education kindergarten

27/08/2024

‘Love and patience get tested’: Preschool educators on hiring processes and their challenges at work

TIGHT ON TIME AND LABOR

Preschool teachers described the toll taken by the long hours and heavy workload that included not just lessons, but unseen preparation and administrative work.

Star Learners’ Ms Chen said the demand for early childhood educators “significantly surpasses” the available supply of qualified applicants.

The school’s centers are thoroughly staffed, but “short-term staffing gaps” appear from time to time, she said. These are filled by relief teachers. The school also offers internships and practicums, and participates in career conversion programs.

The retired preschool teacher said that the staffing situation has already improved from the past, recalling that 10 years ago, the ratio was two teachers to almost 30 nursery students.

But others may still find the situation untenable.

The former MindChamps teacher left in 2020 after three years on the job, when the stress started spilling over into her personal life and she found herself getting “very irritable, exhausted and sick most of the time”.

“Preschool teachers are overworked, lowly paid and put under so much pressure,” said the former teacher, who has left the sector entirely.

“Everyone joins the industry with love and patience, but it really gets tested throughout. I think it’s not something

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Education Kindergarten

by sindiro

15/07/2024

Shenendehowa School District moves to full-day kindergarten

The Shenendehowa Central School District is making some upgrades to its kindergarten classrooms.

In Ms. Alison Luke’s kindergarten class, they’re working on two very important skills: writing and spelling. Ms. Luke has been teaching young kids for over 15 years and he loves that every day is a new day.

“Every day, the kids come in with smiles on their faces and ready to learn new things,” said Luke, a teacher at Shatekon Elementary School.

What You Need To Know

Right now, in the Shenendehowa Central School District, kindergarten is only a half day but that will change once the district finishes building their new ‘Early Learning Center.’

It’s a new building that will take kindergarten classes like this one from elementary schools around the district and put them in one centralized building

Upgrading from half, to full day kindergarten

Right now, in the Shenendehowa Central School District, kindergarten is only a half day but that will be changing once the district finishes building their new “Early Learning Center.”

It’s a new building that will take kindergarten classes like this one from elementary schools around the district and put them in one centralized building, upgrading from half to full-day kindergarten.

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