daycare teacher

child care teacher

cleaner

daycare assistant

daycare

Doodle Bugs! Children’s Learning Academy

I was deceived from the beginning - job posting listed Director - so I thought I was interviewing for that position - then all of a sudden this PC position is brought up  - but couldn't supply a job description - I was promised certain hours, but they were changed immediately after hire - I was promised a director position at the Brighton location, once built?! - My director was a stress case, couldn't handle her own job, so I was hesitant to approach her for questions and guidance because her response was always condescending and irritable - made you feel like a bother - she's break down crying often in her office from work stress and personal stress - her door was often closed and she was unapproachable - I asked for a mentor to give me the tools to succeed, and was provided one by corporate- we developed a great relationship - I trusted her and learned a lot from her - was grateful to have her and was progressing nicely, as she clearly told me when I asked - she even told me to stay out of the office as much as possible because it is a "toxic environment!"   Which I tried to do as much as possible - I did my job well - my teachers know it, they thanked me on a daily basis - I cared about them deeply and wanted them to succeed - I was studying all the OCFS regulations, doing the PQAR"S, Classroom observations, checking Tadpoles usage ( Name to Face and attendance and daily log ins for ...making sure teachers were utilizing it properly!)  I was terminated on ridiculous charges that my director created because SHE wanted me out of there - she's very unprofessional - very unstable - goes around telling her DA and various teachers "I love You !)...?????? - the week prior to being terminated, she was telling me how to go about ordering my DB's attire from Lands End?!.....just the week prior?! - she even told my mentor during her previous visit that I was doing a great job!? - I felt harassed by her a few times when she referred to me as "you skinny people" don't eat that stuff ( meaning the b-day cupcakes that our kitchen staff person would make for our kids).....she referred to me as "skinny" several times, and made me feel very uncomfortable!  she's extremely moody, and has snapped at me when I've asked questions, again making her unapproachable - I found her to be a control freak, unstable in many ways - and a crazy micro manager, that would interrupt your conversation with a parent, taking it over, making you feel completely unimportant and insignificant - she wrote me up on something minor, that I was in process of correcting, and was in control of the situation - when I've witnessed her NOT writing certain teachers up for far more serious things, like feeding a child the wrong food?!, accidentally not supporting the head of an infant when placing him in crib, resulting in the baby getting a good sized welt on his head, another example, a teacher was carrying a toddler in her arms when another toddler in her care got loose and ran off, when that teacher ran after the loose child, the toddler she was carrying was put into harm's way, hit the wall, and currently has a black left eye!? - but no write -ups?!.... also, another teacher was very cold and unprofessional with a parent - the parent complained in the director's office for quite a while, and the director's excuse was "well, you have to understand, she's just coming off of a a few day's of being sick, she's not herself".....what!?!?..... no write up !?

I went out of my way to make sure my teachers had everything they needed to successfully implement the curriculum - I assisted when necessary - I often did curriculum shopping on my  own time - because I was too nervous to do it while on at work, because The director gave me a time limit - and you never know when you go to Wal-mart, what to expect!? - I constantly praised my teachers - thanked them - helped them - checked in on them - spent time in classrooms as much as I could - I met all of my goals and deadlines!!! - and she terminated me on Wednesday 8/14, claiming I "wasn't showing enough progress?!"....and I even asked my mentor who was sitting right there to say something in my defense and she couldn't even look at me! - she knew it was wrong - I've never experienced such a toxic work environment caused by the director, whom I strongly feel is unfit for the job and has a lot of interfering issues - she terminated me because she was not the one that hired me - so she didn't have that control.... I will confidently say that I was doing my job effectively and enjoying it, aside from the director's attitude and unprofessionalism- she even screwed up a field trip last week to the ice rink, because she never checked the times, the kids arrived too late, so never got to skate - she ran out of office asking me to "do her a favor" and go to Wegmans and grab fudgicles and popsicles for the kids so they at least have that to do and have fun with - which of course I did!....for the kids...  she was short with me one day in front of everyone at the front desk because there weren't enough batteries!?!?......I was never told that was my responsibility!?....... She expected me to do my job, but yet treated me like I was unimportant and beneath her - we should've been a TEAM!....the Director, Director Assistant,and PC...all should be on equal ground, ....a strong TEAM - that was not the case

