburst]

I'm stealing some of your ideas.

sure

[flying_babyb]

I would demand the parent pick up in the classroom and if thats a problem the director can come get the child. Ive had grandparents who couldnt do stairs who would pick up. I would get someone to go down and retrieve the child. NEVER ever ever let a child leave the room without a adult. Make a stand womaN!

[LostMyMarbles]

Inquiring minds want to know....what happened? Did you report to licensing?