Originally Posted by Unregistered:
The whole "I have the right to believe/you have the right to believe" does not fix the fact that it is DIFFICULT to find a provider to care for a child for a full day, without naps. I just wish that providers were a little flexible. And yes, it took me a good deal of time to find a provider (had to be a center) that did not need the children nap so they could get a large break.
Let me show you an example of why I think this is wrong: You hire a landscaping crew to work on your yard for 5(about half your day, correct?) hours every Tuesday(9:00 am to 2:00 pm). You come home and find that they are taking a 1.5 hour break in the middle of their 5 hours(about half your break, correct?). This means that they are not working on your yard for 5 hours. They claim that they need this 1.5 hours to clean their equipment, eat some lunch, and just chill a little bit and get prepared for the next 2 hours of yard work. You would say "What?!" And you would fire them and hire a crew that actually worked on your yard for 5 hours.
Yes, perhaps this landscaping company would stay in business because some of their clients are still happy with the overall result of the yard work, and they don't mind the break. But, some people would NOT be happy about paying this company for 5 hours, when they only actually work on the yard for 3.5 hours. The company that needs the extra-long break would not be nearly as profitable as the company that worked 5 hours. All that other company would need to do is advertise "We Do Not Take 1.5 Hour Breaks When We Are Being Paid To Work 5 Hours". And they would win more clients.
I KNOW you need a break. But 3 hours, really? Maybe you could put in a 30 minute or an hour long movie for the older kids and take your break then. Parents are paying you A LOT of their hard-earned money because they think you are working equally as hard. I am just asking that some of you consider the needs of 4-5 year olds who are not yet in school and also are old enough to stay awake during the day.
This was truly a horrible issue with every in-home provider I considered. Why does it have to be so difficult to find someone to accept $600-$900 a month on the grounds that my child be cared for and NOT be told to lie on a cot for 3 hours? This is really a limited service, it SHOULD NOT be this difficult to find a provider to provide service to the mother of a normal four year old who doesn't need a nap. He is starting school next year, he will not be allowed to nap then. He does not need it, he functions great without it. He is happy, healthy, active and he is tired at 8:30pm. Can't any of you be willing to accommodate these children?
The center my son is at now is expensive, compared to the average price in my area. I know there are older children, who are not in school, who do not need naps. And I know that not all of the mothers of these children can afford to pay for this center my son attends. It would be such a great thing if you considered other options for children who do not nap. If you've been banking on the MUST TAKE LONG BREAK policy, maybe you should try banking on things for older kids to do during little-kid-nap-time. You make like the result of your efforts. I would guess it would make for an even better bank account and happier clients.
It seems to me you are saying that you want to pay the lower rates offered by home providers, but you want them to offer the same service (i.e., no rest or nap time required) of the larger, more expensive centers.
As Nan said, my rates reflect the fact that I require a rest period each day. If I were going to accomodate children who did not need that rest period then I would have to raise my rates to the same rates that the larger, no nap required, centers charge.
It does seem that the majority of conflicts between providers and parents always comes down to money.