Errands

[playfelt]

I had a single parent situation years ago when I was first starting daycare and often she would complain to me about how she had to do housework and errands on evenings and weekends and about how much her son wanted her to just play with him. He would even say but Sharon plays with me all the time why can't you. It made me realize that I was giving the children a false impression of what "home" care was all about. With that in mind I would have them dust the playroom with a rag on Wednesdays ( I did it properly on the weekend) and on Friday we sorted bins and put things back where they belonged and straightened up the playroom. I started doing a half hour freeplay system where I was "free" to do my own thing too. That meant for that half hour they had to play with only what as already available, not asking for something off the shelf, etc. and there were bonus points for getting along, sharing, etc. I was free to put in a tub of laundry or change a bulletin board display or sort and straighten up something. They learned that there was more to making a group function than just playing with me.

I do have concerns about the providers that do outings with a mixed age group where the youngest spend the whole time in the stroller or wagon. I get that yes they are seeing neat things as you wander around the museum but they are not really learning at their level of comprehension. They should be at home playing. Very young children need a one on one adult to lift them up , comment on what they find interesting not just what the group is looking at etc to get the best benefit from the outing - ie with the parent on the weekend not me during the week but that is just my feeling. I took my own kids on outings not the whole group.

Have we ever walked up to the corner store to get a jug of milk because we were running low and hubby was out of town and had the vehicle and I didn't want to go at night yes but it was because of them that the outing was necessary - ie not them tagging along with something I wanted to do.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I think a lot of this comes from each view about what home day care is.

Many see home day care with the emphasis on home and creating environment that is like second home on all levels.

Others (like me) have different view. I see daycare whether based in centre or home, as being about daycare - focus on the children, a full work day, educational, outside time, but in smaller close knit environment where close relationship between carer and core group.

I don't offer a day home - a home away from home for child to be when parent at work. I offer a day care facility which happens to be situated in the building I live in and the only connection to home, is that this is my home address.

I don't do errands when children in house.
I don't have TV on.
I don't leave children unsupervised even for 30 seconds unless asleep. (no to even to pee)
I don't expect child who awake to remain in crib/on their mat quietly until set time.
I never leave my day care children in care of someone else.
I feel I am the person vetted and so it my responsibility to be here when children present.
My husband not mix with day care children, ever. Most they might glimpse him walking out kitchen door to his workshop (semi-retired). He say hello kiddies, and they call hello back. That it. They might see him cutting grass outside window or plowing snow.

We have large garden fortunately and lot play equipment suitable for ages I take. Walking trails too.

[Crayola kiddies]

You never leave the house with your daycare kids? Really?

I live in a rural area .... In order to take the children off the property I would have to drive them so the answer is no I never take the children off my property ....
I gave to agree with Suzie on most of her points ....you wouldn't see an office worker running personal errands during working hours that's what their lunch break is for .... I do however use nap time to prep my dinner or fold some laundry .... But I do all my banking on line and truely have not set foot in a bank in about 4 years ... And now I do online grocery shopping so all I gave to do is pick it up .... If I have a drs appt that I can't schedule during the evening or weekend then I have my mil come and look after the daycare while I am out...... Oh and I also am tv free... I market myself as tv free and travel free .... And parents know at the interview that I have a back up provider in the event I absolutely cannot book an appt on a weekend or in the evening otherwise I would have to close ....and I have a bathroom in my daycare so I do leave them to pee but I leave the door ajar

[mickyc]

Very interesting! It is interesting how different everyone views things.

Yes Suzie I do view my daycare more like a home setting. My group loves free play! I don't have to keep them occupied all day and they are never bored. TV is on for first 30 minutes of the day as well as nap time for those who don't nap. I cook, clean, do laundry, go online, water flowers all while kids play. We sing, do crafts. Learn our letters, numbers, colors etc. go on outings occasionally for groceries, get the mail, go to bank. I would never take kids to an appointment. My MIL is my backup and the kids call her grandma. I even leave kids unattended while I go pee!! Lol.

We all do things differently and that's OK. My families are happy and my spots are full.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I think some of service level also set by local market.

Here, for home type environment, where kids just present and carer does other non-daycare related things, most people pay $20 a day and bring food. For more educational based care, like mine, rate about $35-$40. My fees are $38 but I close at 4.30pm.

For me, not worth it to be paid $20 so local market demands if higher fees, different service.

[superfun]

I used to work in a job that paid me twice as much as what I'm doing now. And we all ran to pick up groceries, mail a letter, or go to the bank (only the employees that banked at the only branch close to our job). So I would say yes, people do run errands while they're at work. It was the trade off we got for not having regularly scheduled coffee breaks. We could just do some of these things when we weren't busy.

[TinyTwigs]

I think it's a tad bit unprofessional to be running personal errands with other peoples children but hey whatever works for someone may not for someone else.

