Hello everyone!
I simply wanted to talk a bit about your current group of children.
How many children do you care for? How old are they?
Do you find it hard or easy to work with this group?
:)
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Hello everyone!
I simply wanted to talk a bit about your current group of children.
How many children do you care for? How old are they?
Do you find it hard or easy to work with this group?
:)
I am in Ontario so I am allowed five children. I choose to work without an agency so that I can control the make up of my group. I care only for children not in school so the infants do not have to be inconvenienced to meet school buses. Right now I have a group of 7 so my makeup of kids varies each day. For my main group (3-5 days a week) I have kids age 15m, 18m, 2x2y, 3y - two girls and 3 boys. Filling in the other days I have two boys 16m, 2y. The 3 year old will be leaving in September to start school and the baby sibling (girl) of one of the others in care will join us. The 18m girl will start a maternity leave in July and I have started advertising to fill that space.
I love having my group all around the same age as it makes it easier to find and adapt activities for the others. It also means I do not have to worry about safety issues such as an older child that missed picking up a piece of tiny lego, or left the scissors too close to the edge of the table or left the bathroom door open by mistake.
What I like is that they can learn from each other - pushed when necessary to try new things and also for older children to backtrack some days to a more comforting play level without it seeming out of the ordinary. It is great for learning acceptance and patience which will be great for them in school when they have a mixture of abilities in the room and need to be able to include everyone in their play.
Not saying this age group is not without it's challenges and somedays certain toys become "mine" and have to go away for awhile but I have enough space and variety that I don't find there is the degree of behaviour issues one might expect with so many in this stage of development. I love it.
I also have an older special needs child of my own that is here with us all day and developmentally she fits in well with the group and they accept her without issue which is not something you can count on with an older group.
Playfelt, you certainly have your hands full! Sounds like a lovely group, though.
I am in the Lower Mainland of BC and I am licensed to have eight children. The most I've had at one time so far is seven. The youngest is 30 months old, and the oldest turns 5 this week.
They are a wonderful group of children! I tell them daily that "I am the luckiest teacher in the whole wide world because they are the best class ever!"
When they're having a troubled day, I tell them that "I have troubled days too, but I'm sure glad we get to share them together because you're all the best!"
I've been saying this for years! After all, they are our future leaders, and they may be caring for me on the other end!!! Old Age:woot:
I have a group of 6. My own two boys are 3 and 5. I have another 3 yr old boy who my youngest son constantly argues with lol . Then I have a 2.5 yr old girl and two 2 year old girls. I have to say that I find this group very easy to work with. The only one that is having a harder time is my 5 year old son, But he starts pre-k in a week so he is excited about that.
I feel like I couldnt have asked for a better group, having said that... it took me a while to get to it, but I think I may finally have the right mix of kids.... I have 2 of my own kids, my daugther 4 in JK, and my son almost 6 in SK. I have 1 other JK girl ( a playmate for my daughter), and 1 other SK boy (a friend for my son). I have 1 grade 1 boy, an 11 month old girl and our newest addition a 3 year old girl. So its great, the way JK and SK work at our school is JK and SKs go on alternating days so at the most I have 4 kids (1 being my own) during the day and then 7 (2 of my own) for a couple hours after school! They all get along pretty well, so well that a lot of the time I feel like I"m bugging them when I have activities or crafts or outtings for them! Its great b/c when Im busy with the baby, the older ones are occupied. My only concern is the 3 year old girl, who is right smack dab in the middle, too young old to play with the baby (basically she feels the baby is trying to take everything from her) and kinda young to play with the older kids how the older kids play together... but its only our second week, we are all adjusting, but I think/hope it will work out with her.
I too am in Ontario. Max of 5 children like playfelt stated.
Children:
F/T child - age 23 months
P/T child - age 15 months
Before and After School - 2 children, ages 5 & 7 (bus comes at 8:25 and 4:10) so it doesn't interfer with nap times. I have these children 3 days a week, every second week until the end of June.
Will have a F/T child starting Sept/Oct, will be age 1 yr!
I will never have 5 children in my care to be full. Luckily, we don't need the extra income. They are a good group of kids. I've had the 23 month old for almost a year - she's like a niece to me.
Do you have to bundle the daycare up to go meet the school bus? That was my issue till I stopped doing school age. Kids up to and including grade 1 have to be met directly at the bus stop which can be up to 1/2 kilometer from home although it is usually no more than a block or so. Still that is a long time to stand on the side of the road with infants and toddlers when it is raining or -35 and snowing. Couple that with the fact parents were putting up a fuss about having to pay a full day rate since their child was in school "half days" and said enough and retreated to age 3 and under. By the time we got home from dropping the child off for school and then left home to get them again from school I barely had an hour to an hour and a half to nap the rest of the kids so my entire day was taken up with the needs of the school age child and I expected to be paid for my efforts. Do not miss the older kids any more either. At first I did but once I revamped my lessons to recognize that learning red from blue or counting to 3 instead of 20 was the goal it all settled in nicely.
