Stumbling Through Work
Working in education is to stumble through your everyday! We love what we do, but staff, families, policies, regulations and sometimes even the children make us quit everyday then come back the next day. Just remember, you are not in this alone.
Stumbling Through Work
Inside A Preschool Scandal: Abuse, Oversight Failures, And The Fight For Safer Childcare
We confront a big-brand preschool scandal, then widen the lens to expose how staffing, oversight, and culture create the conditions for harm—and how to fix them with real accountability, funding, and courage. Along the way we answer listener questions, call out hiring red flags, and argue for licensing that measures safety culture, not just binders.
• abuse allegations at a brand-name preschool and bleach-water incident
• systemic causes: staffing crisis, weak oversight, corporate optics
• fear and silence that block whistleblowing
• parents’ tools: unannounced visits, incident logs, clear questions
• educator survival: routines, pacing, co-regulation, mentorship
• leadership actions: audit training, ratios, supervision, remove unfit staff
• policy fixes: funding aligned to expectations, QRIS, continuous accountability
• licensing reform: consistency, context, partnership over punishment
• listener Q&A on overwhelm and handling a parent’s sexist, racist behavior
• hiring red flags and interview answers that reveal fit
• practical policies: why wage garnishment lives in the handbook
If today made you laugh, think, or just say, Wow, that's my life, go ahead and subscribe and leave a review. Or share this with another educator who's one licensing violation away from quitting.
Follow me :
Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning
Welcome to Stumbling Through Work where Educators Figure Shit Out. The podcast for educators and anyone who ever walked into their program and said, Nope, not today. I'm your host, Jared Huff, here to unpack the wild stories, broken systems, and to call out the chaos. Let's get into it. Hey team, welcome to another episode of Stumbling Through Work where educators figure shit out. Today's episode Okay, it's not funny, it's not light, but I promise you it is necessary. This is part two from last week's episode. And if you did not listen to last week's episode, please stop and go back. We're talking about the same facility from last week, the one in New York, and how multiple incidences, including alleged child abuse and even bleach water being served to preschoolers, triggered investigations, arrests, and a whole lot of parents saying, What the hell? This episode is for families, for educators, for policymakers, and for anyone who has ever trusted someone else with their child. Okay, let's get into it. So, alright, picture this. It's July, summertime, weather feels good. Parents are dropping their babies off at daycare. Everyone's feeling good. I'm not gonna say the name of the facility because it's truly not important to the message. It really isn't. But this preschool is a big brand. Shiny brochures, matching polos, lobby smells like lavender and generational wealth. You know, you think you're good when you drop off. But behind the scenes, child, enough mess to shut down a whole center. Three former employees were arrested for allegations surfaced that toddlers, the babies, were being physically abused. We're talking about mouths taped shut, even partially over the nose, toddlers dragged by their hair, kids struck with metal water bottles, force restraints to chairs, objects shoved into the mouth to keep them quiet. I don't know who trained these people, but I can tell you one thing, it won't Jesus. Producing this episode was very heavy for me. Um It took a slight emotional toll just to kind of read this. And I have to read this to you all because prepare yourself, my brain can't process this shit. The employee Evelyn Vargas, yes, we say her ass out loud for everyone to hear, is accused of covering a toddler's mouth and part of her nose with packing tape back in January. A criminal complaint says a witness saw the girl turn red and cry before Vargas removed the tape. Another witness told prosecutors she saw Vargas grab another toddler by the hair and drag her a few feet while the toddler was crying and appeared to be in pain. Investigators also say Vargas hit three toddlers in their head multiple times with metal water bottles and other objects between October 2024 and March of this year, which is 2025, and stuffed tissue in the mouth of a child. She's been in daycare service for 21 years, had her own business before the employment at this location, and she cares about the children she watches and maintains her innocent, Vargas's attorney said Friday. He stretched for that one. The Manhattan District Attorney says another employee, Shakia Henley, we callin' your ass out too, used a bottle containing soap mixed with water and bleach mixed with water to spray a child in the face earlier this year. Her attorney said he has no comment. Then a third employee, Letitia Towns, calling your ass out too, also hit kids with metal water bottles, restrained toddlers in chairs, and more prosecutors said. CBS News New York has reached out to her