Would you want to know this about your child care provider?

baschabad

Sun, Oct 21 2012, 12:13 pm

I worked for a short time at a daycare for toddler approximately 18-24 months and I was surprised by some of the things I saw there.
First of all, it is necessary to explain that the morah is originally from Europe and therefore has certain beliefs about children.
She would threaten the children not to cry saying: "No crying by Morah ___!" "If you cry I'm going to put you on the couch!" Once she told a child "If you cry I'm going to put you in bed!" She would generally react harshly when children cried out of sadness. She would ask me, "Whose crying now?" and would then put the child on the couch with a book. It was not done in a way to make the child feel better, but rather distract them. She discouraged me from holding or reading to sad children, saying that I was going to spoil them and they would never learn. She would try to explain away their sadness: "she is tired. check her diaper. She gets held too much at home, etc."
She also took away children's comfort objects. She didn't allow them to carry around blankets, pacifiers or water cups.
She didn't allow eating during non-meal times. There was snack or lunch. (Snack foods were also shared, which I wouldn't be comfortable with as a parent due to differences in hechsher and nutrition...) If a child was complaining or reaching for food, she might tell you, "You are not hungry. You can't be hungry now."

I disagreed very strongly with her practices, and know that I would never want my child in such an environment, however I didn't feel comfortable telling other parents. Would you as a parent want to know?