Finding toddler teacher for early edu co-op Brooklyn

November 17, 2014 7:16 PM

I'm trying to coordinate an "on-site playgroup" for 3 hours a day (9am-12pm), five days a week for 5-6 of our local kiddos (2 years old) beginning in September 2015. The idea is that we could hire a new early education grad to come to an apartment to lead organized activities with our children with the assistance of a helper, probably our current nanny.

Details: Brooklyn. We're fortunate to have families in immediate area. A huge part of this is about not having crazy commute or shuffling back and forth.

?'s:

--We're gonna start looking into Bank Street college of education... any thoughts?

--Any suggestions on other pools of educators with strong child development training who might be into this for part time?

--What could we expect to pay a part-time educator - 20 hours a week?

--Anyone have experience and advice they'd like to share?

posted by demonstartivepapadonous to Education (1 answer total)

This sounds like a cool idea! snickerdoodle has a lot of great specifics so I just wanted to add two more things to consider. I also second snickerdoodle that perhaps fewer days a week might be a good goal, especially at first.

I'm all about supporting professional educators! However, I will say that most people with extensive qualifications will likely be hard to find and/or quite costly. (There may be high unemployment rates right now but many of the top new grads, especially the go-getters, get snapped up right away by various institutions.) It seems like an ideal candidate could be an early childhood educator who is taking time off to be an at-home parent but still looking to stay current in the field. (If you go this route, I'd still pay whatever you were planning and allow the educator's child/ren to participate for free.) A lower-cost alternative could be hiring an experienced current graduate student in early-childhood education. I'd also be happy to hire an international educator with extensive experience teaching back home but currently lacking the necessary certifications to teach in a similar position in the US. (Namely, the chance to teach in a creative and rewarding environment.) It wouldn't necessarily be lower cost but a worthwhile experience regardless.

In this situation (multiple young children) with my qualifications (bilingual, MA, 10+ years of experience, professional certification and licensure), I personally would charge around $75/hour. This might sound like a lot but 1) I already have a full-time position that takes up much of my time so 2) any additional work really has to be worth it for me. (I volunteer a lot as well but that's a different scenario, of course!) While technically someone may make less working at a public or private pre-school, they generally receive benefits and have liability coverage, etc. That said, I couldn't do the 20 hours a week with my current position. And I see how 20 hours a week x $75/hour can really add up so perhaps $50 might be a more comfortable amount to start negotiations? With five kids at $50/hour, it'd come to just $10/hour for each, which is much less than most classes through Parks and Rec even. (And arguably a good deal for the families involved!)

One last thing to consider is this: I have degrees from private colleges as well various accolades to accompany them and I'm all about incorporating "alternative" education ideas (Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, etc.) in my classroom. However, I've found that some of the absolute BEST educators out there are graduates from state colleges that have strong education programs; you know, the former normal schools that have become universities over the years. :-)

Good luck with your search!
posted by smorgasbord at 4:19 PM on November 18, 2014