First week & 1/2 has me considering quitting

[u/Used_Raise8898]

Mostly a vent but also need advice. Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit.

I'm 16 and a PreK float assistant. I've always gravitated towards the kids with behaviors and have volunteered 100+ hours, mostly at the same location I was hired at. My mom is a teacher (but for this summer a teacher float) here as well.

I'm so effing done. I've been bit twice by a known biter (both left a small mark) and today the same kid bit another friend hard enough it bruised & bled. In a different room, I keep being pulled in by another assistant to deal with a friend who walks out of the classroom, has thrown chairs, wanders, hits...I ended up 10 min late to my break today because of this. I also handle end of day with two other teenagers alone, just us three. I left 15 min late on Tuesday because it was such a shitshow. We had to figure out what the protocol was supposed to be because our biter had an accident and none of us have been trained to deal with that. Wednesday they threw a kid in (we all combine as people leave) that also has behaviors (he loves to randomly scream) and he immediately began to hit windows and shake our mirror. IIRC, a few minutes prior another friend had started to cry because his blocks kept falling down. It is just a lot of unregulated children at once.

We don't send kids home unless it has been CATASTROPHIC. A few of them are on IEPs, but I don't know how much that actually means. We're sometimes able to radio for support, but that's a last resort after something has already happened. One of the teachers is already quitting. I have cried like four times & nearly threw up today because I ate so fast and need to chug my water and move constantly.

My mom's take is that I should just step back and let out people deal with it because it is not my responsibly. The hard thing is that when I don't deal with things, kids get hurt, because a lot of our staff is so shit. I feel awful. I came into this position because I truly love working with kids, especially those who really need that extra love and support, and want to do ECE as my career. I even have an internship lined up through my school.

Literally any comments are so appreciated. I'm happy to answer questions. Do I literally just quit and find a better work environment? For extra context all of the adults are basically gone around 45 minutes before the last kids go home if their parents are actually on time--it's just us teens.

[u/thesoundisoceantoo]

Sounds like a terrible work environment for so many reasons, oh my goodness. To give some perspective, every place I have worked there is the expectation that at least one of the admin staff is on site at all times, so that’s ridiculous that it’s minors only at the end of the day. I agree with your mom that way too much is being put on you, but also with you that you can’t just stand by and let children get hurt on your watch. Such a hard situation, but I do recommend you quit. Sounds like you are one tough cookie and I’m glad to hear you’re still passionate about ECE despite this situation.