preschool teacher

lead teacher

preschool director

teacher

co-teacher

Amazing Explorers Academy

Oh boy, where to begin? Amazing Explorers Academy has a shiny exterior, but that’s all it is. I worked there for three weeks short of 2 years. When I first started the school had been open only about a month, and “Well it’s a new school” was the excuse for everything. But two years in and it never got better. 

Chaotic is an understatement. Everything is always last minute, even when it doesn’t have to be, so be prepared to scramble. The classrooms are LOUD and packed to the fire marshal limit (and sometimes over). They’ll justify having 22 kids in a Two Year Old classroom or 24 kids in a preschool class by citing that they’re within the DCF child-to-caregiver ratio, and while that’s true it doesn’t make for a pleasant working (or learning) environment. Your schedule is absolutely packed, and unfortunately often times it is packed with activities that are solely a photo opportunity. With that many kids on that tight of a schedule, it turns into a social media content conveyor belt. Sit down, glue this together, smile for a picture, NEXT. It’s all for show.

Be prepared to beg. You’ll have to shed tears for any raises, and for holidays and teacher appreciation they’ll ask you to ask parents to gift you supplies. They’ll give you a bucket of monthly lesson plan supplies but often those plans don’t work, require time that you simply do not have, or aren’t age appropriate. Supplies are frequently missing, or the wrong items will be provided. The corporate team are marketing geniuses, they’ve chosen a minimalist aesthetic that appeals to upper class parents and tricks them into paying a premium price for childcare. Unfortunately premium fees doesn’t always equal a premium experience. I’m not sure where all that money is going, but I can tell you it isn’t going to the classrooms or the teachers.

Don’t bother trying to talk to anyone about your concerns. They’ll say they understand, they’ll say they will look into it, but they are so convinced of their own infallibility that nothing ever changes. It’s a waste of time.

Not all the management is bad, but the good ones are working under the thumbs of people who have zero experience in education and are motivated by greed. Preschools should exist to lay a good foundation upon which children can build their future education. This one exists to make a few people very wealthy. If you have a genuine passion for education, this is not the place for you. 

Working at Amazing Explorers made my mental health deteriorate. When you first start, your experience will be great. After a month or two, you will start to see the true colors of the people you’re working for and with.

Advancement is only based on need of the company or favoritism. Nothing is based on performance. The work environment was toxic, with rampant gossip and a lack of professionalism among staff. This constant negativity severely impacted my mental health, making it difficult to focus and perform my duties effectively. Management did little to address these issues, and there was no support system in place for employees struggling with the hostile atmosphere. 

I was constantly left out of the student-teacher ratio calculations. This not only made my workload unmanageable but also compromised the quality of education and support I could provide to my students. It felt like my contributions were undervalued, and there was a lack of proper organizational structure.

During my time at Amazing Explorers, it became evident that management doesn't prioritize the well-being of either students or teachers. There was a significant lack of support and resources, and any concerns raised by staff were often ignored. This neglect made it difficult to provide a quality education and created a stressful work environment. It's disappointing to see such disregard for the core values of education and employee welfare.

Working here was also a challenging experience due to the poor work-life balance. The demands were excessive, often requiring long hours with little regard for personal time. This imbalance made it difficult to manage my responsibilities outside of work and significantly impacted my overall well-being. Management showed little concern for the strain placed on employees, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction.

From the lack of support and recognition to the toxic work environment and poor work-life balance, it was clear that the company doesn't value its employees. Management was unresponsive to concerns, and the overall atmosphere was one of stress and dissatisfaction. I would not recommend working here to anyone; it was truly a terrible experience that I wouldn't want anyone else to go through.

I do not recommend working here. I was in an awful spot almost the entire duration of my time at AEA Viera. I will say, I moved up pretty quickly from assistant teacher to co lead and then to lead teacher but only because of very unfortunate circumstances. At the end of the day all daycares seem to be the same and have the same issues. 

Management is extremely manipulative.  As a lead teacher; I had zero support, never had time to prep/plan, under intense pressure, I was rarely recognized for my hard work, I had to take multiple bathroom breaks a day to cry, and whenever I brought my concerns to admin I was gaslit and manipulated!! Whenever I asked for change, it never happened- or their solutions simply made the situation worse. 

Very cliquey. The drama and cattiness was so absolutely INSANE that it made trying to focus on only the children literally impossible. 

