Petty complaints...

After going through many of these threads I am really shocked about some of the petty complaints that many providers are making about their families. I am Program Director at a large daycare in downtown YYC which has a lengthy waitlist, well compensated staff with a high quality of care. We make many accommodations for our children and families that is not always convenient, but we do it for children because that's what we are being paid for and it is our passion. Providers need to remember that you are being paid to provide a service, not doing them a personal favor.

May I ask what sort of accommodations you provide for your parents and children at your centre daycare? I am genuinely curious.

I have worked in centres and now have my hdc. I can easily and honestly say that accommodating multiple families in a centre where there are plenty of staff is much EASIER than doing the same in a home daycare where there is often only one adult present. For sure there are things that we can be accommodating with in hdc's but that is up to each individual provider to decide. Only they know what their personal limits are and what is best for their group at the time.

For example, we had parents pick up late in centres often. It wasn't a big deal because we had staff scheduled 15 mins past closing time to deal with this. That's not an option in hdc...we are here open to close, for some that is 10-12 hours. We all have the right to having a life outside of work.

It is easier to accommodate a child that doesn't nap in a centre because there are multiple staff to entertain and supervise the children. In hdc, we don't get coffee breaks and lunch breaks without children unless they are all napping at the same time.

It is easier to accommodate children with behavioural issues in a centre because again, more staff. In some cases, children are paired with a staff and that staff member is responsible for only that child. In hdc's we are supervising 4-8+ in some cases and it's not as easy to care for a child that needs constant, individual attention while still giving quality care to the others.

In centres, staff have coworkers for moral support and to vent too. Hdcprovider's don't have this so daycarebear is like a group of coworkers to some of us. It allows us an outlet to vent, ask for help, tips and suggestions to better ourselves and our businesses. I don't think there is anything wrong with this as long as confidentiality is kept.

Yes, I am being paid for a service that I chose to offer.....but this is a service that I provide out of my home and that means that it's my rules. If a parent asks me to do something differently, it is up to me to decide if I want to accommodate that request or not. If a parent has a request that is unsafe or unrealistic for me to accommodate than I am not the right dc for that family and perhaps the family needs to consider centre daycare where accommodations are more easily adaptable. There were times that parents asked for things in centres as well and we would have to say no to them too. There are rules and policies in place for a reason. I would be leery of a place that accommodated to every request and I would likely not enjoy working there because just like children, I like consistency.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply 5 Monkeys...let me try to address each of your points one by one...

I understand that being alone in childcare has many challenges and I applaud you in that. It is not an easy job. I can tell you that, most daycares are enrolled a maximum capacity and ratio at all times. For example, an Nursery will have 12 children that are aprx. 18 months old with three staff, as I'm sure you have experienced the noise, workload and stress can be almost unbearable at these ratio's and it would not matter if there were 3, 4 or 5 teachers in the room...the atmosphere can be downright overwhelming for even the seasoned DCP. Larger class sizes are undeniably more complicated and difficult. I can assure you that one of my staff would find a home environment with 4 toddlers positively peaceful compared to what they have to deal with each day.

I understand a late pick up is a late pick up. I'm not looking a DCP that are unhappy about a child being picked up outside of operation hours, because we have the same policies. On the other hand, being upset that the child is there outside what you usually expect, but within operating hours is .... petty.

I have to disagree that dealing with behavior issues in a larger class size is easier, IMO it is harder! You have a problem child with double the children they interact with, and double the children in your care. These are not separate classrooms with 6 toddlers in each room. You have 12 toddlers in one space, with two adults.

I also think the dynamic of working with SO many other women, aligning values and designated roles adds a whole other dynamic to the environment and be just as stressful as as the classroom issues. In your own dayhome environment you have complete control, do not have consult and communicate with your partner and management and only have to answer to parents. DCP have all three groups to interact with, plus the children! Phew...I'm getting stressed just thinking about it.

I appreciate and respect your view, and honestly do not want to portray that any other persons job is harder than the other because each family and situation presents their own circumstances.

And let me clarify, I truly did not mean to make this out to be a daycare VS day home competition, obviously there can be no comparison and I did not outline my post out in that way whatsoever. I understand that people need a chance to vent with other DCP and everyone should take the chance to do that, but perhaps a public forum is not the best place to do that. The best situations for children always come out a cohesive environment between DCP and families who are cooperating and communicating in a healthy and supportive way. When parents come to the forum it cultivates an "US VS THEM" mentality, and all of us DCP know that many parents can be defensive when they are being told things they do not believe to be true about their child, or that they are not caring for them in the best possible way. If you are a parent, you can relate to this on both sides. I just would like to see more positivity and solution based discussions in these forms.

