Errands

[crayolamom]

How YOU want to run your daycare is a piece of advice that should have been added after what Suzie said not after my comment but thanks! If majority of you agree on one thing then we will pick apart who ever doesn't agree.

It is extremely unprofessional and not right in anyway. I will be printing off and using this thread as a selling point in the future to show parents what I DON'T DO.

[adaycarelady]

I have been working with kids for 9 years and have never met a child who was interested in learning activities for 10 hours. What do you do when they loose interest and just want to relax? Follow them around the house with your pocket chart lol. Shame on those teachers for taking summer holidays!! Children need to be learning academics all day, everyday so get them back in the classroom asap!! A doctor does not work from home so is unable to do chores around the house. He is also paid to take care of patients physical wellness, not teach them life skills. An office worker is paid to do office work, not teach children life skills. I wouldn't have to clean so much if I didn't have a daycare since alot of the dander comes from the daycare kids. As for errands, I wouldn't go for a haircut and drag the daycare kids along. All my errands are daycare related. Wouldn't that be sad if a 10 year old had to ask what a bank or grocery store looked like since they have never been to one before. As self-employed people, we are all able to run our daycares the way we want. That's what self-employment means. Since I am self-employed I have created my own program goal which is to help children learn independence. Helping them to understand what a bank is and where our food comes from helps me to reach my program goal. I could even take it a step further and take them to a farm and show them where the grocery store gets the food from. If I buy something off the farmer directly while the children are with me would be considered an errand however, shame on me for showing the children that we exchange money for goods!

[crayolamom]

People that work from home are necessary taking tlcare of other people's children. Why do you think your entitled to run your arrands in someone else's dime? I have a structure schedule where my kids are learning all day in different ways. If yours are bored then I might was to revise how you operate. So why do we send kids to school all day if they loose interests. Logically and morally what you are saying makes no sense. Sorry to break it to just but just bc you are self employed does mean you can drag someone else's kids around town for your own personal reasons.

There parents can help thrm understand what the bank does and grocery store. Like I said excuses!!!

I don't even understand why you would want to drag all those kids out its such a liability issue what if something happens to them. Selfish and irresponsibly and this why many ppl don't take us seriously be pprovidrs like you treat like a joke.

[adaycarelady]

Everyone runs their program differently. In my daycare, there is a time for work and there is a time for play (just like in real life). Parents sign a permission form that allows me to take them out and about. If they don't like my program, they don't have to sign up. I don't take out the group when everyone is here. I usually just run errands when there is only 1-3 kids. We also don't go run errands everyday or every week for that matter. It's just a random event. I take my job very seriously btw. Education is important to me, but life experiences are as well.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I think there some confusion.
I seem to touch rawed nerve with some who become very defensive of choices. That not my intention. But since many think it deserve anger and frank choice of wording, I too be frank about my opinion in return.

To me, working from home is not about household tasks. Just because can be done, I don't feel they should be done. When children in my home, I am being paid to provide care for those children. To me, the benefit of working from home is being able to claim some household expenses at tax time which employee cannot. It about not having to have two car insurances if not want to. It about convenience of not travel into work location during winter. These are the benefit from being in home that many not have.

I have no objection to period of free play and think it very valuable time, within reasonable limit. But this not same as leaving children to play by self and friends so I can get on with family errands like laundry, cleaning, prepping family supper or playing game on phone. During period of free play, I am in room interacting with children, guiding, answering questions, suggesting, asking questions, participating for both safety and also to ensure no one is getting hurt.

Many might say they open plan and can see children from other room. That not point. I small house and can see everyone too but in my opinion, that is not permission for me to leave children to entertain self while I do task for family just because I happen to be working from my own house.

We very lucky that at times, all children nap which give a longer break than most other professions and while home, I can see many would then do tasks for family. This I can understand as children are not awake and not needing level of supervision they do when awake. Indeed, once lunch cleared away, and afternoon activities laid out, I see it make sense to use last few minutes of children sleeping to do quick task to get ahead of own errands. But to take children, during time they awake, to grocery shop or other non business errand, is cop out, to me. To use the time during which being paid to provide home day care for primarily own benefit, is not okay. From 10 hour day, this add up to maybe 4 or even 5 hours being about what easy for carer and benefit carer and nothing to do with providing care for the child.

If using grocery store as educational life skill, most provider have play food and can easy make pretend game giving equal skills without pretending it educational outing when really it just dragging children along to do own tasks. I understand that when walking home from park or splash pad and passing local store it make sense to go in for milk needed for afternoon snack. I think most parent would be very fine with that couple of minutes detour but this very different than going to supermarket with weekly list even if list include day care grocery needs.

To me, plopping children in front of TV for "educational show", or taking children to store for "math and educational activity", is not even being honest with self. This is what I expect from a stay at home parent running errands with own children or maybe someone who has one or two children they take in with view it bit extra and they babysitting. But it not something I would expect from day home who is running business of providing care for children.

I not say that every single minute of children's time in home has to be educational although my program has strong focus on that. But putting children in a room under the guise of free play, so provider can do her housework is total abuse of situation. I do not think it unreasonable that every single minute that day care children awake in house, that day care activities are the focus, instead of providers wanting to use time in the house to do own family errand and expect children to entertain self and call it "free play".

As person said, if during interview, you telling parent that children nap for 2-3 hour each day, that you take them to do your weekly groceries because some eaten by client children, and that you feel free play is time for you to do laundry, clean bathroom, pay your bill in bank or anything else that every adult has to do in own time normally, then that is fair. But I doubt many parent be okay with paying day care fees when 4+ hours of day care being used for provider's own errands.