So.... I will be filing a grievance, and attaining a lawyer if necessary - I was wrongfully terminated - I received messages from my teachers that they were saddened and shocked at the news and that I would be greatly missed - that they finally felt like someone cared about then and had their backs!! - I have copies of these - also - In my interview I was told I'd have a lot of opportunities for OT pay -  that was definitely not the case!!! - I was reprimanded when I worked a half an hour over!?

all unprofessional.....wrong...sad....


I loved my teachers and those kids and parents..... I worked my butt off to succeed - my mentor praised me for my growth and success!


...and yet, I'm terminated because "I haven't shown enough growth," the Director says?! - not the case at all - it was her own personal issues

Doodle Bugs did not hold up to the reputation I thought it had here!!- you really need to take a look at the Penfield location in Rochester! - the Director is unstable....I've never experienced such toxicity in a work environment!

As a teacher at Doodlebugs!, I have experienced this childcare company firsthand. While Doodlebugs! Children’s Centers have many strengths, I feel that there are situations that prospective employees and parents should know before they send their children to Doodlebugs!

As a general rule, employees are not allowed to call in sick. While many may attempt to call in, they are told that they have to come in to work because the center does not have enough staff to allow more than possibly one person to be absent. Given that teachers regularly come in to work with illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia, stomach bugs, and pink eye, this policy at best communicates callous disrespect for their employee’s health and welfare. 

But even more frighteningly, Doodlebugs! consistently and knowingly exposes the young children in their care to contagious germs. For example, teachers have been required to come into work- and continue working full shifts- while vomiting. In addition, employees with bronchitis have come into work before they’ve been able to get medication, meaning they are also likely contagious. I can’t imagine that many parents would be happy knowing that their children are knowingly exposed to such germs. Doodlebugs! has a policy that children who have been vomiting or have a fever in the last 24 hours shouldn’t be brought in. However, there are no such policies for employees. Quite the opposite; employees with fevers or stomach bugs are regularly required to report to work. 

Part of the issue with teachers attempting to call in sick is the company's refusal to employ substitutes or "on-call" teachers. While multiple employees have offered to be on-call, management has told them that, "corporate wouldn't allow that". While I have no idea what the reason could possibly be, these policies are costing them employees and creating a very negative work environment. 

In addition, employees seeking part-time work should be particularly warned. Part-time employees at the center where I work are regularly scheduled for 40 hours but are still considered part-time employees; as such, they do not receive any benefits.

Employees receive their schedule the Friday before for the following week. While schedules usually stay fairly consistent, it makes any kind of planning (or a second job) next to impossible. Know this ahead of time if you are applying. They will not tell you this in your interview. 

Many teachers often work off the clock, mostly in curriculum preparation and the completion of child assessments/portfolios. They do sometimes need to take assessments home in order to get them completed, as they are not given enough work time out of the classroom to finish them. Most teachers are able to prepare curriculum during naptime if there are two teachers in that classroom, as they “break ratio” during nap. In other words, one teacher leaves the classroom even though technically they are out of ratio at that time. It is my understanding that this is allowed though not encouraged by OCFS (Office of Child & Family Services). However, if there are many children who do not nap or a teacher is alone in the room, curriculum cannot get done and many teachers end up making up for this on their own time. While the management does not directly order this working off the clock, it is absolutely an unofficial expectation.

