Originally Posted by a concerned mom:
I have a 4 year old who has to lay on a mat for 1 and a half hours at her preschool/day care center. She can't get her little body to rest/sleep. The teachers reward the resting sleeping children with stickers. So every day my daughter comes home crying thinking she did something wrong because she gets no reward. Every child is different. To force a 4 year old to lay on a mat for that long doing nothing is bizarre to me. Could someone please post the Maryland state regulation that says child care workers must force a child to lay on a mat for 2 hours.
I think I read that regulation at one point and it states that a child care center must offer a nap area and a rest period but it is up to the child if he/she wants to nap or rest. I understand the need for quiet time but please this is crazy the way you think you can force children to sleep or sit still on a mat when their bodies are not able to do so.
Stop and really think about the power struggle you are creating. The feeling of shame you are creating in these children when you are telling them to do this and if they don't something is wrong with them.
You are interrupting the regulation all wrong. This regulation was to support and understand the needs of the child not to give the care giver a break.
Read and reread the regulation with each individual child in mind. Then please, please listen to the parents who knows more about their own child then the person in government that wrote a regulation that is being misused.
This is what I have to say about this. I don't disagree with you, however, there are also lots of children in this group setting that DO nap and need the full rest time. If your child's individual needs don't work at this center or in group child care, then find a place where their needs are being met. I expect the children who are getting stickers are getting them for laying quietly and respecting the other children's right to nap. Your child's needs don't come before the needs of the group. Not in group care, not in this setting. Sure, we want what's best for the kids, but if you're looking for individualized care you need to hire a nanny or babysitter that can provide the kind of one-on-one care you're looking for.
What about the parent that has a 4 year old and says, my child is only sleeping an hour because another child is allowed to be up and playing during rest. She's crabby and is not enjoying her evening soccer practice because she isn't resting long enough. The needs of the group will always win out in group child care. If the majority of the group needs to rest for 2.5 hours, then all the children will rest quietly for 2.5 hours.
If your child has outgrown nap time, then it is up to you to find care that suits her individual needs rather than criticize the care being provided to a group of children that seem to be well suited to this naptime rule.