Afternoon care

[Momof4]

I don't think I would accept anybody with those hours into my daycare now but I admit that I did when I was new. When you are starting out you have to get a good reputation behind you and you need to build your resume with families who will give you a good recommendation in the future. Sometimes that means you have to give the special treatments and unfortunately it isn't easy.

My naptime/quiet time is non-negotiable because I need some time to regroup in the afternoon before I work for the rest of my long, long day. No matter what age, the child must rest or sleep for 2 hours in the afternoon.

Before a family starts in my care I make sure they know our schedule and can have their child as close to it as possible before starting. I'm willing to nudge our times a bit and be flexible as I can but the other children are already established in our routines so I have my limits.

When you start adding new children to your daycare you will need to have established routines and I find that even the parents who tell me their child never naps on the weekend know my routine so well, busy morning, lunch, quiet time, every day, they get to know what is coming next and their bodies are ready for the afternoon rest.