What do you like most about your job as a day home provider? What is your least favorite part about it?
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What do you like most about your job as a day home provider? What is your least favorite part about it?
I agree! The best part of my job is watching the children grow, seeing their eyes light up as they accomplish new skills / taks.
The worst part, hand down is the parents! From them thinking I am 'just a caregiver' to their unrealistic expectations of child development or childcare.
I have to agree. There are wonderful parents out there, but it only takes one or two, who feel they are 'entitled' and pushy, to ruin the day. I never think of myself as 'just a caregiver' and get very disturbed when a parent does! If we are taking care of children that they love, you would think they would appreciate the skill, patience and love that that job entails...especially since some of them are unwilling or unable to do it themselves...nor would they tolerate being treated badly by their own superiors! Thank goodness for the good ones!!!
The best part of this job is that I don't have to go "out" to work and i get to be here for my own children. I love working with my group of kids and my parents are awesome! My least favrite part of this job is saying good bye to a child that is leaving my care, especially if they've been with me for awhile, and interviews. I hate doing interviews.
Best part is the kids for sure. Watching them grow and learn etc it wonderful.
For me the worst part is the cleaning/finding time to clean. I HATE housework and I find it even worse trying to keep my house up to par and having daycare kids here all day. I don't like spending my evenings cleaning and disinfecting.
Best part... being home for my own children.
Worst part... Missing out on volunteering in the class going on trips and playdates.
Best....commuting to my coffee pot.
Worst.....dealing with parents.
Yes there are definitely some great daycare families out there! They are the ones that keep me going some days.Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonlady3
Best part: 1) I get to take my kids to school /to the school bus in the morning and p.m. and still make money in between 2) When the daycare kids do funny stuff or laugh
Worst Part: 1) Advertising/interviews 2) The mess and seeing your house get torn apart/damaged or books or toys broken 3) working all day with the daycare and then at night still have to do housework and prep for the next day. It makes for very long and exhausting days
Hehehe... reading all your responses made it hard for me to try to choose my best/worst!
I would say the best (aside from the fact that I love little kids) is that I am my own boss. I suppose it could be argued that my clientele is my employer, but ultimately; I call the shots around here! Love that...
I do miss volunteering in my kids' classrooms, but I would say the worst part is definitely parents who don't take my role seriously. I spend more waking hours with their child than they do, Monday to Friday. C'mon, I know when something is "up" with your kid, or when there is a situation that needs to be resolved. I had a set of parents not tell me that their child was on medication for ADHD, because they didn't think "it had anything to do with me". CRAZY!!
Oh, and I don't like the extra cleaning, but I'm not gonna lie to you... I suck at it no matter how many people I am keeping up after! lol
best part is being at home...with my kids!
worst part...is more of a challenge for me. It's not being bitter about parents who leave their kids here longer than necessary....on a regular basis. Like picking them up 2 hours after they finish work...4/5 days. Or being on mat leave and sending the older child all day EVERY day. That's SO hard for me to accept. I know it's my job...no matter what the parents are doing with their time, but it's really hard for me to get over, since I'm welcoming all these other kids into my home just so I can afford to be home with mine. (or perhaps that's the wrong reason to be doing it)
I love being home with my kids. I don't love spending most of my day cleaning up after kids and also losing my freedom to go out as I please during the day.
GCJ -- I sometimes wonder some of the same stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by gcj
I had parents leave their child with me for the child's birthday when the parents both had the day off. Instead they wanted to clean their house for a party during weekend. They didn't even come pick the child up early in order to spend some of the child's actual birthday together. When I was working I took off for my children's bdays and stayed home with them and made a special day for them
Also...if the parent has the day off but sends their child the whole day as per usual.I can understand parents sometimes might need the day to take care of errands or things without their child but i can't imagine being off the whole day and not wanting to see my child even 1 hour sooner, a half day or anything. I sometimes joke to my hubby that parents really don't seem to want their children because they wait right until the 5:30 on the dot mark to come pick up even when they told me that morning they were off. When they are that exact to time it out to the last minute - then it is definitely deliberate.
I had days off when I worked outside the home where I would either keep the child home with me and spend some bonding time or send them and then come earlier. I would feel guilty for missing the whole day if I was off.
I had a couple come looking for daycare because mom was due to have a baby and didn't think she could stimulate her existing child at home and take care of the baby. For some reason...I think that the child would benefit way more from bonding with its mom and the new baby than learning ABCs and songs at daycare. I loved being off with BOTH my kids when I had 2. I felt so bad during the interview imagining that this poor 1st born must think that the new baby is pushing him out of his house and he is not allowed to be there while the new baby is.
But I guess we just have to go with it and no think of those things. At the end of the day - it is our business in a financial sense but none of our business what the parents decide to do or not do for their kids or with their kids :o
I live in Quebec where we have $7 daycare for anyone...there's not minimum salary...parents could be a lawyer and a Dr and still qualify for $7 daycare! Which unfortunately encourages parents to overuse daycare. I'd say about 95% of mom's home on mat leave send their 1st born to daycare full time. They justify because they don't want to lose their spot in daycare and "they want to give the baby the same one on one attention" that the 1st born had! PLEASE! :no: Oh well. Not the poor kids fault.
