PRESCHOOL PROBLEMS

KIDS

 Managing a room full of young

children can be delightful, but it
can also be hard and can drain
a lot of your energy. The day-to-
day challenges you will face can
range from dealing with difficult
behaviors to crying and cranky
children. Throughout the day, you
must balance all of their unique
needs to keep your classroom
functioning smoothly.
PARENTS

 Each and every day, you will have to deal with

parents, some of whom may be quite demanding. It
can be difficult to manage parent requests,
questions and complaints as they drop off or pick
up their child when you have other things on your
mind, like the day’s lesson plan.
 PAPERWORK
 On top of keeping an eye on children
and managing your relationships with
parents, you also have piles of
paperwork to handle on a daily basis
– attendance, records of children’s
activities, lesson planning, meal
planning and more. The average
preschool educator spends at least 45
minutes per day on documentation, and
many ECEs feel that this time could be
better spent elsewhere.
LOW PAY
 You likely won’t make a lot of money compared to
other fields of work. A staggering figure when
compared to many other service-based roles. The
low salaries associated with early childhood
education positions can make it difficult to feel
confident in your career path and remain in your
role over the long-term.
 (LACK OF) RECOGNITION
 It’s possible that, depending on your
workplace, you will feel like you don’t
receive any recognition for your work.
In reality, you play a huge role during
the most important time of a child’s
life: 90% of a child’s brain
development happens by age 5. You’ll
feel under-valued, despite the fact that
you are contributing to the well-being
and development of a precious and
important asset.
(LACK OF) DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
 You may feel that there aren’t many resources
available to you to help with your personal
and professional development as a preschool
teacher. Your time is so occupied with simply
managing the day to day needs of your child care
center and your children that there is little time – or
funding – for training.
 UPWARD JOB MOBILITY
 Often, there isn’t a lot of
opportunity for upward
movement in your position.
If you are the type of
person looking for new
challenges all the time, you
may find yourself getting
“stuck” with limited options
and no room to grow.
 Many of these challenges boil down to a misalignment
between the expectations and pressure placed on
preschool educators and the resources provided to them
to meet these expectations. Resources can come in
various forms, but at the foundation, lack of funding is
the issue.
 When preschools are afforded additional funding, they
are able to invest in hiring quality educators, staff
training and development, technology and more to
improve the way their child care center functions. With
added staff and technologies to make preschool
operations easier, time can be freed up to establish
better relationships with parents, plan outstanding
curriculums, and of course, spend quality time with
children focusing on their development.
BULLYING
 If the child is mean to others, focus on building
empathy. “Practice taking other people’s perspectives
by reading books about bullying and then talking
about how your child would feel if they were the
character that was victimized,” says Katherien
Firestone.
BITING
 Preschoolers sometimes bite because they don’t yet
have the language to express their frustrations. But
what to do when they bite? It’s important to set
ground rules and let the child know it’s not OK.
SEPARATION ANXIETY
 Separation anxiety is common for children entering
preschool, often their first long and regular
separation from home.
LEARNING LAG
 While some preschoolers may master skills later
than others. For most kids, they will learn to read
and write when they are ready.
 If the child has noticed that a classmate is behind,
emphasize that we all have different abilities and
different things we are good at.
BOREDOM
 If the child is mastering preschool material quickly
and acting out due to boredom, help her stay
engaged with supplemental activities or through
helping classmates. Strategize with your child and
with the teacher for ideas.
 If it’s a classmate who is acting out, “help the child
to view them as a resource who can help out and
contribute to the group
BOSSINESS
 Being a leader is actually a great thing, but if the child is
being overbearing, explain the importance in letting others
have a say.
 “Talk about how and why it’s important in your family to be
inclusive, and then brainstorm with your child ways to be
inclusive with other children at school,” says Firestone
 And if the child is the follower in the dynamic? That can be
fine. “We don’t give enough credit to the child that can roll
with the punches,” says Sheehan. But if he’s feeling
railroaded, help him think of ways to contribute to play. “If
they’re not feeling a part of things or listened to, they don’t
have to play alongside the ringleader,” Sheehan say
SOCIAL CHALLENGES
 Sometimes one child is excluded by others. preschool cliques
are one of the most common concerns you can hears from
parents. “Here’s the thing: Kids can be mean,” says
Firestone, adding that while parents want to protect their
little ones from hurt feelings, we can’t force apologies or
friendships. “We need to let them feel their feelings, but
also give them the tools to work through these feelings.”
 If your child is having trouble making friends, the solution
might be as simple as providing more opportunities. Head to
some classes, activities or the playground. “Kids need to
practice social skills, so the more opportunities they have, the
better,” says Firestone.
“Some Kids take changes in stride, while
others really struggle with these
adjustments” Megan Costello

PRESCHOOL PROBLEMS