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▲ 2 r/ECEProfessionals

DAE co teacher not help out with ALL the kids??

I’m in a mixed aged group class with one year olds and infants. There’s 2 teachers currently and we’ll soon be getting a 3rd teacher starting tomorrow.

My Co teacher does not help me at all with the toddlers. She ONLY caters to the 3 infants we have in class. She will sit in a rocking chair for her entire 5 hour shift and will only get up to feed, change, or play with the babies for a minute. Leaving ME to feed, change, interact, teach and play with the 6 toddlers we have in class. It’s frustrating me SO BAD!!! My director already came into class and told her she needs to help out more and she still barely pulls her weight. I help her with the infants as much as I can and she never returns the favor.

I was formerly just a ones teacher before we started accepting infants two months ago, she used to be a twos teacher. So the toddlers in here are of course more familiar with me and they all gravitate to me while they basically ignore her existence, they cry for me and not her because they barely even know her!!! It overstimulates me and she sees I could use some help but would rather sit and wait for me to tell her what to do than just get up and do something on her own for once.

I called out today and my boss calls me asking about whose bottles are who…..I haven’t had labels lately and i’ve been writing on cups with permanent marker that must’ve washed off obviously. But WHY are you calling me about cups when the other teacher in class should already know who’s is who??? She doesn’t know because she doesn’t do anything with half the class!!! Even when it comes down to cleaning, she will sit there not doing anything kids are going down for nap, the lunch table is filthy and i’m stopping to feed an infant a bottle. WHY WONT YOU PICK UP A BROOM?? A TOWEL??? she literally just sits and waits for one of the infants to need assistance and will not do anything else regarding other kids.

She won’t use the Procare app for anything else expect for logging infant care. Won’t text parents when there’s no formula, or wipes or diapers, leaving me to communicate with them 90% of the time. She lied to my boss when I caught her making a bottle with nothing full of rice cereal and water and GAVE IT TO AN INFANT!!!! She opened a can of empty formula and common sense didn’t tell her 1. to ask if he had anymore and 2. check in his cubby to see if he had extra, she just poured cereal in it and fed it to him!!!! the bottle was so brown, I took it from the baby and poured it out like wtf? Why didn’t she say anything???

I am so sick of this teacher. I’m glad i’m not here today because my boss is in class with her right now so she’s forced to get up from that chair and actually WORK today. I don’t think she has any business being in this class, she has little experience with this age group and I can tell the crying nonstop bothers her. It’s why she sits and holds one baby basically all day, she refuses to put her down because i’m there and I can do all the actual work by myself. When she was a two year old teacher she did nothing but sit in a chair! 🤦🏽‍♀️ Im so over it

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u/drpepperprincesss — 7 hours ago
▲ 1 r/ECEProfessionals

The part outside the job description.

Parents see 45 minutes of circle time. They don't see the two hours I spent Sunday night writing developmental notes on 18 kids, so I can have one informed conversation at a conference.
This is not a complaint, idk does anyone else feel like the invisible labor is the part that's actually breaking us?

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u/HonestlyECE — 7 hours ago
▲ 63 r/ECEProfessionals

Daughter is very attached to daycare teacher - suggestions?

My wife and I are first time parents to a 14 month old (12 months adjusted) amazing sweet girl. Shes been going to the same daycare for the last 7 or 8 months.

Theres one teacher in particular that she’s grown a very strong bond with and it turns out that bond may be turning into a problem.

We love this teacher and she seems to genuinely care about our daughter. For the last couple weeks we’ve been hearing stories I thought were cute - she won’t leave my side, she cries when I leave the room, and other things that show that is her person.

Turns out, these cute to us stories may not be so cute to the people at daycare. Today my wife was told that she may be going into the other infant room because this teacher can’t get anything done due to our child.

My wife was VERY upset in hearing this. I was more understandable and she will hopefully soon be moving into the next room in a few months anyway so I wasn’t as ticked off on the idea.

I’m afraid that she’s going to hate daycare if they force her away from her person and I don’t want the other teachers to view her as a problem or burden.

She is going through an attachment phase. Daddy was able to stay home with her for 12 weeks when mom went back to work and I also work from home so I have been the one getting her ready every morning so sometimes she prefers me to mom and sounds like she has her person at school too.