Wow ! $7 a day. So how does it work with the government then?Quote:
Originally Posted by gcj
Does every daycare have to be licensed and then the government subsidizes the difference in fees??
Yup, definitely a sore spot with me, too!! >:(
I just think that it's sad. I used to care for three kids, and their mom was a single mom with a full time job. I understood that she needed "her" time, but when she had a day off, they were still here for 9 and a half to ten hours in a day. Hey, no matter to me, since she had paid me for that day.... but what are your kids thinking?? Mom has the day off (and they were older, so they knew she wasn't working) but chooses not to spend even an extra hour with them. She totally timed it to pick them up at exactly 5:30 on the dot.
This is why we end up with kids just desperately seeking attention when they come to our home... because they sure aren't getting it at home. Sad.
Well, there are also private daycares, too, since the gov't can't subsidize all of them. But there are a lot of subsidized....I started out private, and was on a waiting list for about 2 years to be "accreditted" by the gov't. The only difference it really makes for me is less turn over. When you're private, parents are often just waiting for a $7 spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spixie33
Best: home with my adopted children, being home when they come home from school, the forever friends that my children have made in the daycare, and the smiles, hugs and laughes that the children I look after offer me.
Worst: some parents attitudes, not being able to attend school field trips and functions, some children's attitudes (taught to them by their parents).
It is a very emotional time when a child leaves because they are old enough to care for themselves. It is like having my own child move out.
Totally with Spixie on that oneQuote:
Originally Posted by Spixie33
Best part - being self employed means working with people you like and the horrible people can take a hike!
Worst part- new babies who are transitionng into my daycare not eating or sleeping for ? months!
I have to agree with the dealing with the parents is the worst part. Most of the parents are great but then you get that odd one that drives you mad.
Best-Being home with my own kids, being my own boss.. reading books, playing and doing crafts all day LOL
Worst- Providing daycare for some kids that has their Mom at home, not working!!
gcj- how much does the government pay you per day per child then? Does your income max out at $7/day per child? or do you get paid more from the government? I am so curious as to how that works!
Thank you for your information! :)
Best best best: the kids. I do it for the kids. they are funny, amazing, exciting. (being with the kids, everyday reminds me of the glory of God, theres no way to me , that there is NO God, when I look into the face of a child, they amaze me to my very core) How can there be such amazing creation in this world as a child with out some sort of "devine intervention". children are a gift!!!!
worst part: the worldly aspect of "life" why cant it all be perfect? all the time. Mostly the parents get in the way, hate to say, and the stresses of getting paid on time, charging late fees, not letting the parents "push you around" "take advantage". yuck, I just want birds and sunshine every day!!!!!!
ooooh, and worst part for me too: sickness!!!!! flu season! bad colds! etc.
ooooooooh! just realized one of the "BEST" parts of my job and this one is so true!!!!!! :) when I worked, ALOT of the people I worked with looked at me like I was CRAZY all day long because I love to act a little goofy and have fun. (I can be immature at times :p) well.......the kids LOVE it! that is one of the BEST parts about my job. The crazier I get the more they love me, was quite the oposite in the office I worked before. HA HA :) love this job!
Best: being my own boss - no commute Bestest: watching those moments when the kids are playing well and enjoying each other.
Worst: having parents pick kids up at closing and then wanting to chat about themselves for 15 min. Worstest: watching my sweeties break all the rules when their parents show up. (opening the door and running outside, flicking the doorstop, hitting the parent etc. and ignoring me when I try to correct behavior because parents won't.
That felt good- a little therapy there:laugh:
Best Part: Not having to work for someone else(though some might say you are technically working for the parents but I always see it as I do this for me and my family, its my personal business, the parents choose to be a part of it/ bring their child into it)
Worst Part: Reversing the teachings of bad learnt behaviors
Best: here with my DD each day
Worst: seperation anxiety babies and parents....most parents....like 95% of them :D
Spixie33: thats so sad about the child left on their birthday:( did you throw them one and send the cake home with the negligent parents????? I would ,just to prove a point.....and to show the kid how much they are cared for!!!!
Great question! Best: I wear what I want (ie. my yoga pants that have never seen a yoga class...haha) & get to plan the day how I want (often that finds me on the ground playing along).
Worst: Throwing food out...groceries are so darned expensive these days & when a little nose turns up on something I have worked hard to purchase, plan & prepare....arrrggggh hhh. I too miss the social aspect of my old job; but this site helps with that;)
Best parts
-being home with my own child
-being my own boss, setting my own hours/rates, making the rules and feeling more in control of my financial situation than when employed by someone else
Worst part
-meal time: spending time preparing food that isn't appreciated by the daycare kids, picky eaters that are catered to at home and fed junk by their parents and therefore won't eat anything remotely nutritious in my home, kids who dump/throw their food on the floor, kids who rub spaghetti sauce all over their face and in their hair and then scream when you have to clean it out, throwing out all the food that they won't eat because they don't want to try something new, cleaning up their mess three times a day, not being able to walk near the kitchen table without my feet sticking to something on the floor, washing all the dishes, having the picky kid come to me twenty minutes after he didn't eat his lunch to tell me he's hungry...