Head Start Worker Testimony #3: Behind the Scenes of a Hostile Work Environment in a Preschool (3/22/21)

The following is a testimony from a Family Development Specialist at TAP (Total Action for Progress) Head Start preschool.

“Before ever working for TAP Head Start, I was just a parent receiving the services. I’ve only worked here for about a year and a half, and I thought that the work environment would be completely different…since people speak so highly about the program. I do also think very highly about the program, but some of the current (and former) supervisors have made this an incredibly hostile work environment. Since I’ve worked here the upper management has been more concerned with how our work looks on paper than the families we serve. During the pandemic, workers (including myself) have been threatened with write-ups over trivial issues, and/or over things that we weren’t trained on.

I’ve been singled out on multiple occasions, PTO denied due to conflicts with my supervisor, unknown/intimidating meetings with supervisors, accused of baseless allegations, and prejudged. It feels like I am walking on eggshells. I’ve experienced numerous unacceptable behaviors from supervisors, and when it’s reported to upper management it was swept under the rug. It seems like it’s a management vs. workers environment. The managers will always side with those of their class. We are more like a number here, and we are not appreciated at all. When the CEO had a mandatory meeting to discuss a petition that is going around for workers, she didn’t care enough to address the hostility-free work environment demand, she only focused on the money aspect.”