attorney as well. Y'all, I just don't know what I just read. It was like the devil's book. Then months later, because I guess the devil's just running double shifts, another staff member now served children a pitcher of water mixed with diluted cleaning solutions during snack time. You can go back to last week's episode for that. And mind you, not only did this happen, but some parents didn't even get the full story. Some said they found out through reporters. Yes, reporters. Imagine learning your kid drank bleach water because channel 2 popped up in their inbox. That is beyond unacceptable. And of course, the company could not agree, or the company would not agree to do an interview with CBS News New York. And honestly, dear company, I don't think there was shit that you could say that could justify or make anybody feel better. And let me tell y'all one thing. I'm a spin master. Jerek is a spin. Let me tell you, you put me in a spin room, situations happen, I could turn that thing inside out and spin it around and make anyone come out anyway. But let me tell you what I can't do. This shit. There is no spin on the place of the pl on on the face of the planet that can make this shit better than what I just read. But let's talk about how a center with a billion dollar brand and 15 layers of corporate leadership ends up with toddlers drinking bleach and getting taped up like an Amazon package. Disasters don't just happen, they come from conditions. And when the conditions are not right, you get chaos, lawsuits, and you get me on this microphone. So let me tell y'all four different things. One, staffing crisis. Childcare has a national workforce shortage. Not a surprise, we all know this. Centers are hiring warm bodies, not qualified educators, because nobody wants to pay enough to keep good people. So you get undertrained staff, under supervised staff, overwhelmed staff, and people who shouldn't never be around children from the start. And when you put all of that together, you get a recipe for catastrophe. Number two, no real oversight. Let's be honest. Licensing walks in for 45 minutes a year, looks at your bleach bottles, check your ratio, and says, Okay, see y'all next year. Meanwhile, kids are being mistreated behind closed doors. There is no system of continuous accountability. Notice I use the word continuous accountability. Everything is scheduled, everything is predictable. And when in you know when inspections are predictable, misconduct becomes invisible. That's why it's important to use other programs within your jurisdiction, within your state, such as QRIS, any something else you may partner with your state. Those programs help with accountability and holding people's feet to the fire to make sure they're doing shit correctly. Number three, corporate culture that prioritize optics. Centers like this love a press release. They love a polished lobby. They love saying we take safety seriously, like it's their favorite hymn. But do they take training seriously? Do they take living wage staffing seriously? Do they take transparent communication with families seriously? I'm sorry, but you cannot PR your way out of a bleached picture. And if Jarek says it, there is no way possible of doing that. Own that shit and move. You can't even move on. Y'all know my phrase, own your shit and move on. They need to own their shit and close down. But number four, internal silence and whistleblower fears. I guarantee you, someone saw something other than the people in this article that said they seen something. Multiple people had to have seen something. Someone had to have known something was off. And where were the directors do all of this? That's my next question. But you know, a lot of childcare workers are often scared to speak out because they need their job, they fear retaliation, and they feel powerless. And I'm gonna say it, they feel powerless in corporate chains because when the culture silences people, abuse festers. Corporations can be scary as shit sometimes. Now, let me tell you a fictional but way too real story. I say it fictional, that I think every educator has seen or can relate to. So we're gonna call her Miss Johnson. And Miss Johnson has been in early childhood for 15 years. She's amazing. She loves her babies, she comes to work early, she leaves late, she eats lunch, you know, she eats her lunch standing up because you know toddlers don't care about your break schedule. She walks into the infant room one day and sees a staff member, someone she's never met, holding a baby by one arm like a grocery bag. And she says, Hey, uh-uh, nope, you don't hold her like that. And that other teacher says, Oh, well, this is how I do at home. And she's like, Ma'am, this ain't your home. This is a licensed center with laws and liability. So, what does Ms. Johnson do? Miss Johnson reports it. And what happens? Management says, Okay, we'll talk to her. And then the next week, the same staff person is in the same room, still doing the same shit in that infant room. This is how dangerous people stay in classrooms. Now, let me bring it back to me for a second. I have been in this field for long enough to know when leadership does not act, when staffing is