Ethnography Final Draft

I walked through the door and all I could hear was the crying of babies "Mommy!" The teachers had soft soothing voices to calm the sad and anxious babies.

I had walked into the subculture of working in a daycare.

The relationships between the kids are just fascinating.


The end of nap time and beginning of the afternoon shift, my shift. It had been a rough morning-- the babies and toddlers didn't take long enough naps, ten minutes maybe. I knew it was going to be a rough afternoon. Once all the cranky babies and toddlers were toileted and had clean diapers on, they sat at the small yellow rectangular table and the little white square table with green legs. They sat in chairs just big enough for their small bottoms, and at just the right height to eat and drink without spilling anything all over the place. It's a dark, cloudy, rainy day so instead of taking the children outside to play we put a movie on for would hope to be a peaceful and calm afternoon. We should have known it wasn't going to be like that. It never is when the children don't take naps.

It was 3:30pm when all 17 children combined into the toddler room to watch a movie. Abraham had brought in Alvin and the Chipmunks. A very cute movie, Georgette, Caroline and I thought the kids would love it and watch it. Nope. They were so rambunctious-- it felt as if it was a Friday afternoon. The children were talking to each other about cops and robbers, two little boys were talking about "farting" and the youngest babies were crying for their bottles.

The room is quite big. Half of it is carpeted and the other half is vinyl flooring. The t.v. was plugged into the outlets in the kitchenette. The children sat spread out on the carpet, Georgette and I sat on the floor with the children. Sabrina sat on my lap while Yolanda sat on Georgette's lap. Caroline sat in a chair near the door to the middle room to answer the door when the annoying bell rang.

The day was dragging. None of the kids were leaving, it was getting late. I still had to clean.

4:30pm came, time for Georgette to leave. The kids got even more rambunctious, the boys were playing power rangers with each other and the girls decided they wanted to open up a beauty parlor and I was their customer. The kids might have been out of control but, their imagination is just fascinating. The games they come up with and play together. They can go on for hours playing. They will start off so simple and typical and then turn it into something imaginative and complex.

It is a great pleasure that all the children get along so well. The babies and toddlers stick up for one another and help defend one another. It is a true wonder watching an listening to conversations between kids.


The cutest conversation was between Sabrina and Edie. They were talking about their birthday parties and comparing their gifts. Both parties were princess parties. For a second I forgot they were only 5 years old. They were having an in-depth conversation as if they were in their 20's. They really get along great together.

The room is set up nice and cozy. It doesn't feel like a daycare room. It feels like a family room in a house. With the television table and chairs, a fire place ( which is non-working and has a kitchen set in it), a shelf full of toys, and a toy box full of stuffed animals. And lets not forget the nice bright white refrigerator. The blue-green carpet adds a certain warmth to the room, along with the green wood work around the room.

I love going to work there. It doesn't actually feel like work. More like I get to play with and watch kids as they learn new things and expand their minds on different topics. It is a great pleasure to be a part of it and witness it. At the end of the day you feel a great satisfaction on helping a young mind grow and explore.