Play dates between home daycare providers

[Emilys4Guppies]

Definitely best practice to be cautious until they make clearer guidelines available to us. I don't want to do anything to risk my reputation or business.

[dragonlady3]

We are like the moms of the 1950s..and 60s. We stay home with the children of today. Remember how moms used to bring their children to each others houses for coffee and snacks? I can remember my mother really looking forward to the relief from being home alone with us. This ban on play dates is like telling those 'stay at home' mothers that they could not visit each other!!! Why don't we have the same rights? And there is a common law statute that should protect us. We are being paid to act like parents while we care for children but we obviously do not have the same rights in the eyes of the Prov. BUT the 'in loco parentis' statute would seem to define us as being 'like' parents with all the same restrictions, and supposed benefits. AND what about the second section of the Canadian Charter of Rights....re: Freedom of Association. All citizens are supposed to have to right to gather for all manner of reasons...short of treason!!! Play dates definately do not qualify as treason!! I really think the Prov. is going waaay to far!

[banana]

I guess the Prov. hasn't thought about how difficult it is for caregivers to keep track of their own charges while in public venues with other mothers and caregivers. I am constantly on pins and needles counting my charges and making sure they are within my line of sight at the park or library etc. It seems safer to have a smaller gathering of local mothers in house or in an ENCLOSED yard. I think the Prov. should be more specific and say that caregivers are not permitted to allow daycare children in pools as that seems to be what spurred this problem.

[dragonlady3]

I agree. Years ago I had the children in a local park and a dog bit one of them. It wasn't serious but it scared the bejeesus out of the child and me. Another time we found broken beer bottles in the sandy area and the sprinkler. Oh. and there was the time a group of homeless people who had slept in the park had mixed with the children. These things never happen in my own home or yard. AND this is a very nice neighborhood...you just can't control public property!

[dragonlady3]

Hi....I have had an inquiry about play dates and wondered if any of you had this experience or know someone who did. The question was related to the fact that I wrote (see above) that I used to have play dates and was inspected, and the Prov. allowed them...as long as they weren't too frequent. The same thing happened last year and I was told that they were forbidden (with the usual caveats re: numbers of children and adults we all discussed above). Am I the only one this happened to??? Has anyone else had this experience?