Doing work prac where your child attends

[rsdm05]

Hi all,
I have almost completed my cert 3, just have my work prac to go..
My educator and I are finding it very hard to find a centre that will take me on.. my son and daughter have both been attending a centre for the past 2 years close to home, my question is, do you think it is appropriate to ask if i could possibly do my work prac with them? The director is lovely as are the other educators but to just ask randomly without them knowing i have been studying feels a bit awkward..
any advice would be great )
Thankyou.

[Lorina]

If you have a good rapport with the director then I think it's fine to approach them to ask about work placement. Your children's centre has known you for 2 years and I'm sure you have developed a great relationship with all the staff there so I think it will be beneficial for you to do work placement at a centre that you are familiar with. It's also a great opportunity to see what goes on at the centre and to become more involved in your children's learning. You should just ask and see what happens, you got nothing to lose!

The only thing however is that there may be some concerns about what room you may be placed in as some centres are a little iffy about having parents work together with their children due to favouritism or your child only wanting to be with you etc. Don't worry about this so much, it can be all worked out when speaking to the director...

Go and on and do it!

Let me know how it goes,

,
L.A

[Sara_]

As a Director myself I would not advise doing your placement where your child attends. I would not allow any of my parents to do their placements within my centre, however I would be happy for them to do a placement at one of our sister centres. The reason for this is that it can be quite confusing for the child to not be able to distinguish why Mummy can't give them immediate attention. Having your child at the centre while you are studying can also be distracting for you and your child. Look into a placement at another centre, that way you can extend your knowledge of the various education settings and gain experience in a environment that will not confuse your child or distract you from your studies.

[catchmeifucan]

I think it's a good idea.

[Smiley]

A sister came 4 prac at past centre for 3 months had lots of fun with her brother and other children. Should be OK.

[Peni]

I think it would be beneficial to do practice at another centre to gain experience and challenge yourself in a new environment just for the experience and to learn new skills.