Re: Kindercare teacher trainings/Knowledge Learning Corporat

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Childcare Chatboard

Kindercare teacher trainings/Knowledge Learning Corporation

by Loretta

Feb 16, 2009

I have been working for this company for over 7 years, and the trainings are always the same. I am getting very frustrated since they advertise on their website that they provide the best trainings for their teachers in the U.S. I have a B.S and a CDA and I would like to get past the same old crap. I feel like I am being trained and talked to like I am a new employee and I have never taken care of children. Not to mention they act like their curriculum is the best curriculum in the world and any ideas from teachers are useless. I am so tired of these trainings. They are a waist of my time. If I am going to go to a training, I want to learn something. I don't want to leave feeling mad and frustrated. Anybody out their feel like I do. I so want to leave, and believe me I am looking but the economy isn't so great right now. I am just so tired of this corporation. They say they invest in their teachers but it is all a joke and it is all sugar coated to make it look that way. Just how they ...See More

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Patti/PreK/Phoenix Loretta, I feel your pain,lol! I'd been with Children's World for 8 years when KLC bought us, then a couple of years later KinderCare merged with them. Children's World Trainings were taught by NAEYC affiliates, NACCRRA trainers, Lakeshore staff, etc. KinderCare "trainers" were handpicked by the district managers and directors who weren't too exper...See More

Feb 20, 2009

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loretta On 2/16/09, Loretta wrote: > I have been working for this company for over 7 years, and > the trainings are always the same. I am getting very > frustrated since they advertise on their website that they > provide the best trainings for their teachers in the U.S. I > have a B.S and a CDA and I would like to get past the same > old...See MoreOn 2/16/09, Loretta wrote: > I have been working for this company for over 7 years, and > the trainings are always the same. I am getting very > frustrated since they advertise on their website that they > provide the best trainings for their teachers in the U.S. I > have a B.S and a CDA and I would like to get past the same > old crap. I feel like I am being trained and talked to like > I am a new employee and I have never taken care of children. > Not to mention they act like their curriculum is the best > curriculum in the world and any ideas from teachers are > useless. I am so tired of these trainings. They are a > waist of my time. If I am going to go to a training, I want > to learn something. I don't want to leave feeling mad and > frustrated. Anybody out their feel like I do. I so want to > leave, and believe me I am looking but the economy isn't so > great right now. I am just so tired of this corporation. > They say they invest in their teachers but it is all a joke > and it is all sugar coated to make it look that way. Just > how they sugar coat things in each center. They say their > teachers are highly qualified, but a lot of the centers > aren't re certifying NAEYC because they can't meet the > requirements because their teachers don't have enough > education. How funny is that.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my frustrated inquiry. I am relieved that it wasn't just me feeling this way and gives me a little reassurance that maybe things need to be changed. I don't like to ruffle feathers until I know for sure that I have a legit reason to do so. Anyway I will move forward. I know a few of you asked a few questions about this issue. I want to try to answer these questions.

First, After the inservices, we all get to fill a questionnaire and write what we thought and learned, and if we have interests that were not covered. Every year I fill these out with a very detailed list of things I feel are legit and need improving and what I am looking for but every year, they don't seem like any of these issues are ever addressed. I am not sure if they even read the evaluations. One issue I have raised every year is to separate the experienced teachers and the rookies. They never do. Next, the concern of the trainers aren't qualified. They are directors that are given training material to read before they give the training. These directors are more than likely have very little experience in the trainings they are doing. I have been to to many trainings where the director is just reading out of the training manual the whole training. I have wrote this on my in service surveys. Actually, this last training I had a trainer start to read something out of her manual and than just stop because she didn't understand it. She said we would just skip that part. Every training we hear how great these trainings are because they were written by corporate people who have masters and doctor degrees. Anyway, Anyone can give a training if they are reading from a book, but not everyone can answer questions about the trainings. A person asked if I can go get my trainings somewhere else. Yes, I can and yes I do, but that isn't the issue here. I still have to attend these trainings whether I have 5 hours or 100 hours of training from somewhere else. They are mandatory. That is why I am frustrated. If I choose to attend a training on my own and I didn't get anything out of it, it was my choice. I made that choice. Here I don't have a choice. They make us go. Plus, I have went outside to get trainings and they said they would reimburse me for the trainings but yet when I submit the trainings they always come up with an excuse why not to reimburse me for it. I guess my frustration is I really believe that learning should be a wonderful experience. A corporation should not be able to advertise exceptional training for teachers, but not follow through. So any way thank you for answering and listening to me. Plus, someone else asked if I could give a training which would make me feel worthy. I have offered many times. I offer to give trainings on things that I am experienced at and they won't let me because one I am not a director, two, it isn't written by corporate. They don't have a manual on it. Thanks everybody.

