Michelle Said:

Schools with good early childhood development programs?!?

We Answered:

You might check into Ohio University, Muskingum College, or Rio Grande and see if they meet your needs. Ohio University is at Athens. Muskingum is north of Marietta on the Muskingum River. Rio Grande is at Rio Grande (Gallipolis area). Not sure if you want to continue working at Fenton, but if you go to OU or Muskingum, you might be able to.

You might check into Glenville State at Glenville, WV.

Courtney Said:

If you and your spouse have careers, is it okay to dump the children off at a daycare so no one has to give up?

We Answered:

yes, if you need both incomes. it's not easy supporting 3 mouths (minimum) on just one paycheck. and what if the breadwinner gets fired? if both partners have a job, then you've got more financial security going for you. lack of financial security and the worrying over it could kill a relationship.

on the other hand, if one partner is fairly well set and can afford to take care of the entire family then it might not be a bad idea for the other partner to stay home and care for the kids till they're a little older.

once they reach a certain age though there's no excuse for both partners to not be working, unless one of the two is really going gangbusters.

edit: as a certain former regular poster on gws maintained on several occasions, through the course of human history, generally, both partners have had to work. it's only the super rich who have had the option to not work. before the industrial revolution, everyone worked on the fields - husband, wife, kids, grandparents, everyone. over the last 100 years of relative prosperity more wives have had the option to not work, but that is slowly changing. 30 years ago, one breadwinner may have been enough; now i'm not so sure. i recently read an article that said the relative buying power of a family today is only comparable to that of a family 30 years ago because there are two paychecks coming in today. otherwise, the relative buying power of a family today would be about half that of a family 30 years ago. the times - they are a changin' (as always) and fewer and fewer people are able to maintain the lifestyle they would like to on just one check.

edit 2: i don't understand the people who are saying that a woman who has kids who works is being selfish. what if the income that she brings in means the difference between her and her family living a relatively affluent life versus her and her family (and this includes her kids) living just above the poverty line? it seems everyone posting here is operating under the assumption that if a woman gets married she automatically has the option to not work because her husband will be bringing in a minimum of 200 grand a year. what world are they living in? most women who get married will have to work to ensure a decent standard of living for her, her children, her family. one paycheck just isn't going to cut it for most households. and, of course, if she's a single mother then she has even less of an option to not work.

Cheryl Said:

I want to work with children. Mainly early childhood development or something close. Any career ideas?

We Answered:

It not about the money on average you get paid $12 per hour. But it is also more then just a pastime. Depending on where you live there are different requirements. Some states will hire anyone to be an aide without even a background check. Other like Hawaii you need classes in a related field or to be a Early Childhood Education student (ECE) to be an aide.

To be an teacher you need at least two-year degree in ECE. And when you are a teacher it not just children that you have to deal with. But their families also. Relationships must be built with the family members who are in charge of the child. Weither it be a mom or a dad, a grandma, an grandpa, an uncle, an aunt...Thy will want to know how their child is doing and you are the one who will have to tell them.