Also know that employees are not allowed to go to the bathroom for most of the day because of the ratios that need to be maintained. When you call the front desk to ask for a bathroom break, they may or may not be able/willing to send someone to stay in your room for you while you go to the bathroom. While normally it’s not an extended amount of time, it could easily 30-60 minutes if someone can come down at all.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Making a meaningful difference by being present, supportive, and truly caring for the children.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part was recognizing that staffing and scheduling pressures sometimes outweighed what was best for the children. As someone deeply committed to child safety and compassionate care, this created situations that I was personally uncomfortable being part of and ultimately influenced my decision to leave.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment often felt focused on maintaining appearances rather than fostering a genuinely supportive culture for children or staff. Staffing shortages and frequent room changes created stress and inconsistency throughout the day. There was also a noticeable difference in how some staff interacted with children when parents were present or monitoring cameras compared to normal daily interactions. At times it felt performative, which was difficult to witness as someone who believes children deserve consistent kindness, patience, and authenticity at all times, not just when being observed.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day followed a structured schedule including morning drop-off, breakfast, playtime, naps, and transitions between classrooms based on attendance ratios. While the daily routine itself was consistent, staffing shortages often made the day feel rushed and focused on maintaining numbers rather than meaningful engagement with the children. Breaks were difficult to take, including basic bathroom breaks, which depended on float staff who were not always available throughout the day. The environment often required constant adjustment to staffing needs rather than allowing teachers to remain consistently present with the same group of children.

A typical day at DoodleBugs would start off having the children get dropped off in your classroom.  The children that arrive early would eat breakfast.  When everyone has arrived our school day begings with checking everyone one in for attendance.  Then the children go over to the circle rug for cirlcle time.  The children learn what day it is, their colors, and shapes.  Songs are played along to the days of the week and learning their name.  After circle time children are told they will be doing art and sensory.  Children have about a half hour and then they would line up with a song to go to Doodle dance.  This is the chance for the children to get their wiggles out.  After we get back the children wash their hands and try the potty and then it is time for story and then lunch.  After lunch children get all washed up try the potty again and get ready for nap time.  Durning nap time I would get the curriculum ready for next week.  Children would sleep for two hours and if they couldn't sleep they would get a quite activity to play with at their mat. After nap they have snack and then children play outside and get picked up within that time.
What I have learned working at Doodlebugs is that you should always have patience with chidren.  Mangement was alright at Doodlebugs somtimes things at the center wasn't always organized.  Working with my co-workers was very important that we always worked as a team.  If someone needed my help with something I was always their for them.  The hardest part of the job was always finding activities to keep the children always busy so they wouldn't get into trouble.  The most enjoyable part of the job is always being with children.  When it was time to teach the children something new and saw them finally understand how to do it made my day and loved to see the smile on their face that they finally got it.

I worked for Doodlebugs for four years, in two different cities. Unfortunately my experiences were similar at both centers. While I enjoyed the children and most of my coworkers, I left the job feeling like my time there wasn't appreciated. 
The children were the best part of the job, and I loved working with them. Despite how challenging days could be, there's something about being tackled by a bunch of toddlers giving hugs that makes the day better. 
However, I never had a set schedule, even when I was full time, and one of the longest tenured employees in the center. I would be 7-4 every day for a week or two, and then end up 10-6:30 with no heads up. The front desk was never respectful of what time I got out (often 15-30 minutes late everyday), but if I was late, it was a problem. When I would get overtime, it was somehow my fault for not leaving as soon as my relief came in, despite being encouraged to give thorough reports of each child's day. Vacation time was nearly impossible to accumulate, and when I finally had some, all the days I needed off were full, and I had to beg for them off, or more often, go without. This was the case especially in summer. There was no room for upwards movement in the company without additional certification that had to happen on my own time (and dime). In my four years in the company, I never had an evaluation, and so never received a pay raise, and when I left, I knew several new employees who were making what I was, or more. 
Corporate didn't care about any of these issues, and were totally fine with 'long term' (1+ years) employees leaving. The center was constantly understaffed, which left the remaining staff stressed and overworked. 
I would have loved to stay if scheduling and pay was more flexible, but the company made it incredibly difficult to remain long term. This is an in between job, not a career. 

If you are interested in pursuing an education career, this is a decent place for recent graduates and current students to get some experience. Mostly young teaching staff and very friendly people. However, management is awful! Teachers are overworked and underpaid. Teachers are continuously taken advantage of - lost days off requests, late schedules, little support when needed, below poverty line pay and you're pretty much forced to come into work when sick as there are absolutely NO substitute teachers. There is rarely any kind of thank you from the director, but there are always criticisms ready to be thrown out. Communication of expectations is awful which results in a lot of upset teachers.

