Meet Our Tutor Time Staff – Ms. Esther, Infant Teacher

Meet Ms. Esther, infant teacher and safety captain at Tutor Time in Walnut, CA! She always loved kids, but didn’t realize early education was the career for her until she took a child development course and fell in love with teaching little ones. Read on to learn more about this fabulous teacher!

What does a typical day look like in your infant room?

I get in at 9 a.m. and go inside my class. I look at the board since there’s already a teacher in there, and I see so-and-so needs a diaper change, or so-and-so needs a bottle. I jump in, I do diapers, bottles, and then they are having breakfast at about that time. After breakfast, we do small group activities and I sit down and we sing songs to the kids or read a book to them. Then we go outside if the weather permits for 15-20 minutes. When we come back in, it’s time for lunch. After lunch we like to do an activity with them and after that is naptime. Most of them are on our schedule, so if we are lucky they all go down for a nap. In the afternoon we wake up, change diapers and give them bottles or snacks for the ones that are eating. After snack they play for a little bit and by this time, some of them start going home.

What are some of your duties as “safety captain”?

Every day we have safety checklists to go through. For example, every day I go outside and check the playground to make sure that nothing’s broken on the jungle gym, there’s no trash on the playground, there’s nothing that kids can pick up and put in their mouth, and there are no holes in the fences. I just work to keep everyone safe and make sure no one’s doing anything that can get them hurt.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

It’s that you can’t have a bad day. You go in there, and even if you’ve got stuff going on at home, you go in there and the kids just smile at you. It’s so heartwarming and I love it. It’s really, really rewarding.

Why do you feel early education programs are important for children?

I think they benefit children because especially at such a young age, their brains are developing and they’re like little sponges. I feel like having a routine and practicing repetition helps them develop.

What are some examples of that routine in your infant class?

In the morning we sing “Who’s Here Today?” and we say their names. Even the youngest student, at four months old, as soon as you say her name, she looks at you. That simple activity helps them.

Can you share your favorite book to read to them?

I like this book that’s about different animal sounds. It doesn’t really have a title, it’s just about different animal sounds. I like it because they repeat the sounds and it’s funny.

How is the overall work environment at your school?

I feel like it’s great. We get along and I feel like we’re a great team. It’s a good environment to come to.