Rest/Pause Times
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 11:46 am
Hello
I have worked with the same privately owned center now for over 5 years as an early childhood teacher. I do enjoy working with the company i'm with but one of my concerns is rest/pause time strategies and how to make it less challenging. I think the regulations for ratios within a Kindy aged room is changing next year, but even then I still have another year or more of trying to cope on my own (or other educator on her own) with almost all my children not sleeping
since they are growing out of it. It frustrates me that one educator is expected to be in a room on his/her own with 22 children awake. This is the most challenging time of the day and it's purely because for two hours we have all this weight on our shoulders to look after children, find time to finish off the day program, reflective journal, clean and assist or comfort children who do sleep etc. Sometimes we have float staff come in to help but this is not always available. I understand why two educators are needed in say the toddler room, but what doesn't really make sense is that they are toddlers.......they are going to sleep because they need it. So two educators are peacefully getting everything done with a room full of sleeping toddlers, yet here I am with 22 awake children on my own.
We always make it work but just seeing if anyone has any strategies that we may not have tried? I've been taking 15 minutes off my lunch break each day just to help my co worker assist the sleeping kids as I feel horrible leaving her on her own with a room full of awake kids. If you have kids of your own and you sometimes feel smothered or challenged.....can you imagine being alone with up to 22 of them? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kelly
I have worked with the same privately owned center now for over 5 years as an early childhood teacher. I do enjoy working with the company i'm with but one of my concerns is rest/pause time strategies and how to make it less challenging. I think the regulations for ratios within a Kindy aged room is changing next year, but even then I still have another year or more of trying to cope on my own (or other educator on her own) with almost all my children not sleeping
since they are growing out of it. It frustrates me that one educator is expected to be in a room on his/her own with 22 children awake. This is the most challenging time of the day and it's purely because for two hours we have all this weight on our shoulders to look after children, find time to finish off the day program, reflective journal, clean and assist or comfort children who do sleep etc. Sometimes we have float staff come in to help but this is not always available. I understand why two educators are needed in say the toddler room, but what doesn't really make sense is that they are toddlers.......they are going to sleep because they need it. So two educators are peacefully getting everything done with a room full of sleeping toddlers, yet here I am with 22 awake children on my own.
We always make it work but just seeing if anyone has any strategies that we may not have tried? I've been taking 15 minutes off my lunch break each day just to help my co worker assist the sleeping kids as I feel horrible leaving her on her own with a room full of awake kids. If you have kids of your own and you sometimes feel smothered or challenged.....can you imagine being alone with up to 22 of them? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kelly