Got

Milk?

St. Paul
Library needs your
empty milk jugs!

































Field Experience- A Preschool/Daycare, in Marion, IN
Person Interviewed- The teacher has been in the childcare profession since 1995
Job Title/Description: The preschool/daycare teacher of the three year olds. The three year olds
attend daycare from 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Monday Friday. The 3 year olds who attend
preschool go from 9:15 a.m. -11:45 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Date of Interview: 10-11-12

How are behavior issues handled in your classroom? Is there a discipline policy and if so,
what is it?
The teacher explained to me that she talks to the children first about their behavior, she will
give the children 3 chances (talks to them 3 times) after that they are put in time out. The
time in time out is usually 3 minutes. There is no hitting, pushing, kicking, or biting allowed.

How does your program deal with holiday celebrations?
The teacher explained that since this is a Christian daycare/preschool the holiday of
Halloween is not celebrated. All of the other holidays are though. They do have a fall festival
complete with pumpkins, bonfire, hayrides and smores to celebrate the fall season.

How are diverse cultures represented in your classroom environment?
The teacher explained that she knows some sign language because there is a deaf child in the
other classroom. ? I then gave here some examples of what I was asking (Are there children
of different ethnicities here? Do you play any music from different cultures or eat food from
different cultures? Do you talk about different races or maybe teach the children to count in
Spanish?) The teacher just shook her head as if to say no.

What are some strategies you use to form relationships and open communication with the
families in your program?
Parents come in to the building to drop off and pick up their children, there is a large bulletin
board located in the main hallway, newsletters are sent home and there are flyers taped up on
all of the doors.

My impression of this particular classroom visit-
This preschool/daycare is divided into different areas of the building. It looks
like the building used to be a small school because upon entering the building you walk into a
foyer where the office is located and then can go to the left hallway where the 0-2 year olds are
or go through the double doors and walk into the gymnasium where there are high chairs lined
up and tables for the older children to sit at while eating. The rest of the gym is for inside play if
it is raining outside. Down the hallway from the gymnasium are the classrooms where the
daycare and preschool children attend. There is a 2 yr. old daycare room and a 2 year old
preschool room and the same goes for 3s, 4s and 5s.
First of all, I was very concerned with the lack of security measures at this facility. I was
able to walk right in, there was no one in the front office to monitor who came in or out. I waited
a couple of minutes and thought that maybe I should just go through the doors to the gym area
because I could see people in the gym. So I did. I walked up to woman and told her that I was
the person that had called on Wednesday and was Okd to talk to the preschool/ daycare teacher.
She did not question me or ask anyone else and led me to the classroom.
If I was a parent of a child attending this facility I would be greatly concerned by this.
There should be 2 people in the front office to be able to see who is coming in or out. Anyone
could have ventured down the infant hallway. Also, the front office window is covered with
flyers about this, that and the next thing that the person inside the office doesnt have a clear
view of the hallway or foyer. There is a large bulletin board with the same flyers located on it
directly to the right of the office window. If they are that worried that the information is not
getting out to people then maybe another bulletin board to the left or mailing s home would be a
better idea.
Discipline in this daycare setting is very strict. The children were allowed to look at
books while I was there but not allowed to go to any other area of the classroom and play with
anything else. The teacher said that they have to ask to get a book off of the shelf before they are
allowed to look at it. The children are allowed only one area at a time where they can play
because The teache explained that if they play at the other area there is too much of a mess in the
room. Now, there were only 6 children in this room and I believe that those are too rigid of rules
for playtime. I understand if the reading center is open, but not being
allowed to look or play with anything else limits the childrens imagination or creativity. They
are not learning through play if they are all lined up like little Stepford children reading books
all at the same time. (Reading books is beneficial but this just seemed not right to me). The
teacher chooses which area they are allowed to be in- no questions asked.
I respect their choice of not celebrating Halloween for their religious reasons.
However: the lack of any type of cultural anything concerned me. It is almost like the teacher
did not understand what I was asking. I gave her examples and she just looked at me and shook
her head like she was saying, No, nothing like that here. The ABCs were sung the traditional
way and also what the teacher called, the Jesus way, colors and shapes also had religious
references to them. Being that this is a Christian (the daycare/preschool is part of a church in
Marion) daycare/preschool I know that they are allowed to teach this way. I do feel that it is a
disservice to the children to not teach them anything about other cultures though and wouldnt it
be anti-Christian to NOT teach about other cultures since God made us all? Food for thought on
that one.
The communication was too all over the place. I believe that if there were more
designated areas for communication it would be easier to read what was there. I know that you
need to let the parents know what is going on but the flyers were posted all over. I did not ask
how frequently the newsletters were mailed out to the families. I would suggest that parents sit in
on a class (or two) to observe before sending their child to this facility.