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Be very careful of saying the reason kids nap two hours is so you can have a two hour break. No one gets two hours off at work either really.
Kids NEED two hours and especially those in daycare who are not getting enough at night by the time parents get them into bed and up in the morning to come to care. When a parent tells me the child is fine on the weekend with no nap I remind them that our pace is a lot faster, nosier and busier than at home by themselves and that I am not able to comfort them one on one to help them cope so they need to be able to do it themselves. With one child yes I can keep them up all day if I keep interacting with them but that is not realistic in group care.
Two issues with the 13 month old - child needs to come earlier in the day so she has playtime instead of arriving at naptime. It would also make sure she isn't being allowed to sleep in till she wants to meaning she is getting her nap just doing it tacked onto the nighttime sleep instead of saving it for afternoon - she may very well not be tired at naptime.
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I don't watch the clock, if they awaken after an hour and a half or three hours I let them sleep. It seems to depend on the day of the week how tired they are or how much activity we've had all morning.
However, the first one awake has to stay quiet and in their bed until all of the children are awake. If it's taking a really long time for the last one to wake up I'll start changing diapers or taking the others to the potty and getting snacktime ready. The child who sleeps the longest at my daycare right now is the 3 year old, he's the oldest and there have been times that all the others are finished snack and back in the toyroom/sleeproom to wake him.
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I agree about needing naps, but also about needing to be carful about wording to parents. My other quick question is about the ages of your dck? I was under the impression rules state, one under one, two under two, etc. You mentioned you have up to 5 under 18 mths/2 yrs? Can someone clarify the official law in Ontario about this? Thanks
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if you're not working with a licensed agency, you can have 5 children that are not your own at one time, and there are no age restrictions. The age ratios only come into effect through agencies such as wee watch, etc. "Unlicensed" or "private" daycares, of which I am one, are perfectly legal as long as there are never more than 5 daycare children under care at any one time. A private daycare cannot be licensed, although that is the term a lot of them toss around, but they can be contracted by a licensed agency, who then restricts their ages.