I have five kids. Youngest is 18 mths and oldest is nearly 4. My group of kids is sweet and well-behaved and a pleasure to spend my day with. But, then again, nearly every group (a few exceptions) has been this way. And that doesn't happen by accident.;)
Yes, I have to bundle the kids up, but in the morning on Thursdays I only have one extra, and for the afternoons I may have both younger, or just the one. I don't find it a hassle at all. Although, I didn't have to do it during the winter months. My school-agers just began this week, and they're until the end of June. It will never really bother the routine of naps. The kids are up by 4 p.m., so I just bundle them up, put them in the stroller and go! My mom and I will be making a rain cover (eventually) for my jogger stroller.Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
We live in the country, so my parents are used to having their kids out in the cold to play. They think I'm the wimp!!!!
I also used to work in a daycare center, trying to get toddlers ready for outside!!! Just used to it now I suppose. In the winter months, when I would take my little ones outside, we (2 kids and myself) were ready within 7 min!!!! The kids get to know the routine, and expect to know where to go, and what to do!
I just hated the amount of time spent on just the one child at the expense of the others. When you figured the time from diaper change to dressing to bus stop and back twice a day it was over an hour of wasted time in the sense that stuffed into a wagon in the rain or not moving around in -35 weather is not good. Also doing it for 5 plus is different than just a couple too based on length of time. When we go outside I want the kids to be able to actually play. Also city buses come earlier so we would need to be at the bus stop for 3:15 and mine nap till then. When my own kids were little I did it cause I had to now I leave it up to other parents with school age kids and I focus on the needs of toddlers. Many of the kids I have gotten into care have come because I don't have to do school runs. I just do not feel safe on the side of a barely or not even plowed road with a wagon of toddlers. Too much responsibility. No room to get the kids off the road either as neighbours don't like their yards becoming playgrounds and who can blame them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
I agree. I have done it and will never again.
I have a mixed group. My group will change in the summer and then again in September. Right now I have :
FT: 3 year old, 16 month old.
PT: 4 & 5 year old (every other day), a 14 month old (she cries a lot) she is here 2 days a week, and another one who is 16 months and is here 1 day.
I also have one boy for afterschool who is 10 and is here maybe 10-12 afterschool shifts a month.
I don't have to go to a bus stop or anything for anyone.
Seems as though I have one of the smaller groups. My own two monkeys, a daughter 3.5 years old and my son who turned 2 at the end of December. I also have another 3.5 year old little girl (who is leaving the end of June - she'll be starting an all day kindergarten program and I will be looking to fill her spot) and a little guy who just turned 2 at the end of March. They both come full time from about 8am until 4:40pm Monday to Friday. All in all a pretty good group on most days :) I have said from the beginning that I will never have more than 4 kids in my care at one time. 4 just seems to be my comfort level for now.
I have 5 children in care right now. The ages range from 14 months - 4 years. I love my group of kids, they are very well behaved and any age under 5 is fun I think. My kids all play together to learn tolerance of each other and different aged children. I don't keep anyone seperated.
Yep, I bundle everyone up and go up to the school every day, but I'd have to no matter what as both my own kids are in JK and SK. I do hate it though, the winter runs, especially since our school starts so early (7:55am). If its gonna be a cold day, its even colder walking at 7:30am!! Also, b/c school is so early, it ends early 2:30 so I have to have early everything in order to get naps started by 12 noon and kids up by just before 2 when we have to leave to walk up to the school. Anyhow, it will get easier as the kids get older right? LOL! I still have an awsome group!:)
YHou are where I was when my kids were little. When your own kids are in school and able to go on their own will you still be willing to take into care a child needing you to do the school runs or will you be saying sorry I did my time when my own kids were little and now that they go on their own I want to get back to my own routine. It doesn't really get much easier because there is such a turnover in daycare that you will always have pretty much the same age mix of kids just different ones needing school.
I have 5 little people a little guy just turning 3 next week, the next is my only full time girl she will be 2 in July then i have 3 1 year old boys all withing a month or 2 of each other. I have a 1 year old girl that comes Fridays only and one of my 1 year old boys only comes Mon-Thurs so it works.In this group there is also 2 school aged sibblings generally 1 before school and 1 after.I hired my friend a stay at home mom that lives close to me as a school walker as going to school is hard as all the babies arrive between 650am-9am .My neighbor sometimes picks up after school if my babies are still asleep and in return her daughter comes to play with us.BUT I just bought my 6 seat runabout stroller and it arrived today so i can't wait to get out and do my own school pu most of the time the kids are up by then and some fresh air will do us all good after a nice nap :)
Hmm I can't count lol with my Friday girl it is 6 little people and 2 school age for a total of 8 but not al are here on the same dayQuote:
Originally Posted by busybee