Any thoughts, suggestions are welcome.

Edit: they want to move my daughter to the smaller infant room where she’d be the oldest kid and basically only one who can even crawl. She also doesn’t nap in there well with all of the crying (30 min nap v 90 min in other room) - we want to object to the change. Also going to talk to the teacher she’s connected to tomorrow as we heard the possible change from someone else.

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u/Kitchen-Report — 20 hours ago
▲ 6 r/ECEProfessionals

I’m tired. Want to quit. Behaviors are off. Aide seems to want my lead position.

I’m mentally exhausted and overwhelmed. My mind isn’t present anymore when I’m in the classroom. Circle time with 23 children isn’t fun for me anymore. They use to respect and be engaged with me. Now I can’t even get a word out.

My aide doesn’t support me. I’m criticize every day. Only supports when the director is in. Likes to make herself look good and make me look incompetent. I’m left with 23 children while she takes her time doing something in the back not supporting me with behaviors. Gets upset when I ask if she could step in. She also has been recently walking to the back to look at her phone. I have to learn to be more assertive but I don’t want to deal with attitude lol from someone twice my age.

My aide mentions when I’m out the class is hard to manage. Had mentioned that the children only listen to me, and that schedules aren’t followed through to make it easy for herself. She so doesn’t redirect children when they are being disruptive or disrespectful. The children run the classroom. She doesn’t like the way I manage because I’m too firm. But I’m not scary like Ms. Trunchbull, the children still love talking to me about anything and give me hugs.

Speaking of hugs, she walked a child out to their parent the other day. The child walked back and gave me a hug. My aide didn’t even want to look, so now I assume she’s jealous of me? Which is strange because she’s twice my age. All I ever was nice to her and included her. Up until she gave me unprofessional attitude. Loves to bicker to me in front of the children. And wonders why the children have been whiny - because one of their teachers expresses their frustrations that way.

There’s so much more I want to mention but it’s 1 am. I will take accountability that my overwhelm-ness is also affecting behaviors.

Don’t know what to do and I’ve had enough with my aide telling me how to run my class when behaviors been thrown off since she started

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u/Voice-Small — 13 hours ago
▲ 7 r/ECEProfessionals

Advice: Infant asleep in rocker

Today I was sent a photo of my 5 month old daughter asleep in a rocker with the caption “She is snoring 😴”. I immediately messaged the teacher and asked her to be moved to her crib for safe sleep practices and told her I was not comfortable with her sleeping in a rocker. The teacher replied immediately saying “Absolutely. She had only just dozed off and then I moved her.” I feel like that can’t be the case though if she was snoring? I also messaged the director immediately and asked her to ensure the entire infant team was trained on safe sleep practices because this was very worrisome for me. The director said she takes this very seriously and would speak with everyone involved with infant care.

For the parents and ECE professionals - how would you handle this? Any advice for trusting them again? I only know it happened because they chose to send me a picture, but now it makes me wonder what else they could be doing or how often they’re not following safe sleep.

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u/melibooxx — 18 hours ago
▲ 18 r/ECEProfessionals

How to stop toy dumping?

Hi. I am a new ECE teacher for 18-month-olds to almost 3-year-old toddlers. What are effective practices or strategies to stop the kids from dumping everything and to put them in their proper baskets after using? It feels like 60% of my day is about putting toys back on their shelves. and I have already put pictures on both the shelf and the trays. Edit to add:

I mean dump and go. I want them to learn how to put it back if they dumped it

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u/ManangLeyang — 21 hours ago
▲ 51 r/ECEProfessionals

Report: Nearly One-Third of Teachers Still Use ‘Discredited’ Reading Methods

https://www.the74million.org/article/report-nearly-one-third-of-teachers-still-use-discredited-reading-methods

About 30% of K-3 reading teachers use a 'balanced approach,' including asking kids to figure out words through context clues – a practice banned in some states.

Fordham Institute/Eamonn Fitzmaurice

By Jessika Harkay

While reform around reading instruction continues to gain momentum, about a third of teachers are using  “discredited” methods to teach kids how to read and aren’t fully committed to the science of reading, a new report found.