sloppy, when training is rushed, when parents aren't informed, children suffer every time. This is why I'm loud, this is why I advocate, and this is why I do what I do. Because these children deserve better. And this story isn't just about one center, this is bigger, much bigger. Big centers aren't automatically safer because some people think, oh, it's the name brand place, it must be good, baby. No, size does not equal safety, a glossy brochure does not equal competent staff. A billion-dollar brand does not equal protection for your child. We have all eaten at billion-dollar McDonald's, and it is not good unless you're hungry, and the nuggets do be hitting sometimes. But overall, the shit is not good. Licensing is reactive, not preventive. Because licensing is like checking the fire alarm after the building has already burned down. That's why you partner with other organizations. Child care workers are not, excuse me, childcare workers are underpaid and overburdened. Because let's keep it real. You cannot run high quality care on poverty wages. If you pay staff$12 an hour with no benefits, with no mental health support, and no prep time, you are manufacturing incompetence. I said it. You are manufacturing incompetence. Not because workers don't care, but because the system doesn't. And that's the thing. And parents are just left out of the loot. Parents deserve immediate communication, honest communication, full disclosure, and access to incident logs. I'm a big believer in that because you have the most important thing to them and their existence on this planet, their children. Parents don't deserve press releases, they don't deserve half-truths, and they don't deserve silence. But see, okay, so this is where I'm about to go. Full TED Talk. By the way, I think I would do great on the TED Talk. What do y'all think? I think I'll be pretty good. I think I would do an amazing presentation, but you know, I digress. But here are the things that I think need to change. Parents need to ask questions, show up unannounced, read reports, and document everything because they are not that parent. They are protecting their child. Now let me be specific. I don't mean the irritating parents that nitpick over stupid shit and find everything wrong and just got an issue with the teacher because they don't like them. That's that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is parents need to be intentional and making sure that they're making reasonable requests and understanding what's happening within their centers. Educators need to speak up, they need to report unsafe practices, protect children, even when leadership won't. You are kind of the last line of defense, and I get it, we are all mandated reporters, but even if you're not sure, always tell people just report it anyway. And center leaders, so directors, admin, you need to audit your training, you need to audit your ratios, you need to audit your people because if someone has no business being in the classroom, remove them. And this is for policymakers. What they need to do is fund this field or stop pretending that they care about children. We cannot run a quality childcare system on hopes, prayers, and minimum wage. Okay, I'm done with my TED Talk. But uh this story really is heartbreaking, it's infuriating. And but it should also be a catalyst because if we say children matter, if we say quality matters, if we say safety matters, then our actions, our structures, our policies need to prove it. Because what I see is the opposite. Lots of talking with opposite actions, and we'll be right back. Okay, quick break. If you're a teacher or a director who's currently stumbling through work, and I mean that literally, figuratively, or spiritually, you need to check out our new merch. We've got shirts that say exactly what you want to say in staff meetings, what you want to say to parents, mugs for caffeine that hold your entire personality together, and gear so you can walk into the building already announcing, Nope, I don't have time for this today without even opening your mouth. These are perfect for the classroom, the office, or the car where you sit for 12 minutes pretending you're going to quit. Again, grab your shirts, your mugs, and your survival merch at abbreviatedlearning.com because if you're gonna stumble through work anyway, you might as well look good doing it. Welcome back. This is where we talk about the reality of early childhood education, the kind of stuff you won't find in a licensing handbook. And the reason why I just said that because that was just a catalyst for me to say, let's talk about why preschools hate childcare licensing. Yep, I said it. And before the surveyors and compliance officers start clutching at clipboards and coming for me and my schools, let me be clear. We need licensing, but we also hate it. So let's start here. Licensing exists to protect children. No one argues that. We get that. We support that. But the frustration isn't about the intent. It's about the execution. Because most days licensing doesn't even feel like a partner. It feels like an uninvited surprise guest who shows up to your house, points out that you have dirty dishes in your sink, and then takes