Looking for mothers and fathers who are concerned about a home daycare provider....

[Inspired by Reggio]

First off, Tanya is not visiting this site again - that's for sure. Secondly, why didn't anyone report her post to have it removed? I just did - right up there with "best thing I ever did" category...

Why would we report her ~ she was not doing anything 'wrong' as this is a public forum her request was not spam or hate speech or any other 'category' for reporting?

BTW she has come back several times since posting her initial question to provide follow up as well as to discuss things with some members via email around the challenges of 'licensing / regulation' and what those 'against' regulation would want to see changed in order to be more inclined to BE regulated so that there are more options and choice for parents who need childcare?

Yes ~ the CBC desire to do a piece on Modernizing Childcare In Ontario and across Canada is politically driven for sure and there are definitely many different beliefs on what that should look like and what is BEST for children and families ... however if WE, either as society at large, as parents or as individual providers, do not stand up and voice our opinions about what WE think is best for childcare industry from the view of the front line than we are going to end up having to live with the decisions of big business and politicians who often have NO CLUE what it is like on the front line acting trying to 'follow' the regulations and how often the 'regulations' rather than encouraging quality childcare often impede them or contradict 'quality' and they will continue to make decisions based on 'economics' and 'getting re-elected' .... change is coming whether we like it or not and if we do not speak up and give feedback on how WE want that change to look when change arrives and it is not what we would have 'wanted' well we got no one to blame cause they cannot 'read your minds' so to speak

An example of when 'regulation' goes wrong ~ when I chose to do home childcare I started out with a licensed childcare agency not because I needed the support they offered but because I wanted to be able to offer clients who needed it the option of 'subsidy' even though it would mean a slight 'decrease' in pay for me to do so ~ an act of 'altruism' because I believe children deserve a high quality program regardless of their parents ability to pay full market fees for said program.

However after two years I ended up never having any clients referred through the agency because of the long waiting list of subsidy and my ability to find clients privately ~ but that entire time I was full with private clients I still followed all the rules and the agency still came out and 'inspected' me monthly and so forth in case a space opened and they had a referral for me. Than going into my 3rd year of business I had a child graduate into 'big school' and was looking to fill a space with a 'over 3' child because I was still at my max of 3 under 3 years of age ... I found a perfect match for hours of care, philosophy, little girl was a perfect addition to the program personality and learning style wise and it was a client who needed care to start ASAP because mom had gotten offered a job she could not turn down and mom wanted the little girl to have some time in a program to prepare for school the next year .... down fall being that the child did not turn three for another 21 days ~ a whopping 15 days of 'childcare attendance' where she would technically be 'under 3' and put me over my restriction of no more than 3 under 3 .... so I called the agency for advice and with the regulations rules I would have to either delay the start date of the client forcing the family to find 'back up care for 3 weeks and have the child go through TWO transitions while mom return to work OR I would have to pass up the client entirely if they could not do that in order to maintain my 'contract' with the agency OR I would have to give up my contract with them I I chose to go with enrolling her at the early start date cause it would be in contradiction of 'regulation' and they could not have a provider who is not in compliance .... seriously how much 'easier' is that child going to be able to care for in 15 days that the other children in my program were at 'risk' if I chose to take her on? But is is STUPID like this that impede providers desires to be 'regulated' and limit the availability of subsidized spots for parents who need access to it ~ cause for the sake of 15 days they lost an amazing and talented provider because for ME turning away a perfectly awesome client over 15 days was just well stupid specially since being 'regulated' did nothing to benefit ME as a business owner and was something I did purely to help CLIENTS and in this case it was not helping them but rather impeding their ability to procure a quality childcare choice for their child

[saqi]

Hi Tanya,
Can I please get your email address

[saqi]

Hi tayna,
I have something to tell you, I had a terrible experience with home base daycare. Can you please provide me your email address so that I can send you my story.

[country girl]

Hi tayna,
I have something to tell you, I had a terrible experience with home base daycare. Can you please provide me your email address so that I can send you my story.