Very rarely will you get paired with a hard working co teacher. A lot of the time I was paired with people who simply didn’t want to do their job. I ended up doing EVERYTHING and was never recognized for any of it. It seems as if they pair a “good” teacher with an “alright” teacher on purpose to “spread out” the good teachers. Just hire good teachers lol! If you get paired with another good teacher it won’t last long till they separate you. 

Zero work/life balance. Work schedule is normally 8 hours with an hour break (OH unless enough people call out you’ll get 30 mins & pizza😭) AND you’ll have to stay  late because they never get you out in time, and in the mornings you’ll be out of ratio for 30 mins till someone comes in to “cover” - which means sit down while you do the hard work. I would go home after work and feel so absolutely drained that I couldn’t eat, shower, do laundry, anything. I would sleep directly after my shift and wake up in the morning to do the same thing all over again. When the weekend rolls around I was too drained to do anything but lay in bed and  dread work come Monday. 

Management is money hungry and will keep enrolling kids even though they don’t have enough teachers. 

The connections I made with the kids were some of the best memories I’ve made. And they truly made my day each day brighter. I stuck it out for so long for them. But unfortunately, like every other daycare, the adults ruin it. 

Overall it's an amazing company to work for with great benefits. Working with children you could use sick days but that was combined with PTO so you had to build it up overtime. But every month you worked you received a day of PTO. But overall, there was a LOT of favoritism at my location. It was amazing that company did do an award system once a year for the teachers to feel appreciated, and there were consistent free gifts at the staff meetings as well as supplied foods which were so delicious. But when it came to the awards it was only the teachers that were favorited that got the awards. If you minded your business and did your job with the utmost effort imaginable, it was not seen. You had to have an outrageous personality for that to even be possible. If you were asked to improve on something, they would follow up with you on that. But if it wasn't extremely obvious that you were working on that to them, it was not going to be recognized and that was going to be taken as you did not improve no matter how much you explain that you've been working on it. It was super noticeable that the turn over rate was high as even the best of the best teachers would leave due to frustration with management. The teachers did not receive much support in their job. In the handbook it states that we reserve the right to help in the classroom if we felt it was needed, but that was never respected and it was often ignored. But what overall kept me there was the children. It was incredible watching the children grow and continue to learn new skills you implemented into their daily, but that comes with any job when you work with children. And that forever will make it the most rewarding aspect of the job. 

Throughout my time there, it felt as though the company administration encouraged a culture of belittling and micromanaging teachers., thus creating a divisive and uncomfortable atmosphere. The corporate culture felt exploitative, with promises of benefits used as bait to attract employees, only for them to discover the reality of inadequate support once hired. Weekly pay, likely a reflection of the company’s high turnover rate, was one of the few notable aspects.

The work environment was bleak, with stark white walls that gave the center a lifeless, institutional feel—far from the vibrant atmosphere you’d expect in a school. Teachers weren’t allowed to decorate classrooms as they pleased, create bulletin boards, or even provide meaningful learning materials for students. They lack toys and books!  Instead, classrooms were filled with cheap IKEA furniture, offering little to no educational value. It felt more like an IKEA showroom than a nurturing space for children.

The STEM curriculum, which was heavily marketed, lacked depth or educational value. It consisted of superficial activities easily found through a Google search. The materials provided for children were of such poor quality that even dollar-store supplies seemed luxurious in comparison.

While the teachers were talented and dedicated, they were quickly disillusioned by the toxic environment and often left soon after starting. This was not a place conducive to professional growth or effective teaching.

In summary, this company is more focused on profits than quality education or employee well-being. My advice: steer clear of this organization—whether as an employee or a parent seeking care for your child.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part about working in Amazing Explorers is seeing the growth that happens every day. My class is able to read and write as early as age three, which is incredibly rewarding to witness. We also love engaging in scientific exploration through project-based learning. In this approach, the class votes on a topic, and we dive into research based on their interests. The learning is guided by the students’ own questions, allowing them to explore and discover in a meaningful and exciting way.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I don’t find my job stressful. There are some challenges but none that can’t be faced head on to improve the children’s growth. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment here is truly amazing. We treat one another like family, and you can walk into any classroom and be greeted with a smile. On days when you’re feeling down, there is always someone who finds a way to lift your spirits. We’re often surprised with thoughtful treats as a token of appreciation, and during meeting days, dinner is always provided. We also take pride in celebrating each other’s cultures, especially during our potluck gatherings, where everyone shares a piece of their traditions.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Let’s take this morning  for instance. As soon as I arrive the Director is at the front desk read and waiting with a smile and a “Good Morning”. I enter the lunch room and there is a snack bar waiting for us to enjoy ‘just because’. I enter my class to get everything set up for them to play in centers and every student is happy to see me. And that is just my morning.