In a survey of more than 1,200 K-3 educators in the fall of 2025, researchers at the Fordham Institute, an education reform nonprofit, found 30% of teachers don’t “favor phonics,” a major pillar in the science of reading that teaches students how letters represent sounds and how to blend those sounds together.

The number of teachers “less informed and committed” to the science of reading is even greater in high poverty schools, according to the From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report.

“Despite everything that has been said and written in the past few years, nearly a third of teachers still put phonics and cueing on equal footing,” the report said, also finding “progress that has been made in some teachers in high-poverty, majority-nonwhite schools are still, on average, less informed about and committed to basic principles of the [science of reading] than teachers in whiter and/or more affluent settings.”

About half of all surveyed K-3 teachers said they teach with a “structured approach” which includes a mix of  “instruction in phonics, decoding, and related skills,” the report said, adding nearly one in three teachers use a “balanced approach,” where students are asked to figure out unfamiliar words through context clues or pictures – a practice known as cueing, which has been banned in some states. 

Thirty percent of teachers reported favoring both phonics and cueing for reading instruction and 2% said they preferred cueing over phonics, according to the report*.*

The report also found teacher belief and use of the science of reading is between nine to 15 percentage points lower in low-income schools compared to those in higher-resourced schools.

Source: From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Researchers recognized schools have experienced “significant bumps, detours, and even ‘reading wars,’” around the best way to teach kids to read for decades, which in part accounts for teacher hesitancy and/or inexperience with parts of the science of reading. 

As of late March, 42 states, and Washington D.C. have implemented laws around the science of reading, according to EdWeek. But even with these initiatives, some teachers expressed concerns that the “pendulum swings too far to one side and we need balance.”

“While I support our current emphasis on phonics, I worry that kids are going to lose out with less comprehension and vocabulary instruction,” one teacher said in the report, with another adding “the pendulum swings like political winds. Let us teach. Please!” 

Others felt the shift toward the science of reading has led to “far more non-fiction texts” at the “expense of rich literature” and that “guided reading … is out, phonics-based small groups are in.”

For educators more positive about the science of reading, said the growing emphasis around phonics has “drastically changed how quickly students are able to learn to read,” according to the report. 

“They are happier learners because they aren’t as frustrated with reading,” one teacher said. Another added: “the shift to the science of reading has been huge … and has profound effects on teaching kids to read.”

The science of reading is rooted in five pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, but most of the conversation around the evidence-based approach has centered on phonics.

Hesitancy around the science of reading is concerning to researchers, said David Griffith, one of the report’s co-authors.

“Almost every literate person I’ve ever met remembers getting phonics,” Griffith said. “There is abundant evidence that phonics is successful, and what the research shows is that you need to know how to decode words in order to learn how to read. … If kids don’t learn to do this, then they won’t learn to read, and if they don’t learn to read, they won’t learn much else.” 

Griffith acknowledged teacher concerns about the trade-off of incorporating more phonics-based instruction and feeling students would miss out on comprehension, “but I would push back…  that there is some sort of balance that we need to strike in terms of helping kids learn to decode,” he said. “Kids need to learn to decode, and then once they’ve done that, there are many other things that we can start doing.

Griffith also argued having more non-fiction texts in K-3 could level the playing field for students who may not have exposure to certain background knowledge or vocabulary that would make them successful early readers. Lacking this kind of curriculum and instruction has created disparities and affected skills like finding the main idea or inferring for many children, he said.

“A weak reader who knows about baseball will outperform a strong reader who doesn’t know anything about baseball,” Griffith said. “Your ability to draw inferences is entirely dependent on whether you understand what the passage is talking about and whether you have the right vocabulary.”

The report found more than 40% of teachers hadn’t “fully internalized the importance of knowledge and vocabulary to reading comprehension.”

The report found teacher knowledge around the science of reading is inconsistent.

Griffith said “the chaotic information environment that the typical teacher is subject to,” has been the biggest thing hindering implementation now.

“An older teacher tells you one thing. Your curriculum tells you something else,” he said. “You read an article online written by some think tank and it tells you a third thing. Teachers want to do the right thing, … [but there’s a] lack of clarity … about points that really should be clear.”

