My daughter is 3 yr old now. Her classroom has a ratio of 1:4. It used to be very good.
But now there're only 2 regular teachers. And the helpers are shared with other classrooms. So each time when I picked her up recently there was a new face. And by the time I picked up my daughter the regular teachers have already gone for a while and those stuff know nothing about how's my daughter doing during the day. The ratio is not 1:4 if just counting regular teachers. I don't know how the ratio is calculated. Does it count the helpers?
Thanks
It depends on your state - but yes, typically the ratio is adult bodies to little bitty bodies!!!!!
I would definitely address the communication between the staff when they change shifts - that shouldn't be happening. They should have an overlap period where the kids get used to the change and the teachers have a chance to update each other on what has been going on.
I myself didn't notice a whole lot of issues with my daughters daycare when substitutes were there but some other parents did. I can tell you from my experience the best course of action is to talk to the head teacher about any concerns and if that does not solve it go to the director. My daughters teachers always appreciated a chance to answer any questions/solve any issues before going to the director. The director was usually quick to resolve issues if the teacher would not or could not
The ratio her in California is 12:1 for 3 year olds. After 9 months it's no longer 4:1.
In Oklahoma the ration for child care centers in a 3 year old classroom is 1 teacher to 12 children. If you have a full child care center and not a home situation then they are really really losing money. That is how they make enough money to pay staff, cook, cleaning people, etc.... The money they make on the 3, 4, and school aged is what pays the teachers in the baby room that only have 4 babies to 1 teacher.
The 'legal' ratio in California is set at 12 - 1 for children who are three years of age. What you want to do is to find out what the qualifications are of the teachers you are seeing in the classroom. There should be at least one who is "fully qualified". Then there can be one who is considered an aide. Depending on the education of the aide, that can add from three to twelve more children to the classroom.
I would talk with the administration of the daycare and request that the two teachers with whom you are familiar and comfortable be scheduled so that one of them opens in the morning and the other closes. That way you'll always (except possibly in the case of an emergency or teacher vacation time) have someone with whom you are familiar and can depend on the information you get being accurate. Then begin to make an effort to become more acquainted with each teacher you encounter in the classroom. There should be at least some consistency with which they are putting other teachers with the children. If it continues to be altogether too much change and too often, you again should talk with the administrators. Daycares sometimes, in looking for the bottom line of profit, do forget to keep proper consistency in staffing the rooms. I say this from years of experience working in daycare centers. The only way it's going to change is for you to speak up.
I don't know the laws in CA. But in IL for a 2 yr old class room, the ratio is 8 kids for one teacher. Or 16 kids to 1 teacher and one assistant. Some daycares manage to have more assistants in the room than laws require, others don't.
I would ask the regular teachers to write on her chart (I assume they send a chart home). The primary teachers can tell the teachers who "close" about every child and anything that should be told. But, it's unlikely that the teacher at the end of the day will remember what needs to be told. I've learned working in a daycare center, that if I want something done.. I need to do it myself.
Good Luck!
Unfortunately, daycares and preschools can change over time. My oldest child went to a preschool connected with a university's college of education, the first 2 years she was there (ages 2 and 3) I LOVED that school! There was one lead teacher and lots of student teachers. The lead teacher was awesome and did so many cool things with the kids! But when my daughter turned 4, the lead teacher moved away and was replaced with a new teacher who was not a terrible person or anything, but she was so LAZY! She didn't take the kids outside nearly as much and she didn't really interact with them much. Whenever I was there (which was a lot, I volunteered) she would spend the time just watching the kids or typing on her laptop (she was a grad student so I assumed she was doing her homework). The student teachers were still good, but I decided not to send my second child to that preschool. Sometimes you have to re-evaluate a school or daycare and see if it is still meeting your needs and expectations. If it is not, look for a new one. Good luck!