I went into this job so excited to work with children and learn if this is the right career for me. I can tell you that there is definitely cliques. People might make you feel ostracized by them. I often times felt unheard when coming to my managers with a problem. I often times felt purposely excluded from conversations especially from management. I could be helping with the kids and one of the managers could be caring a conversation in front of you to your coworker and not even acknowledge your existence. I often felt overworked and taken advantage of for my hard work. They will take a hard worker and burn you out and not listen to you when you need or ask for something. I often times felt like I was doing more then the teacher I was working 'with'. I often times have paid for class materials out of my own pocket. I often times had pay for many things including holiday related gifts/décor out of my own pocket for my classroom. There is no raises, there is no bonuses, and PTO is a joke as well as the 'health insurance' they use. They might by you a pizza, and food for breaks and meetings but that's where the gratitude begins and ends for teachers by management. If you aren't requited in by the directors for this job then you are on your own and are very replaceable. If you are going to work for this company you need a thick skin, and to be able to loudly voice your concerns. You need to also make sure they don't screw you over. The only things worthwhile in this job are the children and parents you get to work with, but that's sadly not enough to keep your sanity. 



Working under the current administration at this preschool has been a frustrating experience. The admin lacks effective leadership skills and often fails to address staff concerns, which creates a toxic work environment. Communication is minimal, and there's a clear absence of support for teachers. Instead of fostering a collaborative atmosphere, the admin tends to micromanage and dismiss any feedback. This has led to high turnover rates among staff, as many feel undervalued and overworked. Overall, this preschool is not a good place to work, and I would not recommend it 

The operations manager at this preschool has contributed to a disorganized and challenging workplace. There is a lack of proper planning and support that makes daily operations difficult. Staff often find themselves scrambling due to inadequate resources and poor scheduling decisions. The manager is unresponsive to feedback, creating an environment where employees feel unheard. This has led to low morale and a sense of frustration among the team. Unfortunately, the overall management approach does not prioritize the well-being of staff, making this a bad place to work. I would advise potential employees to look elsewhere for a more supportive and positive work environment. 

You’ll be overwhelmed with kids from the beginning to end of your day. They have phone lines for you to use to call for needed support or assistance but you’ll rarely get it in a timely manner. If you need a bathroom break you’ll often times wait an hour or more. Management play heavy favoritism. Once a month you will be subjected to a staff meeting for 2 hours after a full work day where hardly any real issues are addressed and you get paid less than your wage those 2 hours. They buy cheap gifts now and again instead of giving out pay raises and there is no consistency to how employees are paid. You’ll find experienced child care workers making $13/hr and fresh out of high school kids with no experience making $15/hr. The only enjoyable part of the job is the kids but even that is hard to enjoy when the teacher to child ratio is pushed to capacity and sometimes over. After your first either 3 or 6 months they do a review with you and you get a 50 cents raise and they act like you’re getting a $10 dollar raise. There are a million more problems I could continue on about. You will be gaslit into thinking that what happens here is normal. I do not recommend working here unless you want to be gaslit, manipulated, and undervalued 

What is the best part of working at the company?
I love that we are family oriented! Our curriculum is a Steam which challenges the children to think and use their imagination! Our preschool is prestige as our children where uniform tops which makes us a unique family! Our school does family picnics which allows our families to really get to know each other!  We have amazing teachers who have years of experience, some even have degrees! We are getting NAC accreditation! We also have amazing extra curricular activities such as Steam sports and Steam cuisine!! I absolutely love working for Amazing Explorers Academy Hutto! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing! You get an hour lunch break to relax! 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture is family! Where everyone supports each other! Positive energy, love, and kindness!l Where everyone is someone! 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I get to meet new families and greet our current families everyone morning and afternoon! My day is full of support for my staff and families! Fridays I get to have meetings with my amazing manager colleagues!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Preschool teacher 118 salaries reported	$18.16 per hour
Lead teacher 71 salaries reported	$18.04 per hour
Preschool director 21 salaries reported	$54,551 per year
Teacher 19 salaries reported	$16.99 per hour
Co-teacher 23 salaries reported	$17.26 per hour

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