This is my view. The standard I apply to myself based on the standard I would expect if paying for own child to be in daycare provider's home. To me, a day home service is comparable to day care centre service, just in more intimate environment where child build relationship with carer long term rather than having high turnover of staff who not know each child personally. How you do your business in your home, is down to you but I think lot of parent be very, very shocking and upset to read some of comment in this thread and to learn how much of child's day is not focus on day care activities, educational or not, or limited level of supervision where provider doing own thing.

I not see how lining up in bank is educational for preschool child. They not understand banking, deposit, withdrawal, interest rate, credit score. To a preschool child, toddler and infant, they lined up in building waiting to get to front of line so carer can speak to adult and then leave.

I do not see how carer leaving children to free play while she wash toilet and scrub bath or launder own family smelly sock is educational for child when same level of education from carer being present and in moment giving supervision of children she paid to care for and interacting with child.

I do not see how carer with many children getting her tampon and hair dye and piece of steak for husband supper is educational when same level of education from play food and pretend store where child can be store person and add up pretend prices on food item that other day care children pretend to buy. This more educational that real store because price can be assign with value at math level of preschooler and they can pay and work out change. I not for one second believe carer who doing shopping is getting children to add up, pay, work out change. Are carer using grocery shopping for educational reason arranging that children can see deliveries, or behind scenes? No. I not believe that be case.

There lot of real ways that carer can provide life skill within day home or outside on walk - but difference is focus on child care not focus on provider need/wish to get own errand down and pretend it a field trip benefiting children. It totally for benefit of provider and freeing up her own time after work.

For me, this about intent of task. And to fill day with own errand when really should be providing day care is not what my client pay for, or why I have wait list.

In past, we go to Farmer's market. Not for shopping. So children could see that the carrot, cauliflower, apples that they previously saw in ground at the Farm, is sold for food. We go see same Farmer we visited when crop planted. Same Farmer we visited when crop harvested. Same Farmer who showed children his chicks and hens. Same Farmer who let children collect egg from hen coop. Visting Farmer in market to see his crop on table and his egg in tray for selling - that is life skill and educational. To see whole process. All trips arrange with children's need in mind so they see the whole process.

Popping to Farm market to get own grocery is not same thing at all. Going to store and getting own shopping and pretending it life skill, not even carer who say that, really believe own line.

[superfun]

I don't even understand why you would want to drag all those kids out its such a liability issue what if something happens to them. Selfish and irresponsibly and this why many ppl don't take us seriously be pprovidrs like you treat like a joke.

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

[superfun]

I have already mentioned that i don't do errands, but that doesn't mean I think it's wrong. Like I said before, one of my previous daycare families really liked when their previous daycare took the children to the grocery store.
I think what it comes down to is choice. Some families will choose a home daycare because they do things like one big family. Others will choose because they want educational activities the entire day. We each offer different programs, and that's a good thing.

[TinyTwigs]

I have to agree with Suzie all the way here. If you want to run errands that's fine but don't make up excuses. Let's be a little more honest on this forum ladies. The reason we run errands isn't so we can teach children where the produce and dairy products are located in the grocery store but more so to finish our errands on the clock so we can spend more time with our family in the evenings and weekends or just to get it out of the way so we can relax.

I definitely would be mad and term care if I found out my daycare provider my taking my child around to run errands. Daycare is daycare not a time for parents to do their own personal shopping.

I have never taken children out to do errands I have only ever taken them out to the park.

[Kellybelly83]

I do take my Dayhome kids on outings, and I have it in my contract for liability purposes. The way I determine if I feel OK with the outing, is I think if the kids will truly enjoy whatever it is. My Dayhome kids love to go to the grocery store. But I never do it for a big shop, because then it's boring for them. I am open for 10 hours a day and half of the groceries I buy are for the Dayhome, so I feel ok buying Dayhome groceries or craft supplies at the dollar store etc, on work time. I do my own personal gorcery shopping on the weekends usually. I have taken the kids to the post office for my own personal postal needs, but only because the kids really like to go. I would not go to the dentist for 2 hours and have them wait though lol. Although I might go for a check up, just so they could see how painless a trip to the dentist is haha!

As for cleaning my house, yes, I do it during the day if I can. I also start dinner when the kids are here. That to me is a bonus of working from home. I only do these things when the kids are set up with an activity where they don't need me. I have mostly older kids so there is no nap time anymore, so when it's "quiet activity time" I get a few things done.

So I'm kind of on both sides of this coin. I'd feel guilty if I took the kids on errands frequently , and they didn't really have fun. But I do take them places and most of the parents see that as a bonus, because I have a large vehicle and the patience to take them out haha. Come September I'll only have 1 four year old all morning until noon. I plan on buying a pass for her for the rec centre so we can go with a friend a couple times a week, but honestly she'd be over the moon if we went to the bank , or staples etc! She LOVES " helping" and "jobs" and being a "mommy" lol so I can see us doing a lot of errands, if only to keep her happy and busy! I take my job seriously and I put the focus on the kids, but I'd be lying if I didn't try and maximize my time by doing some of my own personal stuff during the day, when I feel it's appropriate to do so. I took the kids to 5 different parks this week, but I also did my laundry after we got home and they were tired haha... It's all about balance to me.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I feel that some are thinking errands is a dirty word and we're dragging kids kicking and screaming along with us lol. My kids love coming to the grocery store and the odd time the bank (there's a kids area they like to colour at lol) but agree with the above poster, it's not like we're taking the kids to the dentist or our annual physical check ups at the doctors!!

IMO, getting groceries during the day is no different than cleaning the house, prepping supper, washing laundry, going online, watching tv during their nap, weeding the garden while outside, etc etc. In fact, the centres I worked at took the older kids to the store sometimes as a treat!