I'm a 17 year employee and have always enjoyed working at KinderCare until it changed. I am a program specialist as well as the Kindergarten teacher and I have made so many strong friendships with families over the years and always had positive personal feedback from them! During the "good" years, the children were allowed to have fun, explore topics and themes that interested them as a group, have celebrations just because and most importantly HAVE FUN! Recently the companies focus is on academics, academics and more academics. It started two years ago when during a DM visit; toys, chairs, stuffed animals, and posters were all removed from my room. It turned into such an institutionalized atmosphere! Suddenly all that I had worked to build so hard for and that was right was now suddenly so wrong! The regional director is awful, in all the sense of the word! She's unprofessional, irrational and vindictive. The more I would do right, the more effort I would put in, the more she would cut me down. It even got to the point where she rearranged my classroom while I was at a doctors appointment, After 17 years of my room being "acceptable" was now ALL wrong and was not to her liking. The only respect I have for her is the position she is in, not the person she is. I have felt discriminated many times before over the years by her, and my director would say things to ease my mind until the next time the DM would cut me down. It finally came to a head, when she blatantly admitted to not being justifiably able to help me reach my future goals due to a bullitan board with an old Evidence of Learning sheet, and unacceptable room arrangement.............Mind you the classroom has remained the same for over 15 years without issue. It was then that I realized the reason for her sudden disapproval was not due to misconduct, inability, or unprofessional-ism but was due to my director leaving after 17 years, thus opening up her position to our AD and ultimately an assistant directors position to me. Suddenly I had become the worst employee?! I refused to take it anymore. I contacted the regional vice president with my concerns and spoke over an hour and a half on the phone with her. In short she encouraged me to talk to the DM and "express my concerns" after years of feeling discriminated against, she wanted me to "express my concerns" with her. In short the discrimination has escalated, I have been threatened with a 30 day shape up or ship out plan with such things listed as; not giving enough time for classroom supplies needed from a local grocery store, missing a classroom count by 45 mins., leaving chairs stacked on a table and allowing the children to enter the room, be held accountable for loosing a family in my cooking class; due to the family finding it was not worth it, not jumping, running and singing on the playground ( I kid you not, 100 percent truth) and a few other unbelievably menial, unjustifiably harshly criticized things. A 30 day warning that I will be fired unless the new director sees an improvement. All important things, yes, absolutely...worthy of a discharge, absolutely not. Unfortunately the DM had assisted this director with my plan. No surprise. Once again no matter how much work I did, how good I was, how liked I am by my past and present families, always giving 120 percent, going above and beyond and truly caring for the families I serve, not to mention spending many uncountable hours "planning" at home. I still am cut down and stepped on. All in all on top of all of this I have been told curriculum MUST be completed on sight, however "Giving you planning is impossible". Seriously? Demanding work be completed and not be given time to complete it. I'm disheartened and broken beyond belief, for all that I have worked for and given, money out of my pocket to make my kids happy, caring about the centers well-being during my 16+ years with KinderCare means nothing. THIS is how its going to end. I'm Just buying my time at this point, my focus now is to build back what has been taken from me, move onto a wonderful place where I can be appreciated and bring my morals, kindness and professionalism. Ultimately, work in an establishment that I can be proud of. When the time comes I will be leaving with 17 years of personal school belongings, 17 years of beautiful memories, a head held high and a possible law suit