Feb 21, 2009

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montmo On 2/21/09, loretta wrote: >

You are in a sorry position and I wish I could come up with a workable answer. I guess if I felt that no one was reading my surveys, then I would go to the top explaining my concerns that loyal experienced employees were not feeling that our concerns were being addressed. Sometimes it takes getting to the r...See More

Feb 21, 2009

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Donna music/TN FWIW, I field tested a music curriculum developed for Knowledge Adventures, and had the option of doing trainings for Kindercare centers on it. I turned them down, both because of the level of training desired-basically, they wanted me to show the teachers how to hit play on the CD player and then hand out instruments when the CD told them to do so...See More

Mar 9, 2009

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Loretta This is so true. They have their own curriculum for infants all the way up to school-age. I think the curriculum that is written is that bad to a point but they have closed the door to any other types of curriculum or outside ideas. It has gotton to the point where the individuality of the teacher and the children are invisible. At our last trainin...See MoreThis is so true. They have their own curriculum for infants all the way up to school-age. I think the curriculum that is written is that bad to a point but they have closed the door to any other types of curriculum or outside ideas. It has gotton to the point where the individuality of the teacher and the children are invisible. At our last training, they told everybody, they are on a curriculum diet. Basically, they can not do anything, but what is in the curriculum books they give us. We can not put up any work or any projects on the walls that was not in this curriculum book. They said that this diet would continue until everyone learned how to follow the curriculum correctly. I actually spoke up at this moment and told them that I felt affended as a teacher. My personality as a teacher was being stripped. The personality of my students and the classroom was being stripped because of this. I understand how we need to have structure and follow an age appropriate curriculum but I don't understand why they have to restrict it to the point to where it takes away the personality of the students and teachers. I learned a long time ago that this is all about money. Nothing else. I understand they are a buisness, but when you work with chilren it is so much more. A teacher that I work with asked our curriculum specialist if corporate had a goal of when we would be off this curriculum diet and this is what our CS said" The teachers in this company don't have the skills to make their own decisions. These are teachers with only high school degrees and they are complaining about curriculum that is written by people who have bachelors and masters degrees. The teacher felt very affended because she had an education. When this teacher told me this I felt affended too because I also have a degree. They plan on never letting teachers add their own ideas. This was their plan the whole time. They try to sugar coat it so the teachers won't get mad, but to me this is lying. I don't appreciate being lied too. Which is something this company does a lot. I just found out that I will not be getting reimbursed for the outside education I have did, even though they say we do. My director just got declined for her extra education as well. I just wanted to add that I have did this music program with kids, and I have been lucky that my director hasn't talked to me about not following it to the T. I have tried to do the whole music program and the kids don't want to do it and they aren't having fun. I have to pick and choose what will work and add my own stuff. Which is not following the curriculum diet. I have been lucky to get away with it but I don't know for how much longer, but If I will be forced to follow it all in the future, I will pull my hair out and will just quit doing it. This is an extra program that parents pay for. I believe that the kids should get learn in a fun environment, and some of this material is just to boring or lame for the children I teach it for. I believe you have to know your children. One thing works for kids while something else doesn't work for another. I feel that following a hand written curriculum by the book at this age just isn't appropriate. You have to teach to the individual child and adjust curriculum to the group that you have. I know that this company will not budge. So if anyone who really is strong about teaching children, I suggest you do not work for this company. I really enjoy the Reggio Emilia style. I suggest anyone interested in working with children look into this style. It is very inspiring and very child directed. It takes a lot of work though. Thanks for listening to my two scents, and apologize about any misspellings. I was typing fast as the ramblings came. Thanks On 3/09/09, Donna music/TN wrote: > FWIW, I field tested a music curriculum developed for Knowledge > Adventures, and had the option of doing trainings for Kindercare > centers on it. I turned them down, both because of the level of > training desired-basically, they wanted me to show the teachers > how to hit play on the CD player and then hand out instruments > when the CD told them to do so, not any actual training on early > childhood music education and how to choose and use music > materials in your classroom-in fact, it very much seemed like > they wanted the teachers limited to using ONLY those specific > units in this specific way, and not to deviate from the script in > any way shape or form, and because of the low rate of > compensation. The amount they were offering wasn't worth > prostituting my view of what good ECED music ed is, and showed me > exactly how little they thought of MY professional skills. And I > regularly give workshops for free, so money isn't usually a > motivator when it comes to doing an in-service. > > The sad part is that the curriculum units were reasonably well > done, and I think most preschool teachers could easily do a good > job teaching them. I don't know a single preschool teacher who > NEEDS to have the lesson on a CD, nor do I know a single > preschool teacher who needs instructions on how to hand out egg > shakers to 3 yr olds. > > >

Mar 14, 2009

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