Pros
Some of the lower level employees, by that I mean the ones that are actually interacting and working with the children, are lovely people. Additionally, being able to teach children can be incredibly rewarding.
Cons
There is a lot that could be said about this company and even more that can be said about what I witnessed specifically but I will try to be succinct. Supervisors were still in training and clearly overwhelmed and stressed by their workload. The result of which was that they were forgetful, inconsistent, and curt supervisors who made learning difficult. The type who would explain something once and if you didn't understand the first time around they would speak down to you. Eventually, some confided in me that they were having panic attacks and chest pains because they were so stressed out. The children all seemed uncomfortable with some of the supervisors. Not only would they lose their temper they would become threatening and mean. We had one case in particular where a child had limited verbal skills, had potential for aggression, and would spit repeatedly. When the child had a tantrum supervisors would grow impatient and proceeded to physically hold the child down by the shoulders while leaning over him or they would hold his arms across his chest while sitting behind him as a sort of "bear hug" to try and keep him still. I was then instructed me to do the same on days when I was alone. I witnessed this multiple times and for as long as 45 minutes as the child wailed. Any objection and management would get very defensive and combative. Eventually, I got the nerve to speak to the next supervisor up but it was reduced to a 'he said, she said' situation. I felt as they believed I was exaggerating or overreacting and I was not taken seriously. On a few other occasions, concerns for safety regulations were met with disinterest and some mockery. The sentiment seemed to be, "That's the reality of the business and that's how life is." Another incident was at a daycare where, to summarize quickly, the child under our care was not being treated well. The child was left in their filth for hours until I arrived, the teaching assistants called him derogatory names, and they would scream at the children at the top of their lungs until they cried. Again, when I brought this up mangement seemed annoyed to have another thing to deal with. Again, they acted like I was being too sensitive and that I should keep my mouth shut. To summarize, the AST branch I'm familiar with seemed to cut a lot of corners on safety and basic respect for the children. They may put employees through a "safety protocol and training" but it's for show because it all goes out the window once we're out in the field. AST's sole interest is profit and doing the bare minimum to present a nice image.