As for the comment above you most likely worked for a company who had coverage while you were gone to run "errands" so if you left your work place someone was there to cover for you and if there wasn't you can't just go. Same goes for home daycare, yes it's your home but it's also your WORK place. So in a home daycare setting it's different because you have to essentially bring your clients with you bc there usually isn't anyone there to cover and if you want the flexibility to go out to run errands then hire an assistant. It's like a hair dresser bringing 5 clients to the grocery store?!

I also don't like how people are using the word "home daycare" to justify doing personal errands on the clock since they run a homey based childcare setting. The only "home" aspect of your job is that it is run out of your house. If you want to make it homey I am pretty sure no one has a "family" meal at the dinner table with the family and Daycare Kids.

People do errands so they don't have to do it after work or on the weekends that way you kill two birds with one stone being work and errands.

Also how can anyone think that going to the bank or grocery store is educational for infants and toddlers??? Someone mentioned above that their daughter went on a field trip with her "class" to the grocery store so how is that not appropriate> well you answered your own question! She had a class meaning she was in elementary school which also means she was older than and infant or a toddler so that concludes that taking infants and toddlers to the grocery store is not age appropriate. Also how would you feel if those teachers were grocery shopping? I personally would be annoyed and that isn't professional at all. Their parents can take them to the grocery store and teach them those things, that's not our job and there's a reason pretend play food was invented.

Providers get upset all the time that they aren't taken seriously and that people view them as "babysitters" not ECEs or whatever but can you really blame them ?

Someone said they run errands and their spots are always filled. That's nice but that doesn't mean you are any better of a provider than someone who doesn't run errands and whos spots are always full it might be a simple as living in a good location.

[33 Daiseys]

ummmmm not to stir the pot but i run errands all the time. as well as take kids to the doctors and yes the dentist. if my kids have a cleaning, im still there to read a book to them color ect. We run to the grocery store when the kids help pick out which fruit and veggies they want for the next week. It is a block from where we go to play group so why not?
We also go to the bank every friday morning. It takes less then five minutes, and it is right beside the library, where we go to story time.
I also cook and do laundry, paper work during nap time. I have some clients that are here at 7 am, and others that can stay as late as 8 pm. On those days, they also come to soccer, Dance classes, ect.
This is a major part of why all of my families come to me. The fact that we are out of the house and in society every day. Just a question, When children in day care get older, will they not have to get up and go to school, work, ect? So why is it viewed as harmful that they start learning these things at an early age.
Could this mentality of shelter everything for children be why the 20 year olds of today don't know how to do anything? Could it be from their daycare providers and parents doing everything with out their children? Not picking a fight but after speaking to a few child shrinks this has come up time and time again.

[5 Little Monkeys]

We received some cucumbers from a grandma and decided that we should make pickles with them. I didn't have the ingredients on hand so yesterday I took my group of 3 to bulk barn before going to the playground. Pretty sure they weren't scarred from it (if anything, I was! Lol. They wanted to know what everything was in the spice aisle and what it was used for and I felt like an idiot because I didn't always know the answer!! Haha)

I do agree with other posters though...it's all about how we run our programs and by informing Parents of such, they can decide to send their child to us or not. For myself, I've had parents give great feedback on this part of my program. Strangers in the store always comment on how well behaved my "children" are and this makes me proud. I've had parents say they hate doing errands with their child so they leave them at home with a spouse. I think the best way to teach is to do, so I love taking them to the store with me. (This is a rare thing tho, not every week...heck, not even every month!) But I do draw the line at doctors appt's lol (if it works for others that's great tho!)

I take my job very seriously and try to incorporate lots of fun and different things to do to keep us from getting bored and for all my kids thus far, this has included grocery shopping (it's almost the only errand I do). If I had a group that really hated it or didn't get anything out of it, than I wouldn't do it.

Like I said before, I really don't see the difference between leaving the daycare to do an errand or staying home to do one. It's just justified differently but it doesn't make one right or wrong.

Last night I saw an ad for a 24/7 hour dc and I wondered how they get their errands done!

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Could this mentality of shelter everything for children be why the 20 year olds of today don't know how to do anything? Could it be from their daycare providers and parents doing everything with out their children? Not picking a fight but after speaking to a few child shrinks this has come up time and time again.

It not about sheltering children. It about doing job being paid to do.

My client come here for educational program not to have second family. My own children, knew about sex, drugs, cultural differences, sexuality, racism and politics long before their need for knowledge.

My children cook, clean, iron clothing, have own bank accounts and plenty life skills before hitting their teens.

Sheltering children? LOL. So offering educational environment with full focus on the children during business hours, with free play with me present, with outside activities daily, with math based learning happening in pretend store vs real one, with outings to farmer's, swimming, walks, splash pad, etc is sheltering children? No, it offering a professional service where clear boundary between business related events and personal running errands aren't crossed.

I don't think it mentality of sheltering children - but flip side - could this mindset of doing own tasks during work day rather than concentrating on tasks employed to do be reason 20 year olds today, expect to show up to job, play on phone, skip out early if quiet, skive off when boss not looking, do as little as can get away with. You know those who have sense of entitlement about picking up pay cheque without actually earning it?