Daycare field trip of 20 three year olds to the National Zoo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, that’s a large classroom. Montessori? Otherwise they aren’t following licensing group sizes (if they’re in DC that is).

No, not Montessori and not in DC. They are following licensing for our state (Maryland).

[Anonymous]

Daycare tries to do a nice thing and they get DCUM slammed.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. For all who are saying to volunteer or keep my kid at home, neither of those is an option for me that day. I have to be at work. That's why I pay good money for my child to be taken care of in a safe structured environment.

I'm all in favor of them loading up the 20 kids for a short bus ride to a nearby park on a hot day. They would talk excitedly about that for days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daycare tries to do a nice thing and they get DCUM slammed.

Nice things cant stand by themselves. When it comes to vulnerable children, you need those things to be safe and well-thought out. This is not either of those things.

One adult to 3-4 preschoolers is a non-safe ratio in a location as busy and large as a Zoo.

A field- safe. A park/playground (enclosed)- safe. Aquarium- not super safe due to open water and dark environment. Kids can slip off in a minute and an adult cannot hold hands with 3-4 children at a time.

You wanna do that on your own time then fine but this would concern me coming from a daycare. It is not appropriate use of their time and resources.

[Anonymous]

Do they have the option of staying at the center with an assistant? I know that some centers let kids/families opt out if there are enough staff and students who want to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they have the option of staying at the center with an assistant? I know that some centers let kids/families opt out if there are enough staff and students who want to do that.

I was going to ask this too- our center has not resumed field trip since the pandemic started and my kids were too little previously, but I'm pretty sure they offered an opt out option.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you volunteer to be a chaperone, OP?


(I already know the answer)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I chaperoned my kid’s PK3 class to the zoo via Metro.

It was one of the most exhausting experiences of my life.

🤣 I can imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daycare tries to do a nice thing and they get DCUM slammed.

Nice things cant stand by themselves. When it comes to vulnerable children, you need those things to be safe and well-thought out. This is not either of those things.

One adult to 3-4 preschoolers is a non-safe ratio in a location as busy and large as a Zoo.

A field- safe. A park/playground (enclosed)- safe. Aquarium- not super safe due to open water and dark environment. Kids can slip off in a minute and an adult cannot hold hands with 3-4 children at a time.

You wanna do that on your own time then fine but this would concern me coming from a daycare. It is not appropriate use of their time and resources.

Where did you get those ratio numbers from?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like fun!

[Anonymous]

Worst preschool field trip - American Indian Museum by public bus from NW DC.

Followed by Cox farm when the bus broke down coming home.

I agree there are easier things to do in life. My recommendation as someone who has been there - either commit to the trip and let it go OR take the day off. Fighting all the what-ifs / hows / whys will not get you anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chaperoned my kid’s PK3 class to the zoo via Metro.

It was one of the most exhausting experiences of my life.

🤣 I can imagine.

I may have been with you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they have the option of staying at the center with an assistant? I know that some centers let kids/families opt out if there are enough staff and students who want to do that.

I was going to ask this too- our center has not resumed field trip since the pandemic started and my kids were too little previously, but I'm pretty sure they offered an opt out option.

I'm pretty sure ours has an opt out option and they figure out staffing with the floater/front office staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare center announced a field trip for the preschool room to the National Zoo for late June. Our child has been in the room since January; this is the first field trip they will be going on since we started there in the infant room. This will be a trip of up to twenty kids who are mainly 3 years old - they typically range from old 2s to young 4s in the room - who span from being not potty trained to nearly self sufficient on the potty, with most somewhere in between (the teachers send them to the toilet on a 30 min timer in the room on a daily basis). The center has two buses, and my guess is that none of these kids has ever been on the center's buses. The zoo is a 40 min ride one way, and the trip is planned for 9:30am-1:30pm, eating lunches brought from home while there.

I asked the room's lead teacher today how logistics work to take twenty kids in that age group on such a trip. Her answer was "lots of volunteers", that they will take everything with them regarding dealing with potty accidents, and that she would prefer kids to be in pull ups in case of accidents. She also admitted that she has never done a field trip like this before and that it was the center director's idea. The lead teacher has been in charge of that room since we started there in 2019.

Is it just me, or does this sound like a really bad idea?

There's a room of 20 kids who range from 2 to 4? Is this is a church preschool?

[Anonymous]

I would not let my kid go without me, and I used to work at downtown centers where the kids were out and about daily.

—former director