Oh, you also have to sit through a mandatory training once a month in the evening, making it difficult if you have to attend school or if you have another job. This was not mentioned during hiring.

It is definitely one of the better run daycares in the area. But parents should be aware that the teachers get little support from management. Behavior problems go unaddressed because directors refuse to intervene. Kids are often shuffled into random classrooms to meet 'ratios', causing a number of waterworks episodes throughout the day. For the price parents pay, their child should not EVER have to move from their designated classroom. It stresses out teachers who do not know that child that well, and it obviously stresses out the child to be in a new routine and environment. 

It has the potential to be a great place to work, but its success is marred by poor management and little knowledge of best practice in early childhood development. Look elsewhere for employment. I'm happy I did.

During the hiring process they don’t tell you how many children you will be in ratio to (too many in my opinion). And they don’t tell you that even after 12-13hr work days that you only get one break of 30min for your lunch. That’s it! You might need to use the restroom or collect yourself after a stressful event and you can’t. 

Many children have behavioral issues that are alarming and they encourage staff not to let parents know! They also have a system of documentation for every child’s day but there’s hardly any time or breathing room to accurately enter information for each child.  

The amount of hours scheduled for each day is stressful. You barely have time to live outside of the daycare center and CARE for YOURSELF or your family. Management is also clearly stressed and so they constantly dismiss people and ask them to do MORE throughout the day. 

The fact that teachers are the last ones on the list of “Happy” should tell you something. How can the children and parents be happy if the ones caring for the little ones are on the verge of tears every day. 

Many of the children are wonderful and childcare is a great place for people to be nurturing but this company isn’t the right fit. I think in the 90s they had a great vision but they overwork people. During an interview a manager was asked why the turn over rate was so extreme, they just said, “The building changed owners” while ignoring all the other problems. 

Training was barely given as you were immediately put into situations where you needed to know specific procedures and had to fumble your way through the day. 

This job can feel rewarding at times when making progress with students. However the lack of support from management and some other teachers is far from being able to endorse. I was constantly left out of ratio (classroom of 3yr olds, it was me and 7-10 students by myself for the first hour and half) and would have to wait at least a half hour to an hour if i needed to go to the bathroom or help with a child who is unwilling to listen and causing me to not be apart of a lesson or help other children. Parents are always a love/hate relationship but sometimes it feels like they dont care about the teachers or even their own child. Even when we try to talk with some parents about behavior/learning, it seems to be overlooked and I don’t feel heard or cared for. When I would also leave for the day/ my break, my classroom would be a mess the next day/when i get back and the children are not ready for the next part of the day until I was able to get everything collected and back to our routine. When coming in at the morning for my shift I had little time to prepare the classroom because of unwilling parents to listen/management was not holding up the part of the program for teachers to be in ratio and have the classroom ready before children were filed in. There was very little consistency in support despite the meetings in which we were told that they would help us out. When I was there, at least one teacher/floater/assistant teacher had quit every month for the 9 months that I was there. 

Overall, I enjoy this company. I love the kids and the families. The current management team is fabulous. I feel more supported in this environment than I ever did with previous management. Therefore, the work culture  is, overall, great. There is and always will be drama, but I have found the amount of drama and tension amongst staff has gone down quite a lot these last few months. For the most part, my interactions with parents and children have been positive. I believe that all teachers (as well as management) at this location have the best interests of the children at heart. Everyone works tirelessly to provide a fun and educational environment. 
I have learned a lot working here. I have gained so much in delegation and leadership skills alone. I have also received a lot of tips on activities and curriculum, how to talk and interact with the children, as well as community building skills. 

The less positive side of this coin is that, at the end of the day, Doddle Bugs! is a corporation. They are a corporation first before a childcare center. While the management team is very supportive, corporate is not. They make decisions without the input of teachers, and, in some cases, managers.  The pay is also very low for the amount of work that is put in. Sick days and PTO are not separate. So, in many instances, staff are expected to come in while sick in order not the lose their PTO.

Overall, I love this job, the people I work with, and all of the children in the center. However, there is always room for improvement in many aspects. 

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