Pros
The only reason I stayed at this job as long as I did was because of the children. At the time I was employed, I was the only staff member that was following all state-regulations and not constantly on my phone - so I felt I needed to be there for their safety. I enjoyed getting to know the kids in my classroom, and their parents and I communicated well. I came up with fun crafts and games for the kids, and my dedication to the job was shown through the way I got along with the families attending the center. The facility is nice, there is a great playground and classrooms are stocked with art supplies and toys and games.
Cons
Where to begin? I was treated very poorly here especially at the end. When I first accepted a job here, I was warned by several people that I should beware but I of course took it with a grain of salt. I soon came to realize that they were right when I was berated over minor issues and talked to like I myself was a child by management. Bernice is extremely temperamental and makes up her own rules as she goes. Being a good teacher, I was approached by parents about babysitting during weekends. The daycare has a non-compete policy which they inform you of when you are hired. HOWEVER they did not state the terms of this policy anywhere! The center is not even open during the weekends so I did not foresee any issue. However, once the owner found out I was making a little extra money that way, she informed me that any time I babysat for a child that went to the daycare I would have to pay her half of whatever I made.The parents were infuriated when they found out I was being taken advantage of in this way. I also witnessed several parents who were lied to about a situation in the classroom - in one instance, an unruly child was endangering children and staff and the office staff was dishonest about it when a parent blatantly asked. They said she had instigated the problem when she certainly had not. Most employees are 16-18 and are constantly texting/ just sitting around. One of the managers hired a family member, and they were always sitting around, never engaging with the children or watching them - just being paid to sit around. Not helpful, especially since most classrooms are understaffed (ESPECIALLY during the summer) If you work during the summer and the kids are at a field trip, you will either need to ride the bus with them early in the morning or drive yourself (sometimes even as far as 45-1hr away) without being paid. Is that even legal? I was never offered any mileage or reimbursement. Staff training is unpaid, in fact they actually asked us to pay for it ourselves. I did take the opportunity to ask Bernice for a raise once after a year of being there, she cut my hours and demoted me the next day. I would have loved to speak with her about these issues myself, but she would not come to the phone when I called the center to let them know I was declining the demotion they offered and when she saw me in public soonafter she could not even look me in the eye.