Working as a daycare and pre-school teacher can be a difficult one, and unfortunately, some daycare centers make it even more difficult.
If you are like me, you have a lot of stories about the daycare centers that you have worked and have plenty of bad experiences to know exactly what to look for when looking at a new place to work.
Luckily for me, I found Cornerstone Academy. Now that I have found the place I want to spend the rest of my teaching career, I feel that I know now more than ever exactly the things that all new and even experienced daycare teachers should be on the lookout for when considering a center.
The Right Balance of Technology
Technology as a daycare teacher can be an amazing thing when it is used and blanched correctly.
Some daycare centers here in Kenosha do not use technology at all, while others try to use too much technology to hide some of the flaws that they have in their programming. It’s important to look at the technology mix that each center you are choosing has to make sure you have the tools you need but are also not hindering the day-to-day of teaching and engaging children.
This is one thing that Cornerstone Academy gets right with its blend of technology, such as cameras in each room, that make my job easier and make me feel more secure in case something happens to a child or a parent comes with a concern. We also use technology here, not as a crutch, but as a tool to help continue to grow the next generation. A perfect blend!
Flexible Scheduling
This is SUCH a hard thing to find as a daycare teacher in Kenosha. While I understand many daycare providers need more firm plans of when teachers will be available, there are also some that go above and beyond to try and accommodate as many teachers’ schedules as possible.
Many of us are parents too, so we need the ability to be flexible when something comes up on the schedule.
It is important to ask questions before accepting a position like “what happened if I or my child get sick?” “What happens if I need to change my schedule?” and more!
Support From Management
If there is any one individual thing that you need to keep your eye out for at a daycare center, it is understanding how much support you will be receiving from the management team. This is HUGE as it drastically impacts your day-to-day and overall happiness with the position.
I have worked for many places where the management team was completely absent from the process and the only time you heard from them is if they needed you to stay late or pick up another teacher’s hours. That was it.
It couldn’t be further from what happens here at Cornerstone Academy. Our management team is heavily involved in the day-to-day of what we do. They are there to help answer questions, make decisions about difficult situations with children, and even simply take over for a few minutes so we can go to the bathroom!
It’s the little things like that which make an engaged management team so important. I feel like I can go to my management team with almost any concern and they will work with me on a solution.
You can tell how engaged a management team is by simply talking to the teachers and seeing what they think. You should ask for the opportunity to talk to other teachers before accepting a position. It is THAT important!
Learning and Growth Opportunities
For many daycare teachers, we don’t just want to get our daycare certifications and be done. Many of us want to continue to improve and educate ourselves on early childhood development. A good daycare center should embrace this and encourage you to go seek out those opportunities in order to help you advance your career.
That career path might be different for everyone, but good care centers and management teams want to assist in any way possible. Whether that is helping you get additional certifications or just checking in the make sure you are reaching your goals, a daycare center that wants to make sure you are advancing and growing is where you want to be.
I am proud to work at an amazing place like Cornerstone Academy that checks all these boxes! If you are looking for an amazing place to works, we are ready for you here!
We are hiring for a number of positions right now – you can check them out here.
