Daycare Teacher Only Making $10 An Hour Is Told To Clock Out Right At 4 PM — And Keep Working Off The Clock
She expressed her frustration at the unfair policy, along with other red flags she saw.
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock A mom named Kayla shared a vulnerable look into her life, opening up about how her first day as a new daycare worker went.
Her struggles were immediately relatable, both to other moms and anyone who's worked as a childcare provider.
The daycare teacher only makes $10 an hour but was told to clock out at 4 p.m. and keep working off the clock.
Kayla described her first day of training at daycare, saying that she’d much rather be home with her own kids, but she had to bring in some form of income, even though she’s only making $300 a week.
Although she benefits from bringing her kids to work, she expressed her frustration over certain policies, including the fact that her hour-long lunch break was unpaid.
“I just feel like $10 an hour, an unpaid lunch break. It’s [expletive],” she said. “We didn’t get to play outside today either; I about lost it.”
In a vulnerable moment, she shared that she had multiple emotional breakdowns, “And it’s only day one.”
“All you daycare workers, honestly, I applaud you,” she continued. “I literally have no choice but to work here. I need childcare, and I need an income.”
Photo: PixieMe / Shutterstock
“My little $300 a week paycheck, it’s something,” she explained, on the verge of tears.
The stressed-out mom voiced a concern many working moms have: How to make ends meet while being there for your kids, especially as childcare itself is astronomically expensive.
“Can I not really find $300 a week somewhere, where I can be at home and not have to take my kids anywhere to get sick, to get hit… I would like to be at home with both of my babies,” Kayla said.
She revealed a policy at her work that seems unfair and illegal: She has to clock out at 4 p.m. and then keep working.
On week two in her daycare provider position, Kayla explained, “I’ve already been told I need to clock out at 4, and if I’m not done, then continue working after I clock out.”
She described the tasks she’s expected to complete: “Washing the bottles, vacuuming, sweeping, spraying bleach water on the high-chairs, the table, and the cots. I also have to put all the toys back together, meaning that if a doll is missing a piece of clothing, I have to find that clothing and put it back on the doll.”
Photo: bbernard / Shutterstock
Kayla shared another post in which she seemed palpably relieved, explaining that she quit the daycare job.
She spilled the tea on why she walked away from her job because she disagreed with the daycare’s policy on taking kids outside.
“The workers did not want to take the kids outside; [they] made up a rule that if the owner wasn’t there, then we can’t go outside,” she said.
She noted in her post that the Department of Human Resources (DHR) requires kids to go outside for 60 to 90 minutes a day if weather permits.
Kayla shared another policy she disagreed with, saying, “They were leaving the kids on the cot past two and a half hours” of scheduled naptime. She was so disturbed by this action that she called DHR on the daycare.
“Call me a Karen,” she said. “When it comes to a job, I do not care what others do… However, in this case, there are children involved.”
Kayla’s experience as a daycare worker is, unfortunately, very common in that field — low pay for a lot of work.
No job is worth having an emotional breakdown over and no amount of money is worth putting yourself in a perpetual state of being burnt out.
By quitting a job that was making her truly miserable, she chose herself and her own mental health over her paltry paycheck.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.