From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report

Teachers in higher-resourced schools scored slightly higher than average in their science of reading knowledge and commitment (in the 54th percentile), while those in low-resourced schools scored below average in the 44th percentile.

The report called it a “substantial difference that will have dire consequences for poor students should it persist,” that shows “the fragmented nature of curriculum adoption and the complexity of translating exposure to science of reading–aligned training into better practice.”

Griffith added that teacher turnover in those environments likely play a role.

“Teaching is just harder in high-poverty schools. There is less time to think, there’s less time to do research on the science of reading or anything else. There is probably not a long tradition of veteran teachers building strong curricula over multiple years,” he said.

Across the country, most K-3 teachers have received some type of professional development in the science of reading, the report also found. Those who have completed those courses have a better understanding of the evidence-based approach than those who rely on what they were taught in higher education and teacher preparation programs. 

From the Teacher’s Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report

Even though most educators receive professional development, researchers said teachers’ knowledge of the science of reading declined as the grade level increased, with kindergarten teachers “exhibiting the deepest knowledge and third-grade teachers exhibiting the least understanding.”

“These differences may reflect the fact that science of reading–aligned trainings and curricula often disproportionately target kindergarten, where a focus on decoding is particularly crucial. Still, given the number of third graders who are still struggling with decoding — and the continuing need to build knowledge and vocabulary in higher grades — the mediocre performance of teachers in higher grade levels is grounds for concern,” the report said.

Other findings from the report included how 93% of teachers use multiple reading curricula, some which still use practices like cueing. And that many teachers reported “limited insight into the needs of English learners and students with dyslexia.”

“If we could somehow improve the quality of pre-service preparation, we would really be making progress, because it is hard to change the practices of teachers who have been teaching for 15 to 20 years,” Griffith said. “It would be enormously helpful if teachers got the right message at the start of their careers.”

Fordham researchers called for colleges of education to require instruction aligned to the science of reading.

The report also found teachers in states with reading-aligned licensure tests had a deeper understanding of the evidence-based reading model, which became another recommendation for better implementation. Other suggestions included mandates around K-3 teacher training to be completed within their first three years in the classroom and a push for states to establish approved curriculum lists.

u/happy_bluebird — 20 hours ago
▲ 19 r/ECEProfessionals

How Common is it for Daycares to Close Classrooms?

ETA: Thank you all for your helpful responses! I got a message this morning that 5 additional families had to volunteer to keep their kids home or they’d have to close the classroom. So definitely on the search for somewhere new. So dissapointing.

I love my son’s daycare but I think they over enrolled and are having issues staying in ratio. On two occasions now I’ve been told I can’t bring him because there are not enough staff.

The past two weeks they’ve been moving him back and forth between the infant and toddler room depending on what staff they have each day (he’s 14.5 months so technically still infant but about to be toddler). The change is really messing with him since the rooms have completely different schedules and expections. Some days he’s napping 2x in a crib and other 1x on a mat. I also sometimes don’t even get any notice as to which room he’s going to be in, which is a problem since toddlers go outside so I need to make sure he has the right shoes and sunscreen on.

Today I got upset when they told me he was going back to infant after settling in after several days in toddler. They told me they told 5 toddler families they couldn’t come in tomorrow because of an unexpected staff absence and either had to move him back to infant or he had to stay home.

I’d really hoped once we got to the toddler room this wouldn’t happen as much because of higher ratios so was really discouraged to hear that today.

Is any of this typical / expected? Is there any hope this can sort itself out? Or do I have no choice but to start searching for a different daycare? Unfortunately I have unusual working hours so my options are really limited.

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u/DapperFlounder7 — 20 hours ago
▲ 7 r/ECEProfessionals

Infants painting in diapers

Is it okay as a teacher to let infants just paint in a smock and diaper so that they can really sit on the big paper and go all in without wrecking their clothes?

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u/Kind-Chicken-2488 — 20 hours ago
▲ 5 r/ECEProfessionals

ISO app

Does anyone know of an app for the specific purpose of (or can accomplish this without too many other features) of checking children in daily and sending parents a notification if their child wasn't checked in by a specific time, say 9:15? This would be for the purpose of preventing hot-car deaths etc or other such situations.