Saqi - perhaps if you had an issue with a home based daycare, the best course of action would be to report it to the proper authorities or to the appropriate provincial government depending on where you are located. I have issues with parents running to the media with their "stories" and possible putting everyone in a certain profession in a bad light.
There was a recent story in my area this past week where a parent reported a problem she had with a school bus driver to the media instead of the bus company or the school???? And now 2 days later they have found her story had no merit??? It irks me that people use the media as their first first point of contact when they have an issue with a profession or person.

[angelina]

i guess the question was asked in the wrong place? we are definitely a different kind of breed.

if anyone tells me home daycare is an easy job, they have no idea why running shoes and track pants is mandatory.

[dodge__driver11]

Dear OP, I'd be concerned with many of the "daycare providers" that post here. Most seem in it for the money...not many appear to actually care about quality child care or families....they just want to get paid to sit at home. I'm also concerned for the gang of babysitters that hang out at my local park and gab and don;t watch the children they get paid to care for....their dc kids ask ME to push them on swings because they cant get off their lazy butts to play with the kids that, again, they get paid to take care of!! I cannot believe the things I read here. Unbelievable, and glad these women do NOT "watch" my baby!

First of all I can assure you that all the women I have interacted with are VERY caring and professional people, who care for these children with all the resources they have. They all including me take thier child care businesses VERY SERIOUSLY.

We all work very hard..and we come here to VENT. If we did not have the site I am sure some of us would be in a very bad place....We take our connections and friendships here seriously too, and I at least view every one of these women as a resource to go to, and above all my "friends in the biz" no one understands my woes like they do and can.

Lastly...Of course we are in it for the money--who isn't?? You get paid to do a job I am guessing?? (Or you did) Well so do we... and in the end as much as we care for these kids, and assisting them through the most pivital years of thier lives...We have families to support and look after, and we MUST DO what's best for our business.

Until parents and adults understand this WE AS CAREGIVERS WILL NEVER GET THE RESPECT WE DESERVE. and we will always be viewed as they babysitter.

PS: I am hoping I read this wrong and if I did, sorry for that, but it needed to be said.

[Crayola kiddies]

To darasmommy .... I'm glad I also do not care for your "baby" because you clearly do not value what I do. Because I am the person that provides a safe, caring, and loving place for my daycare children, while their parents are at work, I feed them nutritious home cooked meals, and change their dirty diapers, and kiss their boo boos, I engage them in educational and fun learning activities that I mask as "playing" And at the end if the day they all give me hugs and say see you tomorrow. And by the way .... Yes I am in it for the money because if i wasnt its called volunteering and volunteering doesnt pay the bills....... So thank you for not coming to my daycare and making me terminate you for disrespect ! y

Dear OP, I'd be concerned with many of the "daycare providers" that post here. Most seem in it for the money...not many appear to actually care about quality child care or families....they just want to get paid to sit at home. I'm also concerned for the gang of babysitters that hang out at my local park and gab and don;t watch the children they get paid to care for....their dc kids ask ME to push them on swings because they cant get off their lazy butts to play with the kids that, again, they get paid to take care of!! I cannot believe the things I read here. Unbelievable, and glad these women do NOT "watch" my baby!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Dear OP, I'd be concerned with many of the "daycare providers" that post here. Most seem in it for the money...not many appear to actually care about quality child care or families....they just want to get paid to sit at home. !!!

Wow ~ I am guessing that you do you OWN a business that needs to be viable in order to allow you to maintain doing it or run in the red cause if you did you would know that EVERY business has to keep an eye on the BOTTOM LINE and ensure that the choices they make in business are reflective of keeping that business viable and ensuring they are not working for FREE?

...I'm also concerned for the gang of babysitters that hang out at my local park and gab and don't watch the children they get paid to care for....their dc kids ask ME to push them on swings because they cant get off their lazy butts to play with the kids that, again, they get paid to take care of!

While I am sure that there are some providers out there who are not 'engaged' with their children and only you know what you are seeing day in and day out at your park ... but I will admit as a professional it frustrates me to see parents/grandparents come to a park and make judgements about what they are seeing when they do not know the provider, the children or their capabilities! So sometimes remember that just because a provider does not get up and put their kid on the swing when they are asking it is because they do not want to get off their 'lazy butt' but because they have a VALID REASON behind not doing it!

