It’s really nice to hear how so many of you value the staff at nurseries - I’ll say thank you in case any of you are my key children’s or nursery’s parents! :)
I’ve certainly had a few times in my career where I have felt completely looked down on, felt no gratitude and have had my fair share of parents being rude. Times when I personally have felt my lowest:
When Ofsted gave their inspection warning, and a parent just laughed at us and scoffed “well what exactly are they looking at? How you play? Not exactly hard to get an outstanding when all you have to do is sing a few songs and play catch all day”
When I sat with a vomiting child, who’s parent was adamant they couldn’t come for a few hours (despite one working from home and other on maternity leave). I sat with him while he persistantly puked up everywhere for about 3 hours Until my boss rang them and said he would go into an ambulance with social services if they didn’t turn up soon - the dad came to get him, then said to me “I guess all you want is to make your own lives a little easier, palming off children who have paid to come. Maybe if you actually attempted to distract him instead of being lazy and calling us he would feel a bit better”. Karma is sweet- son then puked on him.
The parents who said maybe funding should be available for babies too, and if we didn’t expect such big bonuses then it would help parents a lot.
Anyone received a bonus?
Parents who constantly say “it can’t be that hard” to keep children spotless, to prevent them from falling over, to keep track of the matchbox sized toy they love so much and can’t be without that goes walk about.
Thankfully, this is the minority!
Most days, parents make me feel great. I’ve had some lovely gifts and I’ve got a box full of the most amazing cards that parents have written when their child has gone. Parents thanks is the most morale boosting part of the job.
One family have invited us all to the child’s christening and wedding invites and birthday party invites have been received.
I’ve had parents say how much they love the journals - they never realised just how much we have to do.
It means the world to me when parents just say how much they appreciate the little things. I like it when parents see the state of us at the end of the day and express gratitude for the effort we put in for the children to have fun and learn.
I don’t know what else I would do for a living. My problem is unfortunately the same as so many early years practitioners - the pay and general lack of benefits (minimal pension, mine has no sick pay, statutory maternity only, minimum leave as required by law) means that in the long term I won’t be staying around.