notes about it on a government-issue legal pad because they can't afford to get a regular iPad. We're not mad at safety. We're mad at the system that's supposed to help us keep kids safe has turned into a bureaucratic obstacle course that sometimes forgets we're human. Let's talk about these rule books. Every state has one. The Childcare Licensing Manual. It's usually about 200 pages long, printed in eight-point fonts, written in a tone that suggests you're one paperwork error away from prison, and it covers everything. From how far apart the nap mats must be to how often you sanitize your sensory bins to whether your staff microwaves or child's lunch too enthusiastically. Now, do I want my staff washing hands, sanitizing, and following ratios? Absolutely. But do I need six different logs, two signatures, and a laminated checklist just to prove it? No. I don't need a licensing scavenger hunt. I need help running my school. Then there's the visit. You know the one. That knock on the door that sends your entire staff into a panic mode like you suddenly on a reality show called Surprise, you're non-compliant. You've got teachers frantically labeling cups, directors flipping through binders, and someone whispering licensing's here, like it's an underground read. And to be fair, some licensers, some surveyors are amazing. They're collaborative, they're supportive, they genuinely want to help you succeed. And then you have those others. Those others walk in like they're auditioning for a law and order child care unit. But you within the first 30 seconds, you can kind of tell which one you got. And see, here's the real issue. Licensing operates like we all have the same resources. A nonprofit program with state funding, a church-based preschool with volunteers, a for-profit center paying$12 an hour all get held to the same compliance checklist. That's not equality, that's chaos. You cannot regulate everyone the same when we don't start with the same support. It's like grading everyone on how well they can run a marathon, but some people have running shoes and others are barefoot carrying toddlers. We need contextual regulations, not copy and face enforcement. And when we talk about quality improvement, what we're often really saying is here's 12 new things you have to document with no additional funding, staffing, or time. So yeah, preschools get frustrated. Not because we don't care, but because we care too much and it's just hard to keep up with a system that doesn't care how much it costs to do it right. Let's be honest, most directors live in constant fear. Of licensing. We joke about it, but it's real. The anxiety of the sleepless nights, the did I initial that log thoughts at 2 a.m. One citation can feel like a scarlet letter, even when it's something minor, like a missing allergy form or a forgotten daily sheet. It's not that we don't want accountability, we just want understanding. We want licensing to see the full picture. Yes, the bleach bottle was labeled wrong, but we also, you know, fed 50 kids today, changed 100 diapers, trained three new teachers, and kept everyone alive today. I think the perspective matters. I can say what bothers me is when you are being criticized or critiqued by someone who has never worked in ECE. I've had licensing surveyors with background and degrees in social work, psychology, just random shit other than the education degree that I have worked my ass off for, and then they come in not fully understanding how ECE or Center operates. It frankly pisses me off. And yes, it makes me a little difficult with them, and yes, it makes me a little confrontational, and that's probably why they don't like my ass. And guess what? The feeling is mutual. But you know what? Here's where it gets deep. Licensing was created to protect children, but somewhere along the way, it became about paperwork and punishment. We've turned safety into a compliance sport, and when directors spend more time documenting safety than actually practicing it, we've missed the point. Because safety isn't in the binder, it's the culture, it's in training, teamwork, and leadership. It's the way teachers respond to crisis, not how many times they sign a log. But the system doesn't measure that. So we're stuck playing the game instead of improving the work. Preschools necessarily don't want licensing to go away, and I will say at least the respectable ones. Them trash ones out on the corner probably do, but we want it to evolve. We want partnership, not punishment. Stop treating us like suspects, start treating us like collaborators. Consistency. Don't tell me one surveyor wants bleach bottles labeled and then another wants them hidden. Like just pick one and email it to me, please. I need context. Understanding that small programs, large programs, and home-based providers have different capacities and need different support. And funding that just matches the expectations. You cannot keep adding rules and not adding money. That's not safety. That's sabotage. Where they do that at? Oh, wait a minute. Early childhood education, that's where they do it. And then when licensing becomes more about improvement instead of inspection, everybody