I am a former manager for Kindercare Learning Centers (also known as Knowledge Learning Corp) and am very upset with the way they run their company.
Kindercare is very involved in the March of Dimes and I commend them highly for that but....starting last year Kindercare stopped offering Teacher Appreciation Week. Their reason for this is, Teacher Appreciation Week falls on the same week that KinderCare starts pushing for donations for March of Dimes.
The company does not want the parents to spend money on the teachers, instead donate the money to March of Dimes. Let me make this very clear, March of Dimes has NOTHING to do with Kindercare stopping Teacher Appreciation week! I am a HUGE supporter of March of Dimes but this is way out of line.
Teachers should be rewarded (even if it is just a card and a nice "Thank You") for their hard work and dedication to the children.
After my insisting that this be changed and going against company policy and promoting Teacher Appreciation week, I was "let go" from the company. Kindercare's only concern is money, not the children.
1. Written by another current employee, on 20-03-2009 20:30
I have worked for KinderCare for 4 years, and its obvious from these posts, that all centers are not the same. My children also attend KinderCare so I can relate as an employee and a mother. I love KinderCare. Do I get upset and disagree with my bosses? Sometimes, but who doesn't? From my knowledge, all the staff are paid well compared to similar jobs other places. Staff at my center have been there for years (one for 11 years!). Our new insurance company leave something to be desired, but all jobs have their issues. As for as a learning center, my KinderCare is awesome. Curriculum is always done and my children have learned so much! My two year can spell her name and recognize almost all letters and numbers! The enrichment programs are great, and all my kids have the same two or three teachers EVERY day. I do encourage parents with children in any care program to visit unannounced especially between the hours of 10am and 3pm. I know if you came by the KinderCare I worked at, you would instantly join the other families on our waiting lists!
I was told when I started at KinderCare that I would receive a raise at the beginning of the three month mark, and that I would have my own class after my training. Three weeks later, I still didn't have my class and I was cut to part time because of low enrollment. I learned about two weeks after I had hours cut that the asst. dir. was telling the other employees that "the newest employee would be scrutinized until a problem was found for termination" if numbers didn't pick up. I, of course, was the new employee. Just after I was told of this, I decided to leave. Four weeks into job searching, I got the class, but it was three weeks after they had to combine two classes and were running over ratio. I decided to stay because now "they needed me". Two weeks later on a friday, I called out because of strep. I went back on Monday and a week later I contracted a virus from one of the kids that caused my fever to go to 102.6 and called out on Tuesday. On Wednesday I still had a fever, but the asst. dir. (who was in charge that day) said I had to come in. Thursday, the director asked me (out of the blue) if it was true that I had slept during naptime the day before and I told her no. She said it was probable that I had because I was sick, so she didn't believe me. That evening they terminated my employment. Two problems: 1) she took someone elses word for it, who didn't see me because she was in her own class and 2) another employee slept everyday and had been caught on multiple occasions but was never reprimanded. Seems to me like KinderCare didn't want to raise my pay... if you kept up, I had been there 12.5 weeks out of a 3 month period that consisted of 13 weeks. Seems to me that they didn't care that the parents loved me and that the kids were progressing at a very high rate... all they cared about was money. This has all been for future possible employees. For parents who are looking at KinderCare for childcare, know that at this particular center they allowed employees to spank the children, which I witnessed on multiple occasions and tried to report but it was hushed, and they also would take away snack or outside time because of behavior. This is awful, and I would bet that most of the centers run this way... be cautioned about the center you are looking at.
4. Written by kindercare is awful, on 09-10-2008 07:25
I have worked in the education field for almost 20 years. Let me list the things about kindercare that amaze me ... and not in the right ways. There is no respect for the teachers, their well being and their peace of mind. There is no professionalism .. one of our trainings was spent cleaning the school ... and it was logged with the state as an official teacher training that is MANDATED by the state. Nothing relevant was taught. Unless you count knowing how to wipe floorboards as a necessary aspect of early childhood training.
My director has no clue what is going on and the assistant director spends her days, sans any type of dignity or class, calling the children pathetic and the teachers whores.
The regional director seems to turn a blind eye to this and several other issues. The children are shifted constantly for ratios and the lack of teachers, the teachers are shifted constantly for payroll cuts, there is no training to further better the schools and the curriculum they sell you is worthless simply because most of the time, there is no time for the teachers to be able to teach it due to shifted schedules. Instead of keeping your child in the classroom environment, if they are 1-3 kids over, they will send a teacher home, and keep those kids in the office with the director all day. Tell me how that is educationally appropriate?
The kids have no stability, there is no emotional bonds through out most of the schools, which is so necessary for child development. Kindercare has taken up the belief that a child is a commodity and only worth the dollar value they request. So sad.
Keep you children out this viscous chain of schools, they will be truly better off. Take the time, if your child is there, to question why someone different has them everyday, why there is no stability in the staff and drop in from 10-3 to see the actuality of the situation.
6. Written by Pissed off mother, on 08-10-2008 14:11
My child started KinderCare in Maryland at age 2 one month ago, the 2 teachers are very nice at first, then one moved out to a different class, adn a younger kid moved in. She has 1.5 inch nails and never picks up kids. The class had a lice outbreak within the first 4 weeks. I cought this new teacher letting 3 kids play with toilets and get wet. The center's director gave her a talk and now she can not look at me in the eye and my child started screaming to come home whenever I visit her. This woman must did something to my kid. I am requesting to have her removed from my child's class, currently Kindercare is asking me to switch my kid to the other class. My husband adn I spend 4 days with my kid in the class to help her transition, all that will go down the tube now. I am asking family to move in with me to take care of my child as a last option. I am fighting this war with them now. If my child need to come home because their staff cannot do her job, I will make sure that both kinder Care and the teacher responsible will hear from my lawyer. This will not go down with out pain for them, I promose as a parent!!!
7. Written by pisy off employee, on 08-10-2008 11:34
ok so I was throwing up with a stomache flue we had plenty of teachers and yet my director made me stay there all day and in turn 6 kids got sick.....then a couple months later my mom gets into a bad accident and once more I had to stay there all day while moms in the hospital with no one there.....I hate this company and I think they should be ashamed of themselves I am looking for another job I work in texas......
8. Written by unhappy employee, on 06-10-2008 20:16
I find it absolutely ridiculous what this company does to thier employees. Everyday someone has to leave early because the "enrollment is low". What is so wrong with having two teachers in a classroom of 10 when the ratio is 1:10. Big deal if corporate gets on you directors. I don't care. I orginally was hired for preschool and promised my own room. Shortly there after I have been in 3 preschool rooms and now I am basically a floater for toddlers. I am college educated and I did not go to college to change diapers. Yes, I make good money but the benefits suck. There is no sick time or vacation time for one year. Um hello its child care?? It is a lot easier for us child care workers to become ill then almost anyone else. I used to work for bright horizons I wish I never left it there. If you think it ***, please dont think so.
9. Written by Cocerned parent, on 03-10-2008 08:22
Should I be looking for a new child care provider. I always wondered why there aren't alot kids in the classes. I figure it's a ratio thing, but I feel that they dont "teach" them enough and they run around and play all the time.
If I had another job lined up I would Quit right now and encourage the employees to start a union. So we can all get paid what we deserve. What we they do if we went on strike. It is hard to find people who want to work for such crappy pay that are good. Parents would have to find some where else and quick and they would be out a lot of money.
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