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nannyde 04:49 AM 11-10-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
not saying it's wrong, but that's highly unusual. i'm just imagining being a parent and not being "allowed" to see anything that goes on...having to go to a private room to visit my child (what's the point? don't parents want to watch their kids interact with the group/you?) and it would seem like you're hiding something - which i guess in a way you are.

i think everyone has had a parent say, "my johnny said that sally bit him. did you talk to sally's mother about it?" but that's when you say, "i can't discuss other children with you due to privacy, and i'd never talk about johnny with another parent, but i can assure you the problem is being taken care of." but never letting the parents see other kids? i don't really get that. and your own child?

let's say the reason for parents never seeing other daycare children is 100% a wonderful idea/thing. what is the reason for not letting your son ever see/speak to a parent, and being punished if he did? my kids were always around and spoke to parents/the parents saw them play - and i can't think of any reason that could cause harm unless they told on me for locking them in the basement at night and chaining them up with no food or water.
My son was born after I had done day care for seven years. He's an only child. When he was born I made a strong decision that he would not be a part of the business. I wanted him to have a tremendous amount of freedom and I did not want him to be raised within the confines of the State regulations with supervision. I wanted him to run with scissors if he so chose.

So he hasn't been a part of it and doesn't really get the balance of dealing with clients. Each client is a 7-8 THOUSAND dollar a year contract and I don't want my son to have any access to that relationship.

If I did accounting or counselling out of my home I wouldn't want my ten year old involved with my clients. It would be inappropriate to have a child involved in your business. That's how I feel about having him involved in my business. It's just inappropriate and risky.

It's worked GREAT. He's always stayed out of my business and I've never expected him to be a part of it. He's been able to skim off the top the good things of having a childhood with a day care in the home but hasn't had to suffer any of the down side. I made a good decision and I'm sticking to it.

i think everyone has had a parent say, "my johnny said that sally bit him. did you talk to sally's mother about it?" Nope I have never had anything like that. The parents do not talk to me about the other kids. They know better. We don't have kids that fight in any way so there really isn't anything to go home to talk to Mom about. Our days are pretty much the same and we have NO fighting period. There's no physical aggression here. Everybody minds really well and all the kids are super nice balanced stable kids. So I don't have any news from the day care going home to the parents that would be "conferencable". I don't have anything TO talk to the parents about regarding the other kids.

not saying it's wrong, but that's highly unusual. i'm just imagining being a parent and not being "allowed" to see anything that goes on...having to go to a private room to visit my child (what's the point? don't parents want to watch their kids interact with the group/you?) and it would seem like you're hiding something - which i guess in a way you are.

I'm definitely hiding something but I'm very open about the hiding. I make it very clear to parents during the interview process that there are NO PARENTS IN THE PLAYROOM. I am only required to provide immediate access to their child and to me when they come to visit. I'm not required to ever give access to the other kids in the house. So if a parent WANTS to come have immediate access to their child they can hook up in my second play room and access them all they want. They never take me up on it so it's never happened.

I've done child care in my home for 17 years and have been on message boards for 12. I've counselled hundreds of providers over the years and one thing I KNOW for sure is that MOST... not all but MOST providers BY FAR want parents to drop off quickly, pick up quickly, and not hang out in the day care at all.

Many feel like that can't have it so they have to endure. Some actually like the parent contact and involvement. Those are precious few in my experience but definitely a small niche in the day care world.

I know that having parents involved into the business to that extent... physically being around the other kids will NEVER make me money. It won't prosper my business in any way. Not allowing it may have turned a few parents to another provider when deciding where to take their kid but I'm booked full all the time and have the highest rates in my side of town.

It hasn't affected my business in any measurable way and it is what I think is the way to operate that makes ME happy and makes my family the most amount of money.

If it aint broke.......
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