wins. Children, teachers, families, everyone wins. Now, let me be honest, as a former director, sometimes we do hate licensing because it forces us to face our chaos. It's not always them, sometimes it is us. Because when they walk in and point out things that we missed, it does sting a little bit. It does. But that's part of leadership. It's learning to take feedback without taking it personal. Still, it would help if that feedback didn't come in the form of a 17-page corrective action plan. Just saying. But okay, here's the truth. Licensing and providers are on the same team. But right now, we're not playing like it. They're focused on rules and we're focused on survival. And until those priorities meet somewhere in the middle, this tension will not go away. Because you can't build quality on fear and you can't build trust on inspection. You build it through collaboration, communication, and passion. Three things rarely found. Let me be specific. Those are three things that are rarely found in a state regulation manual. It's just not, it's things that they don't care about. So yeah, preschools hate licensing. Not because we're rebels, not because we don't care, but because it's the most exhausting relationship we've ever had. One built on good intentions and bad communications. Sometimes you just wish you can just break up with them. Licensing could be a lifetime. Instead, it often feels like a landmine. And until we rebuild that partnership where safety, trust, and sanity coexist, we're all kind of just stumbling through work, clipboard in hand. And we'll be right back. So, are you an educator watching everyone else get promoted, watching everyone else get raises, or even get the recognition for things you've literally have been doing forever? That's why we offer educational career development coaching designed for teachers, directors, and leaders who want to move up, earn more, and actually get their credit for the work they do. We work on interviews, resumes, salary negotiation, leadership confidence, communication skills, and how to stop letting your admin gaslight you into believing you're not ready yet. You are ready. You just need the strategy. Book your session at abbreviatedlearning.com and start moving towards the title, salary, and respect you deserve. Because stumbling through work is funny, but stumbling through your career is not. Alright y'all, we are back with asking for a friend. So I'm new to preschool teaching. I'm in a constant state of overwhelmed and overstimulated. How do y'all manage this? Crafts, cleanup, snack time, cleanup again, diapers, washing hands, everyone asking for help, all the multitasking. I love these kids, but please help me figure out how to get better at this. Lady, sir, whomever, let me tell you something from the bottom of my license to teach and my teach to licensing heart. You are not overwhelmed because you're bad at the job. You are overwhelmed because preschool is the Olympics of multitasking. This is not a job. This is a survival sport. You are trying to teach ABCs while also preventing someone from eating glue, negotiating world peace between two toddlers fighting over a truck, stopping a kid from washing their hands for 47 consecutive minutes, and answering, can you help me? 1400 times before 10 a.m. Sister, brother, beloved, you are doing great. And let me let you know this. Let me break it down for you. Over stimulation is normal. You're not broken. Every preschool teacher has had that moment when you look around the room and go, Wow, this is a lot of sound. This is a lot of motion. Is this a classroom or a baby nightclub? Your body is adjusting, your nervous system is adjusting, your brain is literally building muscles for this work. Give yourself some time, and routines will save your life. Right now, everything feels chaotic because you're new. But once you're like locked into a routine, chop, your classroom will run smoother than that Chick-fil-A drive-thru. Because let's be honest, we know they have the best customer service and the best efficiency. And then multitasking, multitasking becomes a real skill, but you're not going to get it overnight. Multitasking is like developing superpowers. You grow eyes in the back of your head, you learn to hear two conversations, even three if you get really good at it at once. You learn to diaper, count, redirect simultaneously, and you learn the difference between a normal scream and a check on that screen. You'll be okay. Find you a mentor, find your rhythm, find the humor in the mess, and remember, nobody is nobody gets good at preschool teaching in a month. Everyone started where you are. You are learning the hardest and most important job in early childhood, managing a tiny community of small humans who have big feelings and no chill. Our next one is let me read this one for y'all clearly. I work at a beautiful preschool, amazing staff, amazing director, wonderful families. But we have one family. We've had one family join, and the dad is giving very weird energy. He told an 18-year-old trainee she'll make a man very happy because she was vacuuming and said he wishes his lawyer wife would do that. He avoids the lead teacher and he refers to the Chinese educator