Kindercare Learning Centers/Knowledge Universe: A Great Concept with no Follow-through
Pros
-My coworkers and immediate bosses are some of the most caring, compassionate, dedicated people I know. -I have learned a lot about how not to go about child care. -The curriculum is solid when there is enough support in a classroom to implement it. -Being able to shape a young child's (and elementary aged) life through your teaching experience -Corporate mission statement and values which focus on the importance of executive function / skills and emotional growth as well as academics in early childhood education is forward thinking and well devised
Cons
-NO SET SCHEDULE. They send you home after two hours of work if there is "not enough children" or other reasoning. -You can be thrown to a different center 10-30 miles from your workplace, or sent home without pay, your choice- with no notice. - They will call you two hours before your shift and ask you to come in or call you on your day off to come in- or they will send you home early, not let you leave at the end of your shift, and will not respect your time. -I was scheduled an 8 hour shift multiple times and ended up working almost 11 total hours over the summer, missing numerous appointments I had scheduled after work, family dinners, etc. All because they will not allow you to leave. -They will cut your hours with no notice, I was hired as a full time employee (40+ hours per week) and I now work 20 hours a week, I was not notified, but found out via the posted schedule in the break room later on in my shift that day. -They do not care about your personal life and will not grant you time off over half the time you request it, even if months in advance in some cases. -Corporate does NOT care, do not fall for that lie. - In the 2's class we have up to twenty four children at a time with only two teachers, and during closing the mixed numbers remain that high with three to four classes of kids, diapers needing to be done, and no help. -On multiple occasions a child threatened the safety of the center and no actual actions were taken beyond "speaking to the parents", because ultimately numbers are what are emphasized. - You will not be respected professionally, and they will not take your comments / suggestions seriously -You will not be given a voice, and the "customer is always right" which means if a parent says a child did not do something, that child did not do it and will not be removed from the class or given any further repercussions -From my experience, upper management does not come in and help unless the situation is dire, and they only stay long enough to make sure the numbers (of children in attendance) are high enough to support the amount of staff hired, not to train, develop, or change any problems at the center.