I agree, one person's job is not harder than another, just different circumstances and requirements. Have you had a hdc to compare the two though? Not saying it is absolutely necessary but it would shed some light on both options of this career and give a better view of the two for one to compare. It is hard to compare one to the other if you haven't experienced both to some degree.

Hands down, I would pick my hdc over working in a centre any day! I loved my time in centres but I am MUCH MUCH happier now :) I love that I get to be boss, have final say on the rules and policies and which children I enroll. I love the smaller, intimate group and relationships. I love being able to show the children affection with hugs and kisses. I love that I get to work from home and see my fiance during the day because he works evenings. I love the freedom I have with choosing my holidays. I love that I don't have incompetent coworkers anymore :P haha

There is so much to love about my job but just like any other job, there are disadvantages too. I don't get a set break, I don't get a time away from a screaming child, I don't get to avoid a difficult parent by sending them to the director, I don't get to avoid the late payments or skipping out on payments (thankfully I haven't had this yet but I'm sure my time will come!), I don't get to take a day off or leave work early without inconveniencing a handful of families, I don't get a change of scenery and get to work with different kids from time to time, I don't get to have a coworker that knows a particular child in great detail and knows what I'm complaining about etc.

Just like not every dc centre is the same, not every hdc is the same and painting us all with the same brush isn't fair.

I agree with you about the issue of children being there in operating hours but out of their regular hours but that doesn't mean that I don't think other dcp's don't have the right to be annoyed with that. They just run their business differently. As far as the behaviour issues go, again it will depend on your centre but the 1st one I worked in had a director that would step in and take the difficult child out of the situation and away from the audience until they were calm enough to rejoin the group. This was fantastic!! But not something I can do here in my hdc and not something that another director in another centre I worked in did. We also took turns being in this one room with a child who cried ALL DAY for months!! No doing that in hdc....we get to listen to it all day with no break and no one to tag team us out!

Centres and hdc's are similar in the service we provide but so entirely different in how we provide the service that it is almost unfair to compare the two IMO.

I agree with you. I would love to see more positivity too! However, from what I have seen and read, there are very little dcparents on the forums.

I actually think it would be good for parents to read some of these threads though. It is sometimes things that dcp's want to tell parents but can't or won't for various reasons. Sometimes parents don't see things from a provider's POV just as providers don't always see things from parents POV.

I would still like to know some of the accommodations you provide if you don't mind me asking? I think I am fairly accommodating to my dcparents so I am just curious if we have similar ones....also would like to know if there are any that I haven't had asked yet but may come up in the future!! I like to be prepared lol

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Originally Posted by yyc.director

After going through many of these threads I am really shocked about some of the petty complaints that many providers are making about their families. I am Program Director at a large daycare in downtown YYC which has a lengthy waitlist, well compensated staff with a high quality of care. We make many accommodations for our children and families that is not always convenient, but we do it for children because that's what we are being paid for and it is our passion. Providers need to remember that you are being paid to provide a service, not doing them a personal favor.

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Actually, I being paid to provide a specific service, that may or may not be what a family needs. I extensively go over these during the interview process and then a parent is free to decide whether or not the services that I provide meet their needs.

I am one person, working by myself, with a small group of children. I can't (and won't) be everything to everyone and I am okay with that, as are the parents that choose me.

I would think it is much easier to be accomodating in a centre where you have multiple workers. I often refer parents who want different 'services' to centres.

I'm sure you would be shocked as well to hear some of the conversations between staff at a daycare center, or how often they will take a bathroom break to re-group and have a moment. This is our opportunity as home providers to have a sounding board and support system that we don't get because we are at home alone. I love that I can vent and sometimes get great advice to get through the moment. Let's be honest most of the time it is just a moment. Sometimes people just need to vent and get it off their chest so it doesn't sit and fester. It doesn't make anyone petty it makes them human. Unless you have walked a mile in my shoes no one has a right to judge me or any of my colleagues.

I would like to know if the OP has every worked alone running a Home Daycare? Easy to judge when one knows not of what they speak:)

I used to work in a few daycare centres. I can assure you that in each of the high quality, well sought out daycares I worked at the staff complained about much the same issues. As the director you are protected from the grumblings...you're the boss. Staff don't grumble to the boss and expect to keep their job.

The benefit of a daycare centre is having coworkers to help deal with the annoyances and "petty complaints". The director deals with the finances, the chef deals with the food the staff deal with the other issues. Your staff don't have to track down and beg for their pay when a family decides to pay late. As home daycare providers we work alone...sure we complain to our spouses but they don't fully understand. We come here because we are understood.

Sure we grumble...but we do love our jobs.