I'm thinking that the daycare classroom teacher would be the one checking off when the child arrives in their classroom

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u/AirlineReal3419 — 19 hours ago
▲ 8 r/ECEProfessionals

My coworker is trying to take my job position.

I’ve been working here about two months as an assistant teacher (without a lead) and they haven’t been hiring anyone because I can have 10 kids by myself but that’ll change in the summertime.. never mind that..

I have a coworker lets call her, Elle.

My first thought of her was she’s a chatterbox who likes to vent about her problems, fine I dont mind lending a ear but then my second week of working there she’d randomly peak over into my class and say “wow you guys are so good I wish you were my kids” referring to my 2&3 year olds who sitting down being good. She works with 1 year olds who are VERY bad.

Her subtle hints are getting more stronger few days ago she said “one of my kids parents asked if I was gonna age up with them because they love me so much and I know I could handle the 3 year olds you have to be stern and mean what you say and I know they are running *insert another coworkers name* (meaning my other coworker who works mornings can’t handle the class but that’s far from true she’s the only one who actually got gifts during teacher appreciation week!) and oh don’t they run you too *insert my name*?” she wanted me to admit I couldn’t handle that class and I didn’t give in, I said no.

She saw that didn’t work so she started talking about a baby in toddlers room she said “he looks like an alien and it looks like someone plastered on his nose”.. he has a regular African American baby look and i’m African American myself I know it was said for me to hear as she is a closeted racist with a confederate flag on her car.

I don’t feel comfortable going to the director with all this information as I just started and I don’t want to be causing workplace tension and she is white herself I don’t know how she will react or even if she’ll take my side.

I LOVE my classroom and have no intention of giving it up. What are the chances Elle goes to the director and she just randomly switches us? In the interview I said i’m only comfortable working with 2&3s.

Whoever said daycare workplace drama is bad were not lying it’s horrible.

What should I do? Do I tell the director ahead of time I love working with this age group?

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u/_bunniesiloveuuu — 22 hours ago
▲ 3 r/ECEProfessionals

In-home center undercharging

I have a nagging thought about the in-home center my 12mo attends undercharging by easily $300/month. The rate was set before us, not like I haggled it down or something. I haven’t seen any red flags for why she may be charging below market (she is licensed, has a safe and developmentally appropriate setup, prepares 2 meals and 2 snacks daily, way under ratio). She does zero marketing, I just happened to walk by one day and notice it. It would be weird to say something right? I should mind my own business but be generous (cash) with gifts?

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u/abra-cadabra-84 — 17 hours ago
▲ 20 r/ECEProfessionals

I left my center with no notice.

I left my center with no notice and it broke my heart.

EDIT: I feel like important context here is that she is 53, I was 23 when this all started and am 24 now. She started at my center 3 weeks before I did. She claims she has been in the field for 20+ years, and claims she was recently a former director. I cannot find any LinkedIn profile for her or any record of her teaching at the centers she claims she’s from. I know Admin did not reach out to her references either before hiring.

I have been having problems with one staff member who happened to be my co-teacher since I started. She had been in the field longer than me and continued to belittle me and other staff members in front of our kids regularly. She also broke policy regularly by leaving open medications within reach of children, forcing children to sit on the potty even when they weren’t ready/crying, would speak very roughly with the kids, and wouldn’t provide comfort to kids if she didn’t feel it was a valid reason for a 2.5 year old to be upset. I reported all of this to admin and they told me to document it, I did, their solution was to swap her with another preschool teacher temporarily while implying I would have the room going into the following year. The first message (will post in the comments) was when I gained control of the room, I reported the messages to admin, nothing was done. She also ripped off the transition strip on our classroom floor while in a rage after I moved some furniture. The stress of dealing with this have led to many endometriosis flare ups to the point where there were some days I simply could not walk.

