Sun and Silence for Naptime?

[Mad_Pistachio]

We're also not allowed to play music during playtime which is driving me crazy.

There are also no art projects. No structured/scheduled activities. No transition times/routines. Nothing. None of it's allowed which makes the room chaotic the entire time and there's nothing I can do to keep things under control.

is this also blamed on licensing?
I can echo hwichlaz: look for another job.

[Bluemoon5]

We're also not allowed to play music during playtime which is driving me crazy.

There are also no art projects. No structured/scheduled activities. No transition times/routines. Nothing. None of it's allowed which makes the room chaotic the entire time and there's nothing I can do to keep things under control.

Yeah, we're not supposed to have "background" music on either, just during music time. But I have a bit of a hard time following rules that aren't explained/ don't make sense. Officially of course, I follow ALL the rules ALL the time. In reality, I do what I have found works best for my kids. Not that I'm advising you to break the rules.

Is the no art thing, no art at all? Or just no product art? Can they do open ended coloring and such? The no structure, routine, transitions, would drive me nuts and I can't imagine working under those conditions knowing it's not developmentally appropriate. I third the looking for something else.

[Unregistered]

I'm not sure what the music policy is. One teacher plays music on her phone and it's not a problem, but when I put on music, I'm told (by the SAME teacher) that it's against the rules. So, I asked for clarification since I'm getting conflicting messages from her.

"Don't argue with me. I'm just telling you what the rules are."

I can understand not having CONSTANT background music, but background music can be useful for transitions. Soft background music for 5-10 minutes [depending on the group] can help the kids transition from active playtime to a quiet activity. Playing the same few songs as a naptime routine can help the children settle and go to sleep. I'm used to having certain songs that I can play when the kids are getting a little crazy to capture their attention. Each group has a different song that works for them. In one class, it was "These are my Glasses"by Laurie Berkner. In another, it was "Elmo's World."

All I know is that I haven't seen any art projects whatsoever. There are no art materials in the classroom- not even crayons and scrap paper. If it's anything like my mom's former GrowNJKids center,art projects are not allowed until preschool because infants and toddlers don't "understand" them. [Even though they can still benefit from the sensory experience in process art].

If they were any looser in their lack of schedule/routine, the children would all eat lunch/snack when they wanted and their mats would be available when they choose to rest (which means there will be kids who never sleep because many toddlers won't go down for a nap voluntarily no matter how tired they are).

I'm definitely looking for something else- preferably not in childcare.