as the Asian one. And when told her name, he said, Well, whatever. I've never seen anything like this in my 14-year career. Where do we even begin with this? With all of that. Not even a grown woman, an actual teenager, he said that to, sir. This is a preschool, not a time machine in 1952. Vacuuming does not qualify a woman for marriage. First off, being 18 does not qualify her for any comment about her future usefulness to men, like child, please. And you, sir, do not qualify to speak to young staff unsupervised, if we just gonna put that out there. That comment alone, red flag. Then I wish my life, I wish my wife would do this, sir. Are you for real? So wait a minute, your wife is a lawyer, a whole profession, and you're standing in a preschool lobby complaining because she won't vacuum. Your wife is in court doing her job, possibly defending humanity, and you're in a toddler room wishing she'd do chores. This is not giving supportive partner. This is giving I peaked in high school. And then you're avoiding the other female staff, the other teacher, which is really weird. Um, are you avoiding the lead teacher because she's a woman in charge? Let's be honest. Men who can't interact normally with women's supervisors always tell on themselves. This whole thing is just weird. And then you refer to the Chinese educator as the Asian one? Absolutely not. We're shutting this down immediately. That is racism, period. Not awkward, not cultural misunderstanding, not he's older, he don't know better. No, he was told her actual name and responded with whatever, whatever. You don't get to just whatever somebody's identity. This is not Starbucks where you just skip the name pronunciation. If he can't respect staff, he doesn't respect the environment his child is in. What you need to do is report this to your director. That's all I'm gonna say. Report it to your admin, because we don't have time for this shit. Report it to them and let them handle it, and hopefully it is handled, and we'll just leave it at that. And who he about pissed me off for the day. Okay, y'all, we'll be right back. You know that moment in your day. The one when you stop, stare into the fluorescent lights, and think, There has to be a better way than whatever nonsense way we're doing right now. The best practice series is that better way. Cause these books, they're short, they're friendly, they're written in plain English, and not that education jargon sprinkled with fairy dust language. Hand them to your team and say, Please just do it like this so I don't lose my last good nerve. We've got guides on tours, policies, communication, safety, programming, and all the daily madness nobody warns you about. And the best part, your team will get it, families will feel the difference, and you get to breathe like a normal human again. Grab your copies at abbreviatedlearning.com or just risk another week of someone asking, wait, what's that procedure again? Okay, we are back to our interview corner for the day. And so you ask the question, the really, really good question of how does this position fit in with your career path you envision for yourself? And they respond with, Well, my career path is step one, get a job, step two, keep the job, step three, find snacks in the break room. Because honestly, I'm just trying not to be homeless in this economy. My career path is employed with health insurance. If I can't afford ice coffee and pay rent, that's the dream. Don't hire them. Please do not hire them. But you know what? Some of you all will hire them because you hire out of desperation. What the question is really asking is how does the position that you're asking for fits into your career path? And what I mean by that is, are you planning to stay here long enough to justify onboarding you? Um, do you really actually want this role, or is it just a rebound job after leaving something else that was toxic? Um, I guess the question is also asking, should we invest in you? Or will you just disappear if you know Target raises their starting pay rate? Basically, what I want to know is are you here just to get two paychecks and a tax form and then leave on your lunch break? That's what I'm asking. Now, the good answer that I want to hear is let me see. This position aligns well with where I'm growing professionally. I want to build strong foundational experiences and early childhood education and working in a center that values collaboration and high quality practices supports that growth. Now you see that bullshit? That's what I'm talking about. That's what they just gave me. See how they fill my cup with all the fake answers that I know they really didn't mean, but it made me feel good. Or if they say something clever like I'm looking for a place where I can contribute, continue developing my skills, and grow within the organization over time. This role gives me the opportunity to do meaningful work while advancing towards my long-term goals and early education and future leadership. All right now, that's what I'm talking about. Come on now. You see, first off, the fact that I be coming up with these off the top of my head lets you know I might be full of shit too. And whoever responds with that is, I