Market place program

[sunnydays]

Agreed mimi! Maybe if enough of us email them, they will see that is isn't a couple of ticked off daycare providers, but a greater mass of people who feel this issue is important and should not be misrepresented. I will email Marketplace and CBC...it can't hurt to try all avenues! It actually makes me question what else is being misrepresented in the Marketplace peices...

[cfred]

I said yesterday that I wasn't going to keep my panties in a twist over this, but this chick pissed me off....my response to her is below. I'm putting together an email for CBC directly as Mimi did, but I need to think on it some more. THEN my panties will be untwisted

Post from Dimple Verma:

Why are so many parents defending the day care that was investigated? CBC just opened everyone's eyes as to the problems of unlicensed places. They exposed dangerous problems, no baby seats, too many children, inadequate supervision, no fire escapes, dirty and dangerous sleeping and play areas. The list goes on. Do the parents who support these types of day cares want to see the next day care tragedy unfold? Marketplace did us all a favour and went undercover so we could see what is really going on. We should thank them. Thank you MARKETPLACE!


Let me explain this:

First, NO ONE is defending the daycares that were investigated. What we are defending, however, are the 1000s of wonderful, hardworking and capable providers who have now been painted with the same brush as a couple bad apples. I for one applaud Marketplace for exposing terribly dangerous settings. HOWEVER, they certainly did nothing to counter those images by profiling the other side of things - the exceptional unlicensed daycares. In addition, they actually made it appear that licensed daycare facilities are the only places in which a child can be cared for properly. I've worked in daycare centres and in my own, unlicensed home daycare. If you really believe that a license is a cure all, then I'm sorry, but you, and others like you, are grossly misinformed. I have seen things that would curl your hair.

I am an ECE graduate with my first aid/cpr, 18 years of experience as a resource teacher, EA, Head Teacher for Junior, Senior Preschool and Infant classes, private nanny for two families and 12 years running my own home daycare. I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars developing my business. I am fully insured, provide a stimulating curriculum, cater to specialized diets including food sensitivities, vegan and vegetarian lifestyles (the children will NEVER see a bowl of Kraft Dinner), work within the legal ratio, have superior standards of care and am very good at what I do. I am not alone. There are many of us. I have never, ever seen a licensed centre or licensed home daycare facility offer what I do. In fact, I've had several clients pick me because they found most of the licensed facilities to be dirty, uncaring and, frankly, dismal.

While I would like to be licensed, it is not a possibility at this time. The age restrictions are unrealistic and very restrictive for home care. From what I've heard from various people is that the supervision offered by the large agencies is minimal, at best. They will offer to share their toys with me and provide support, training and insurance. These are all things I can, and do myself without having to hand out up to 35% of MY hard earned income. To me, agencies are not doing much more than extorting money from hard working providers with little payoff. No thank you. What I would welcome however, is individual licensing that is reasonable and realistic within the home daycare community.

And really, shouldn't parents be accountable for some of their choices as well? I wouldn't leave my dog at those daycares, let alone my children. There are procedures involved in parents selecting a daycare as well as Providers selecting families. What the hell were those parents thinking? I hold THEM accountable also, for making a very poor and irresponsible judgment call.

So, Dimple Verma, when a program airs a segment which clearly slanders an entire group of hard working, amazing people and puts their already disrespected industry at risk, it ruffles more than a few feathers. We're bound to get a little defensive when our hard work is made to look like garbage. I am a caring, nurturing and dynamic provider. I am educated. I am very good at my job. I have worked for nearly 2 decades developing a business that I'm willing to guard and defend with fierce pride. Marketplace has done nothing more than expose a couple bad apples and taken the rest down with them. It sure makes my years of hard work feel worth it. Thank you Marketplace for your lazy and skewed journalism. You have lost a viewer.