For your child's safety, please insist on qualifications for providers!

[horsegirl]

There are some daycares that are licensed in B.C. and I would not have sent my children to them, nor would I have sent my dog for doggy day care. But, there are more great, safe, nurturing, loving daycares out there than there are unsafe ones. I have been licensed for 15 years and my hazard rating with the Health Authority is the lowest in our area. I love what I do. I offer preschool type programming, arts, crafts, reading (story time), circle time and many other educational components. I have a waiting list of parents that want to enroll in my daycare. I offer parents a list of parents whose children have come to my care, are enrolled now, neighbour's phone #, and personnal friends #'s. This way the parents can get a feel of who I am and what I offer to the families. I insist that the parents sit on on a few hours of daycare with me (without their child) and they can decide if they feel comfortable with me and what I do. When we go out on field trips and it is not an area that is specifically for children, they do not touch anything, they do not run, they do not scream. They have to learn to respect the other people around them.

I love what I do and I am probably older than many of you. I run daycare from 7AM - 5:30PM, and still have time to make dinner, clean house & daycare area, set up for next day, and ride my horse. I am very active and when we have a sports day at the daycare I race the children. Children cry because they have to go home.

We as caregivers need to stick together, it is a very difficult and lonely job and we need to support each other. Newer caregivers can learn from the more experienced caregivers. Don't look at the negative actions of a caregiver, but the positive actions from a quality caregiver.

By the way, in my daycare parents may come by at anytime, but when children have said goodbye in the morning and now they have to say goodbye again the child starts to feel abandoned by their parent. When they feel this way enough they start to build walls and you will find that the child will bond with his peers over bonding with an adult. Also, the child may start crying at this feeling of being abandoned and it affects the others and they will start feeling upset. This is not fair to any of the children. That is why if a child starts crying when a parent leaves after a quick visit then they must take them with them. Caregivers should not be judged by how quickly they can stop a child from crying, but by the love, support and nurturing care that they offer.

[Judy Trickett]

We as caregivers need to stick together, it is a very difficult and lonely job and we need to support each other. Newer caregivers can learn from the more experienced caregivers. Don't look at the negative actions of a caregiver, but the positive actions from a quality caregiver.

I completely agree with this sentiment. We need to be supportive of one another. We learn from one another if we are open to it. I have learned from newbie providers, veteran providers and all those in between with respect to experience. I have learned from quality providers and those needing to learn how to offer a better quality daycare experience. I have learned from those I agree with as well as those whose opinions and philosophy differs from my own.

If you are open to learn then every provider you encounter can and should be your teacher.