know too. But guess what? That made me feel good. So, there you have it. If someone says, Well, you know what, let me rewind on that. Because you know what? That person might have been honest. Let's go back to what they actually said. Maybe they just want jobs so they can't get iced coffee and pay rent. I mean, that's half how half of my staff operates anyway. So, you know what? They may not be telling no lies. You know, let me think about that. I'm I originally said no. But I mean, do I want you to lie to me a little bit? I mean, yeah, but we always want people to be honest. So, homies honest, I don't know. I gotta think about that one, but I'm just gonna say for normal situations, don't hire them. Do not hire them. And I will say this don't hire them because if they're being dishonest to you in the front in the forefront, they don't know how to play the game. So then they're gonna say something crazy to a parent. So, yeah, I'll take that back. Yeah, don't hire them. Sometimes I just have to amuse you all, and we'll be right back. Listen, if your center or program is currently held together by tape, caffeine, and vibes, you might need consulting, and that's where abbreviated learning comes in. We work with child care centers, studios, and youth programs that are doing their absolute best while simultaneously drowning in staffing issues, quality, enrollment gaps, and with that one parent who emails 14 times a day. We help you streamline your systems, fix the operational chaos, train your teachers, and get the program functioning like you're not just winging it every morning at 6 a.m. Whether you need policies, tours, staff development, or someone to just look at your program and say, Okay, here's how we unjanky this. We're here for you. Visit abbreviatedlearning.com to book consulting for your center or program because stumbling through work is funny on the podcast, but not in real life. It's policy time, and remember, something became a policy because someone then messed the shit up for all of us. Today we're talking about wage garnishments. Not really a policy, but still have to put it in the handbook because it's above our pay grade and we have nothing to do with it. So please, don't get yourself into a situation where the government shows up at my door asking about your money. Because once the court gets involved, we don't have a choice. Don't be mad at me. We are now your unpaid financial middleman. Because somewhere, at some point, somebody messed up so bad that the sheriff then walked into somebody's payroll and was like, Yeah, I'm gonna need Brenda's wages. All of them. And payroll was like, Brenda, from the toddler room, Lord Jesus. And now the company has to protect itself because the government don't be playing about their coins ever. They don't care about your PTO, they don't care about your schedule, they don't care that you already then spent money on DoorDash and that you're going on vacation to the Bahamas next week in the off season. That's why it's cheaper. If you owe them, they will garnish that ass. They will garnish that check like a plate at Red Lobster. This exists as policy in a handbook because let's be honest, someone didn't pay child support, someone ignored a court summons, somebody pretending that letters from the IRS were optional reading. Somebody said, They ain't gonna do nothing, and the court said, watch this. Now the workplace has to do math that we'd never signed up for, and I have extra work to do and don't want you pissed off at me because I didn't do anything wrong. Now listen, I'm not judging. Your school ain't judging. Well, hopefully not judging, but if the court says we gotta send them$87 of your check every two weeks, then child, we're sending it with express delivery. And when the policy says, you know, we'll notify you, don't be mad at me. I get it. You are already notified when you got that original letter and the email and the voicemail and the final notice. And uh, this is really, really, really the final notice. And now the sheriff at your job. And you're like, well, thank you, HR director, for letting me know what I already knew. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. So the next time you see wage and garnishment in your employee handbook, just know this is not about you. This is about the co-worker seven years ago who said, forget them bills, F them bills, and turn payroll into a courtroom clerk. And that, my friend, is why this is a policy in the handbook. Well, this has been Stumbling Through Work, and that's all I have for you today. Until next time, keep your bleach bottles labeled, your staff files signed, and your sense of humor intact because you have to deal with licensing. But you're doing better than what you think. Thanks for listening. Take care of yourself, protect them babies, and see y'all next episode. Bye. Alright, that's another episode of Stumbling Through Work where educators figure shit out. If today made you laugh, think, or just say, Wow, that's my life, go ahead and subscribe and leave a review. Or share this with another educator who's one licensing violation away from quitting. I'm Jared Huff. See you next time, probably stumbling, but still showing up.