Eventually, after I asked, they told me they were putting her back in the classroom. I had gotten nothing but positive feedback since taking over the room. I had many parents tell me they haven’t seen their child have a connection with another teacher like they had with me. The kids seemed way happier and more comfortable and the parents did too. This felt like a total slap in the face after being completely led on. I told them I would have to put in my notice then and that I would stay until parent teacher conferences. I stayed on another week before my health became a daily battle and I was getting stress related hives and rashes. I love my kids, it was an incredibly difficult decision to leave and not tell them but I had to put myself first. Two days after I left I get these texts. I would like to add I have not had any issues with anyone else at this center but her. I wish this field was better managed to squash the drama, I haven’t felt like this in a professional setting since high school. I miss my kids so much and I love working with children but the adults make it unbearable sometimes. I am not sure where to go from here 😞.

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u/Sea_Investigator8808 — 1 day ago
▲ 1 r/ECEProfessionals

My centre can’t get any enrolments

I am currently at a lovely preschool that my daughter attends as well

Unfortunately things went south recently and management aren’t great. We’ve had a lot of people leave too

The main thing is we can’t get any enrolments, and we are supposed to have 24 a day but on our lowest we have six kids and on the busiest we have maybe 14.

I’ve been there two years and we made a bit of profit last year but this year we aren’t making anything

No tours or waitlist. As much as I love it, I can’t see us filling up the spots and next year we have 8 kids leaving for school

A few children have also reduced their days recently.

They also reduced my discount for my daughter due to costs, and asked a teacher if she wanted Friday off as it would help with the financial side

I love the kids and families, it’s a minute drive to my older child’s school too.

But I’m scared they will either close or sell. I can’t see how they will ever get enrolments there

My daughter loves it there so it’s sad she will have to go. But I’ve been offered an interview that is known to be a great company to work for and there are many good benefits. Bit further away but not that bad.

Has anyone left a place due to low numbers ?

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u/pirate_meow_kitty — 15 hours ago
▲ 7 r/ECEProfessionals

kids out when lead teacher IS there

can somebody help explain why this happens? when the lead teacher isn’t in the classroom and it’s just me and the other assistant teacher everything runs smoothly and doesn’t get too stressful but when the lead teacher( along with me and the other teacher) is there the kids feel the need to act out, not listen and chaos breaks out and we are left to manage behaviors and it’s really frustrating.

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u/No-Vehicle-1701 — 17 hours ago
▲ 30 r/ECEProfessionals

Pink eye

So the time finally came and after 2 years working at this center I got pink eye. I woke up this morning with my eye crusted shut and my heart immediately was in my toes. It’s been going around my center and my admin unfortunately is very lenient with certain kids when they are sick and some of the parents at my center send their children in with the bubonic plague and take forever to come get them. It was only a matter of time before I also got pink eye. So as soon as I woke up with my crusty eye I texted my boss. She asked if I had eye drops which I do not and I needed to get into an urgent care to get them. Instead of her being like oh well I hope you get it figured out, she tells me clean it up the best you can and come in. HELLO? So then she blows up my phone and I’m not giving her my attention because in no way shape or form am i comfortable coming in with pink eye to give it to the children just so she has one more body at work. Well a coworker calls me to check on me and tells me that our boss is telling everyone I’m a no call no show. My boss loves to talk about her staff and tell our business to everyone. I love the kids but I am seriously at my wits end with this place. Okay vent over thank you for listening.

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u/AcanthaceaeTop8343 — 23 hours ago
▲ 24 r/ECEProfessionals

At what age do you stop wiping butts?

I completely understand supporting newly potty trained children on their way to independence, but once a child is potty trained, are you still wiping them when they have bowel movements? Is there an age limit?

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u/Mbluish — 1 day ago
▲ 0 r/ECEProfessionals

Heggerty or Toddlers Can Read by Spencer?

I’m a primary teacher (also ect qualified) and my toddler has recently become really interested in letters and letter sounds. She already recognises some letters, enjoys singing Jolly Phonics songs, and seems genuinely excited when we do little literacy activities together. My goal is more about building phonemic awareness, confidence, and a love for reading.
For anyone who has used either (or both!) programs at home:
-Which did your toddler respond to better?
-Pros and cons?
-Did you find one more realistic/easy to implement for a 2 year old?
-Did you see progress after starting the program?
-Any other resources or first steps you’d recommend for this age?

Would especially love to hear from parents/teachers who started early literacy casually at home 😊

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u/curiousolw — 21 hours ago