I was just wondering how many of you guys have a daycare Facebook page. If you have one, how often do you post pictures/information and what type of information do you post? Also, do parents/people fuss about you spending time on Facebook rather than watching/tending to the children?

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I have one. I post on average 3 times per week regarding an activity or art project we have done.

I only post during nap time or after hours. A parent has never fussed about me posting during nap (at least not to my face ) Personally, since this is strictly DC related, done for the benefit of the parents and only during nap - I may have to tell a parent to kick rocks if they had a problem with it.

I also want to add that my page does not show any private info. No faces, names, etc.

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I have one and haven't posted at all. I never use it. I use a private blog on my website instead and post pics and info there. 3 times a week, more if needed, during naps or after hours.

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I have one, I post every couple of days. Any information I want sent out I post, like holiday reminders, etc. I also post pictures a couple times a week because I take a lot of photos. It's a hobby for me so I always have a camera on me and am constantly taking photos.

I do post pictures with faces but only after parents have given me direct approval. I use first initials in the photos "b is reading a book to Z"
No one has fused yet, but I try to stay off of it during the day unless it's a quick upload from my phone, which I can do without even signing into Facebook by just pressing the " upload to Facebook" button otherwise I post after everyone leaves, during nap time, or in the early mornings when my toddlers are still asleep.

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I have a closed Facebook group for parents. I post pics daily. On a typical day, I try to post during naps and at the end of the day, but sometimes something is too cute to wait for. When a new child comes, especially babies, I post several times a day. Parents love it and like pp said, have never said anything to my face if they didn't.

I think I am the odd man out because I do check online throughout the day, like when kids are actively, happily playing. I am still there, but I don't PLAY with the kids all the time. That's their job. Mine is to keep them safe, taken care of and loved (almost) like my own. Parents seem to get that.

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I do but NEVER ever post pictures of daycare kids.

I have permission but do not trust the internet. I know people believe it's 100% secure but it's not. I know for a fact it's not.

I do have a website that has a password protected area for parents that I use to post pictures and although that is not 100% secure either, it's a bit safer since my daycare is not nearly as searchable as Facebook is. kwim?

I also remove the pictures after they've been up long enough that I feel parents have had an opportunity to view them.

I use my Facebook more as a way to see what's going on in my DCF's lives and to post and contribute to some provider groups I belong to there as well.

GREAT way to network with other providers!

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I started looking for and checking out some local daycare providers' Facebook pages. It seems like all of them post pictures of the kids, the kids' names on their coloring pages, some even post the child's name with their picture, and post upcoming events, days closed, etc.

Another thing I learned by checking out their pages is that all of the providers seem to lose kids about every one to two months. Even the 'best' daycare provider in my area seems to go through new kids every month and a half! The same thing has been happening with me too. I've been saying it's not me, it's the parents. Now I finally see proof of that! The parents pull their children out mainly because they can't afford daycare. The mother often decides to stay home instead of work or a family member starts watching the child for free. I'm glad to see through the others' Facebook pages that it's not just me!

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I had a private blog for 3 years, I used it daily. 2 families loved it and no one else ever looked at it...EVER! lol

I just started my FB page 2 months ago. I have gotten a great response and I have heard from several interested families due to it. One family left a daycare they were happy with for me because they liked the thought of knowing more about their child's day than just a note. I DO post pictures of kids and faces and names. I do this with written parent permission. My thought is - most parents are posting way more pics of their children and lots of the times it is not flattering or respectful to the child (potty training, naked yard play, sick kid, naughty joke shame post ect.) I post about them learning and playing in a flattering light. If a parent doesn't want their child on the page that is fine, but all my families have loved it. My educator friends share many of my activities. Relatives of the kids love seeing the pics and our adventures.

I post during nap. I sometimes use the "post later" feature so if it is something I am hoping more people will see, I schedule it to post first thing in the morning the next day or at the beginning of lunch (11ish) when lots of people sign on.

That's my 2 cents.

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I don't have any friends - literally. I only talk to my daycare helper. And that's only when I need to schedule her to come to work. And I only have one daycare kid right now who's mother doesn't have a Facebook page.

On my current daycare Facebook page, I'm friends with 5 people whom I've never met. One is an ex daycare lady in my area, one is currently a daycare provider in my area, and 3 are people with kids that requested me to be their Facebook friend a while ago. But I've never met any of these people and don't communicate with them on Facebook. I don't know if it makes sense to continue being 'friends' with them on Facebook or not.

Also, since I don't have any friends in the real world, and my daycare mom doesn't have a Facebook page, how would I get people to look at my page to use it for advertising?

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I do have a Facebook page, I don't post on it regularly maybe once every other week or so. The parents love it and I post on it when I have a sec mostly at nap time or after work. sometimes if I can get everyone served at lunch I post a quick thing. Its mostly pictures. (I never post the kids names)
Deb

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Yeah, he's a cute little boy. He's 17 months old.

Thank you all for your suggestions. You gave me a lot of ideas on things to post that won't show a picture of just the same one child over and over. I'm going to work on getting more pictures on my Facebook page soon.

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Okay, I put up a few pictures today. Now I just need to get people see my page.

Thank you all for your help.

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My Facebook page is coming along. I even posted videos of my kids (older videos of when I had more than one child!) doing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, and of them playing. I put up older pics of my previous children doing some preschool activities as well as during free play time. The videos and pictures are of previous children, but they do show the type of activities we do here.

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Nothingwithout joy you page is great. I grew up in Westfield and love the Florence area. I used to loving spending days at Look Park and now my daughter loves going there when we visit my parents. If we still lived in the area my daughter would be at your childcare.

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Good for you! I hope it works for you.

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