Hm. Hm. What should I do?

Okay.
Please bear with me.  

I can't tell you how many times I've seen 'bare' with me and (you're welcome) that will definitely not be happening today.

Once again, starting with a digression. 
Not that that's a bad thing. Right?

I got a raise. It's even a decent raise. I appreciate it, although (shhh) I've mentioned before that I really love my work and would almost be willing to do it without getting paid. But of course we need the money and most people don't work for free. 

But.

My planning time hours, which were 12.5 hours a week since I started working for this company were just cut to 10 hours.

That really doesn't matter too much, I've always spent more time planning and cutting things out and procuring supplies than I was paid for anyway. This past week I spent about 11 hours off the clock stringing cardboard looms, for example. I don't care. I'm sitting in my space watching whatever on TV, I can keep my hands busy in whatever way I choose. 

I go to Goodwill/other thrift stores on my own time and shop for things for other programs, too. This week I found a bunch of dress up stuff for the dramatic play boxes. I drive around to people's houses and pick up items from the local Buy Nothing group, also for the company. I don't charge them for this time, it's a thing I do to contribute to elevate programming for the entire company. 

As I said in a comment on one of my recent posts, we are only as good as our weakest program, and I'd love to see all our programs be better. Mine included. 
The company wins. 
The people who work there win. 
Most of all, the kids win. 

I don't care about those hours spent off the clock.
I'm not the only person who does it. 
I'll do whatever I need to do to provide a thoughtful, effective program that at least most of my kids enjoy. 

Since I started the program at this school in the fall of 2023, I have been arriving at 1:30 most days. I start setting up as soon as I have stopped in the school office and spoken with our secretary, checked the kid sign out logs and said hello to any other school personnel who may be in there. 

Then it's time to move and unfold tables and start hauling things out of our storage room for setup.

My second person arrives at 1:45 to help me finish setting up and getting ready for the thundering herd of young humans who start arriving around 2:10.

Five cafeteria tables, rolled across the room one at a time and wrestled into place. Each table needs to be washed with table spray and wiped off.

Four large carpets. One for the dramatic play area, two for the construction zone, one for the reading area. A rolling book cart for that reading area. A set of folding panels that goes behind the reading area to separate it and make it look a little nicer in that corner. Until I had it, the backdrop in the reading area was just a bunch of tables folded up against the wall.

Three rolling shelf units. One for art, one for games and one for our construction zone. Two plastic tablecloths are unfolded and placed on the art table. 

I have furniture dolly carts with large rubbermaid totes stacked on them. 

One furniture dolly has laundry baskets stacked on it. The kids put all their stuff in laundry baskets against the far wall.

One is full of things to add to the construction zone. One is all the stuff for the dramatic play area except the kitchen, which comes out after that. I have a rolling set of wheels for the snacks as well. A small folding table for the parent/guardian zone. 

They scan a QR code at that table to sign their child(ren) out. On that table are a tablecloth, a large display board, our licensing-required documents all laminated and stuck together with a ring. Our pencil sharpener. 

Artemus the Skeleton stands on that table, too. Whatever seasonal stuff I have goes there. It needs to look nice.

Then the tablet has to be turned on for checking kids in/checking to see if any parents have marked their child absent in the app or need to be contacted for some reason, and the bracelets are in a nice neat stack and ready to put on, too. Our phone needs to be checked to make sure there are no messages.

We are usually just getting finished setting up when kids start arriving. We don't have time to goof around during set up. Barely have time to make sure we use the restroom and wash up.

It's a lot of stuff. I'm not as physically capable as I once was, and although I can do the job, I can't do it within my 'oh by the way we cut your afternoon hours' schedule that was sent to me Friday afternoon.

The new schedule says I can't start work until 1:45. 
And that whoever's helping me can't start until 2 although it's a "possibility" that my 2nd can start at 1:45 if we get permission.
I already know it's going to be too much for me physically. 

Seriously. Look at what needs to be done and be honest... could YOU do all that in 25 minutes?

I know this because last school year, I had that madly spinning revolving door at *my* school and often had no one to help me set up. On the days when they had to send someone from the office/management to help me, they never showed up until like five minutes before kids arrived. 

That's fine, it's my program, my problem. 

But I already know how long it takes me to set up alone, I did it quite often last year. 

I also know that by the end of the day I'm in a not-small amount of physical pain. 
It's usually difficult for me to walk to my car. 

And seriously. 
What was the point of a raise if my hours have been cut, let me do the math here... 
4 hours per week or approximately 16 hours a month? I already work off the clock at least that many hours, to be honest. 

That's not a small chunk of change.

I'm not angry about it, I understand that they didn't just give me a raise. Since Lyssa works there, I know she received one as well. I'm assuming, based on nothing concrete, that other people received raises.

I know they bought a bunch of new stuff for our programs. I know they're giving us more money monthly to stock our supplies and to add some good things to the program. I'm pleased about that, as I'm one of the people who has pointed out why it's a good idea to have some program standards and to add things for kids to do.

Beating the same drum... give them choices, lots of choices and GET OUT OF THEIR WAY and let them figure it out!

So all of those recent changes are good and very much appreciated.

I know there's only so much money to go around.

So what should I do?
Have them transfer some of my planning hours to program set up time so I'm not having so much physical difficulty every afternoon by trying to set up everything in too short a time?

Come in at 1:20 or so and work off the clock until 1:45 when I'm allowed to clock in? 
(Yes, I know that's not a good idea. Liability and work comp stuff come to mind.)

I don't want to pitch a fit. 
I really am not angry. I can't even say I have hurt feelings. I know they're working to take care of their staff financially, run decent programs and streamline operations. All of those are good business decisions.

But I also know I can't manage to do what's being asked of me in the amount of time allotted. 

I could also send this post to the company president or VP.
That would not be my first choice.

But I have to speak up, this is not sustainable for me.


So. What do you think?