So for example my rule at the park is that if you cannot get onto a piece of equipment independently than you are not READY to be on that equipment in the first place and need to choose an alternate exploration and this definitely includes the 'swings' cause they are the most dangerous piece of equipment AT the park! I personally get peeved when some judgmental parent mistakes that safety for 'indifference/laziness' and proceeds to put my daycare kids in a position that they do not have the gross motor skills or cognitive mastery to HANDLE and therefore put them on equipment that could result in a brain injury I would be liable for cause the kid is prone to letting go of the handles and falling off cause they have not mastered the skills needed to grasp swing science. I also have children who are developmentally ready and able to get on the swing independently and PUMP the swing on their own but have been babied by other adults in their life so are stuck in a position of learned helplessness and laziness themselves of why pump if I can whine and someone will push me so I am engaging in tough love by refusing to assist them on or push them because I know they can DO IT if properly motivated and the self esteem and confidence they will achieve when they finally try and succeed is worth it to me to deny them that help momentarily. Lastly I have young children who've spent the entire trip over to the park 'contained' to the stroller or what not and when at the park my goal for them is to be climbing and moving their body on the other equipment and I do not want them sitting idle in a swing ... so if I am not putting them in the swing even though they are 'asking' it is because I have a different GOAL for them in the program!

So my advice to you is it is not your PLACE to be worrying about what other people are doing with their children at the park ... please do not pick them up and put them on the swing or push them as that JOB is the ADULT IN CHARGE OF THEM and if they are not doing it perhaps they have good REASON ... so perhaps next time you are at the park and someone is not placing a child on the swing or pushing them perhaps ASKING before you form a judgement so you can have the FACTS behind someones behavior or choice

...I cannot believe the things I read here...

I know eh? Reading some of the horrible way providers are treated by clients just makes me so sad for them and their need to come on here and vent and ask others for advice ... these are the people who are caring for your children and yet the lack of support and resources they are offered to do that are just abysmal and the fact that a football player gets paid millions to toss a ball around a field and no one blinks an eye and yet we are seen as bitches who are in it for the money for standing up and demanding we are paid fairly for the emotionally and physically demanding job is just disheartening!

[dodge__driver11]

Originally Posted by darasmommy
...I cannot believe the things I read here...

Reggio:


I know eh? Reading some of the horrible way providers are treated by clients just makes me so sad for them and their need to come on here and vent and ask others for advice ... these are the people who are caring for your children and yet the lack of support and resources they are offered to do that are just abysmal and the fact that a football player gets paid millions to toss a ball around a field and no one blinks an eye and yet we are seen as bitches who are in it for the money for standing up and demanding we are paid fairly for the emotionally and physically demanding job is just disheartening!

I love the spin --hopefully this is what she meant

[BrightEyes]

Dear OP, I'd be concerned with many of the "daycare providers" that post here. Most seem in it for the money...not many appear to actually care about quality child care or families....they just want to get paid to sit at home. I'm also concerned for the gang of babysitters that hang out at my local park and gab and don;t watch the children they get paid to care for....their dc kids ask ME to push them on swings because they cant get off their lazy butts to play with the kids that, again, they get paid to take care of!! I cannot believe the things I read here. Unbelievable, and glad these women do NOT "watch" my baby!

darasmommy, I would like you to know that I want the best safety, care, and early childhood education possible for my daughter so any child in my care gets the same GREAT quality of safety, care and education as my daughter does!!!! I have come to know many of these women on here through their posts and I know that they do this job for the children, NOT for the money. Seeing that you have a baby, you should know that home daycare providers are definitely NOT in it for the money! The LITTLE that we get paid is barely enough to cover food, art supplies, toys, equipment, insurance, first-aid kit, first-aid training, current up-to-date childcare courses, a roof over the children's heads, heat in the winter, cool air in the summer etc etc etc Part of our income has to be put away to pay taxes, times when we don't have enough children signed on and are in the negatives but yet we still put on a smiling face and make a fun, safe, loving, caring, educational environment for all of the children in our care!