I'm back and feeling a little frustrated.

[Momof4]

Hi, Grandma Here! Also, my living room is my toyroom/naproom. No, I don't have anything posted on the walls except for my lovely artwork and pictures of my own family in here. I have a huge cupboard full of toys with doors that close and a closet full of playpens and toys and drawers full of craft supplies in my dining room where the booster chairs are connected all week, but stored away on the weekend. Right now, there are no daycare items in my line of sight unless I look into the corner where I have the toddler bed stored with toys/blankets/etc. for the weekend. Since I share my home with the daycare I want my home back on weekends and in the evening as much as possible and I deserve that.

BUT! My front entrance hallway is where the parents drop off and pick up their children, so the part of my home that they see most often. It's my hall of fame and I point that out when anyone comes in for an interivew. I have a bulletin board with pictures and my newsletter posted all year round, the children's pegs for their outdoor supplies, and I've rigged up clotheslines with clothes pegs to post their artwork. The children's artwork is important to me, I display it to show them that I'm proud of them and they should be proud of themselves. I'm an awesome teacher inside and outside, that's important.

I advertise my daycare as partially organic because if we want a treat day, we're going to have a treat day! Otherwise, I serve home made, nutritious, organically grown food.

I want you to know you're not putting me down and I don't take what you said personally at all Brightsparks. Luv ya! But I have a friend who is always telling me to raise my rates and to be proud of my daycare, my abilities and to realize that I provide a lot more to my dckids than a lot of people who charge a whole lot more than I charge.

But I'm in an apartment, without a nice backyard, which is why travelling is an important part of my daycare. And I don't have a beautiful dedicated daycare room, so I make that clear in my preliminary emails when parents contact me from my website. I ask them to go back to look at the pictures on my website. I ask them to see that we have lots of room, lots of fun, crafting and meals are both done in the booster chairs at the dining room table.

Soooooo, I could go on and on because my daycare is a busy place and part of the morning outings include the exercise of walking or busing to our desitination and back home. A picnic lunch out works very well and coming home to potty/diaper changes and straight to bed for a nice longnaptime is wonderful. I'm really proud of my program, my teaching, our field trips to the library, variety of about 5 different parks, Childreach and a public school with a playgroup. Parents who choose me are impressed with the variety I provide to the children along with the fun and teaching as we travel.

Every daycare is different. Each set of parents has a different vision for their child. Advertise your strengths, that's what I do. Hope that helps.