Currently Cathy's Kids Club employs six full-time teachers and 2 assistant teachers. As per our State of California licensing requirements, we must maintain child/teacher ratios of one qualified teacher for every 12 students, or 15 students with 1 qualified teacher and 1 assistant teacher. A "qualified" teacher is someone who is 18 years or older, and has a minimum of 12 college units of early childhood development classes. These classes must include a basic child or human development class, a child and family in the community class, and two other early childhood education classes of the teacher's choosing. This is the minimum requirement. Currently all our teachers have more than the minimum number of early childhood education classes. Several teachers have bachelor's degrees in related areas and/or teaching credentials in elementary or secondary education.

Although the education requirement is important, it alone is not enough to be a successful preschool teacher or care provider. Patience, creativity, dependability, common sense, energy, and a loving nature are vital attributes for a teacher in a class with up to 12 three year olds. Patience is vital to a teacher because preschoolers cannot be rushed - no matter how you try! Creativity comes into play during lesson planning and fun classroom activities that keep toddlers occupied and excited to learn. Dependability is important for the teacher as a caregiver because in many families where children are shuffled back and forth between households, the caregiver is the only one in the child's life that he can depend on. Common sense on the part of the teacher can prevent mishaps from occurring. Mishaps can happen quickly with young children, so teachers need to have good energy so they can respond quickly. More important than education, is that teachers have a loving nature. Despite what anyone says or thinks, a nurturing environment, where children feel safe, accepted, and loved is the most critically important element of a childcare center.