Hi D.,
This may sound drastic-- but I think you probably just need to find another center. Why over something seemingly small like this?
Because it's a reflection on how the whole center is run over all.
I worked in daycare for years, corporately run (like La Petite, Kindercare, etc) and privately owned. I was also a Nanny for awhile. So I speak from experience. But the truth is, that most daycare employees, (not managers/owners)aren't they're because they "love and want to work with children" like they write on their applications.
Most are there because they lack the skills/education/experience to do much of anything else.
I imagine that quite a few people out there will be riled up over that statement-- but it's the truth. And unfortunately, many daycare managers hire young girls (and even some older women) who really don't know ANYTHING about teaching children, child psychology, etc. So they know nothing about classroom management, appropriate discipline, conflict resolution, etc. It takes alot of patience and skill to effectively take care of 10 to 20 or 30 kids, with a wide variety of personalities, from a wide variety of backgrounds, home environments, and try to have a learning/classroom environment. Unfortunately, about 75% of daycare employees are essentially just like teenagers "babysitting" a large group of kids, providing the activities that the center owner gives them to provide.
And it sounds to me like this is a center that is hiring that kind of employee.
Of course, there ARE daycare employees who really DO enjoy working with children and are there because it's what they truly like doing. But they're very hard to find. Let's be honest, for the most part, women who REALLY and TRULY are interested in "working with children", molding young minds and helping them to become responsible, compassionate and productive citizens are either committed stay-at-home moms OR they go to school to study child psychology, education, pediatric nursing, social work, or any of the fields associated with really "working with children." They don't go to a daycare center to work for $8.00 an hour. Sometimes, they work in daycare WHILE they're studying their field. Sometimes, stay-at-home moms who really do LIKE being at home, and don't WANT a job or career outside of the home, but who find themselves needing the extra income, will work in daycare (or start their own) because they can bring their kids, still be with them, still get to do what they enjoy (work with children) and at the same time, earn some money.
But FAR too many daycare employees are there just for the buck, don't really care about the job or the kids at all, and don't know a THING about working with/teaching children.
If if you think about it-- daycare is really just "glorified babysitting". They're there to babysit, so the parents can go to work. To provide a better service and be competitive in the "daycare market", they also incoporate preschool lessons and structured activities-- but they're NOT real preschools with certified teachers, nor do they usually require teachers who AT LEAST display skills and knowledge of how to really work with and teach groups of children. So that's why you have young girls yelling across the room, who don't know how to work with your 3 year old.
What you want to look for is a center where the manager will only hire those who truly display knowledge and/or experience in how to care for, teach and manage larger groups of children, or those who intend to STUDY child-related fields, or those who want to be, or have been stay-at-hom moms. Not someone who just needs a job and writes the 'nice sounding' things on their application. So you need to ASK them about that. You also want to ask about their turn-over rate-- how often they're having to replace teachers because they work awhile then quit.
okay-- sorry-- I rambled enough already!!