Treating and Mistreating

It's the usual story, and now the guy feels like a heel. The early childhood worker is the proverbial dog, and don't let anyone tell you differently.

Children of America CEO disputes Katrina refugee host's version of events
Date published: 9/6/2005

The single mother of four who's hosting 12 Hurricane Katrina refugees in her
Fredericksburg apartment wasn't fired from her job as a teacher at Children of
America, says Thad Pryor, chief executive officer of the Delray Beach, Fla.-based company.

"If she was fired, it would have had to go through Human Resources," Pryor said Sunday night. An article in Sunday's Free Lance-Star quoted Dawn Price as saying she was fired at the company's Salem Church day-care center when she asked her supervisor for Friday afternoon off to help her displaced relatives--on a day when the center had minimal staffing.

Yesterday, Price said COA district manager Kevin Sledziona, who had been
questioned by a Free Lance-Star reporter, called her Saturday offering time off
and help with her family, and asked her to contact her supervisor to talk about
returning to work.

But she said she believes the way she was treated by the supervisor was wrong. "I won't be going back to Children of America," Price said.

--Michael Zitz
Date published: 9/6/2005