Raleigh Moravian Preschool

To Whom it May Concern: I am writing this letter to make the church aware of some experiences I had while working at Raleigh Moravian Preschool. My Motive is nothing other then the children that attend, and their best interest. I no longer work at RMP because of the director, Stephanie Willard. In fact, all the leads left last year, for the same reasons as me, as well as many of the assistants’ teachers. There are many things I could say about Stephanie's lack of managerial skills, but I am only going to focus on her lack of keeping the children's best interest at heart. As a preschool teacher with many years of experience, I believe that the children's best interest should be top priority. First of all, Stephanie is the director, and a teacher. She is not able to manage these two positions effectively, and the children in her class suffered from this. They did not have the consistency of the same teacher n their classroom and everyday was different for them. Since Stephanie was the only teacher in her classroom, if she had a tour or other director duties she would “pull” an assistant from another classroom to be in her class. This left her children with a different teacher, and the teacher in the other class without an assistant. Many days, I was left without an assistant during my center time, where an assistant is needed most, or lunch, a very challenging time to be the only teacher in the room. I witnessed the teacher in the baby class (1year olds) left alone, which I believe should NEVER happen. I’ve also witnessed 1 teacher being left alone on the playground watching 20 plus children on playground equipment that is not safe for all age groups. Things like these happened almost daily, at least 3 times a week, every week, all year long, for the 2 years that I worked there. When the staff approached Stephanie with our many concerns, we were told that we are a “team” and needed to be flexible. When we suggested she could be a director, and not a teacher, she said she loved teaching. This is something we have never observed. Stephanie also works in a way where things are always to her advantage but never to the advantage of the preschool as a whole. She is also a chameleon and will bluntly lie to make herself look better. The things I observed with Stephanie and her kids in the classroom, made it hard for me to believe she enjoys teaching at all. I witnessed her with her kids in the bathroom, refusing to help them get on or off the toilet or help them pull up their pants (they are two years old). I was told by her not to help my kids in the bathroom or the opening of their lunches so they can “learn independence”. The most concerning thing I witnessed were Stephanie’s actions towards a child in yer class last year. He was a bright active boy that I believe to not have been challenged in her classroom. Stephanie’s solution to his behavior was to put him in a highchair. None of the other kids were in highchairs. Day after day, I would walk by her classroom, and see him in the highchair, playing with, of all things, a naked Barbie doll. On one occasion, I even saw Stephanie walking her children down the hall to the bathroom, while pushing this child along with them still strapped to the highchair. Needless to say, I was appalled at this treatment, as I am certain the parents would be. There are so many more things I could say, the only reason I am sharing just a glimpse of this information is because I love children, and have their best interest and safety at heart. Please use this information to make the appropriate changes for the best interest of the children. Feel free to talk to any of the other lead teachers that have left, as well as the teachers who are there now. I bet they won’t be there after this year after working with Stephanie. I know they will concur with what I have shared and more. A preschool should be a loving, safe place for children. Unfortunately a child in Stephanie’s care and classroom does not get that experience. Thank you.