Communication journals

[playfelt]

I found the daily sheets to be more a waste of paper and my time than useful. For the most part our days are the same with a variation in nap of no more than 15 minutes. Child usually poops once a day, etc. I communicate at the door at pick up and expect parents to communicate the child's night before/morning at drop off.

I also found that if I did have a disagreement with a parent it was 98% of the time over something written in the book. Things like arguing that they said naptime was 9:00 and I had written 8:45 or 9:15 cause well we all know that some days are just like that. So I got where no matter what I did I was writing 9:00 in the book just so as not to get myself in trouble. In other words what was the point of the journal. I wasn't going to write major milestones in there anyways since that is up to the parents to see first. And since the attention span of an infant/toddler is minutes at best to list the play of the day was about thinking ok what toy did child actually touch more than 3 times today. The reality is who cares. And when it comes right down to it if a parent cares that much if the child played ball today or stacked rings today the most they can stay home and see for themselves.

I have heard of two options for parents that really insist but it comes at a $5 a day premium. Either a note at naptime is written so they are paying me not to have my lunch hour or they get an email in the evening detailing the day in which case they are paying me for loss of family time.

I think it is sufficient to just tell parents at the door anything out of the ordinary or anything they need to know that effects the day such as long or short naps, poor appetite.