Pam Ussery

ABOUT PAM

• 30+ years experience
• Children's Academy 1
• First boss
• Devoted to children
• Morals based on faith

FOCUS 2: TEACHING, COUNSELING, PEDIATRICS

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WORKDAY?
"Each day varies with emotions of happiness, stress, challenging decisions, but I enjoy it."

CHALLENGES:

THE REWARDS!

PERCEPTION VS REALITY:
Admitted that she didn’t expect it to be so hard.
Didn’t realize the many challenges she would face working with parents and the staff.
She concluded that it was “HARD WORK.”

OPPORTUNITIES

• ON SITE CLASSES
• FREE CVCC COURSES
• EASY ADVANCEMENT
• FLEXIBLE HOURS
• SELF-FULFILLMENT

WHAT SHOULD THE SETTING BE LIKE?
When it comes to success, Pam commented that success is measured by the children’s demeanor. Each child should be happy and when you enter the daycare, there should be little crying. She added that a big staff turnover is bad.

A child’s smile is a reward itself, but to be the reason that they are smiling is an indescribable feeling.

When I worked at Children’s Academy, I had a close relationship with children.This kind of work is personal and feels raw.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL VS EXPERIENCED:
Working at a pediatric office requires more education but daycare workers are more hands on with children

STEPS TO SUCCESS:
Internship at Catawba Pediatrics Continue my visits at Children’s Academy Daycare
(It's important to maintain my relationships with former students to let them know they deserve to be cared about.)

Some big take-aways and lessons learned include the importance of children, work goes beyond working with only children, and to stay positive!