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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Is The Longest You Have Had A Family?
Wubby 01:21 PM 03-24-2014
Just curious, most of my kids age out of care. My longest family is 14 yrs (3 kids, 14, 5, 15 mos.). Next longest is 10 yrs ( 3 kids, 10, 8,4) then 8 yrs (10 yr old came in at 2 yrs).
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Blackcat31 01:38 PM 03-24-2014
I do not accept SA kids anymore and only accept infants of currently enrolled families so once a child reaches Kindergarten age, they leave.

However, the longest I have had one family (multiple children) is 16 years.
The mom seemed to have a new baby every time the youngest one reached pre-k age. I currently have the family's 4th child.

The longest I ever had one child in care was 13 years. I started a little girl at 6 weeks. Had her until I was no longer legally allowed to have her.
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mema 01:42 PM 03-24-2014
I have only been in business 5 years, but I did have 1 family for just over 4 of those.
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Kimskiddos 01:44 PM 03-24-2014
My longest is 8 years, an 8yo (no longer in my care, don't do school age) and 2yo. the 2yo will likely be here until kinder in another 3 years.

My next is a current family 6 years with likely 5 more to go, oldest is now 7yo, next is 3.5 and a baby to be born in May.

Most of my families have only had 1 or 2 children and when they age out they are gone. Have had plenty of families for 5 to 8 years just depending on the age separation.
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LoraJenkins 01:45 PM 03-24-2014
I have had one family for the past 9 years. First DCB now 9, and sister now 4.
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originalkat 01:48 PM 03-24-2014
I do not take school agers either so the longest I have is 5 years (they only have 1 child).
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nannyde 01:50 PM 03-24-2014
12 years
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Sugar Magnolia 02:11 PM 03-24-2014
7 years for two famines.......both sets are siblings.
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sharlan 02:12 PM 03-24-2014
21 years

I got the older brother at 2 weeks, younger sister at 3 days. I kept the kids until they got their driver's licenses @ 17. Dad would drop her off on his way to work and I would take her to school. I would pick her up from school and Dad would pick her up on his way home from work.
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Michelle 02:36 PM 03-24-2014
Hey Sharlan!
4,000 posts!!
you chatty girl

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blandino 02:46 PM 03-24-2014
It's hard to say. We only take them from 0-4, but we do have a few families that have had one child here all 4 years, and then the next child here the following 4 years, so I would say 8 years is my best answer.
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sharlan 02:48 PM 03-24-2014
double post
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itlw8 03:15 PM 03-24-2014
I think 13 years I had big sis as a baby and she is 13 now. then brother and now little sis who is 4 so it will be 14 years when I lose her next year for school. I will miss that family.

I did have a family that led to the other sisters kids and then the neighbors. a good share of my childcare was related for a while but not to me.
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Starburst 03:41 PM 03-24-2014
The lady I used to work for had 1 family for a little over 14 years. The they had 2 children and the oldest was like a second daughter to her (the provider). At the age of 14 the provider legally could not claim her as a 'daycare child' anymore, but did hire her as a "junior helper" and she would frequently visit/volunteer after school (though she got a little less reliable and wasn't as interested in hanging out in the daycare as much when she started high school) and eventually the son (who was coddled alot and also missing alot of school at the time) didn't go anymore either; which was fine because the parents {a doctor with her own practice and a mailman} owed alot in daycare tuition, yet the daughter would tell the provider that the mom has a bunch of unopened boxes from HSN piled in the living room and regularly orders more things. The only reason the provider didn't terminate is because she didn't want to lose DCG.

She has also had the children of her former daycare children enrolled and families that had large extended families (at one point more than 1/2 of the daycare children where sibs/cousin's from the same family {with an average of 2 children per immediate family}).
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MizzCheryl 03:48 PM 03-24-2014
15 years and I still have them.
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daycarediva 04:20 PM 03-24-2014
If I hadn't moved, it would be longer, but I moved 4 years ago.

1 client has been here the entire 4 years. Got him at 3, and he is 7 now. I age them out at 8, or whenever they outgrow my program. Getting little sister in the fall/winter.
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Blackcat31 04:52 PM 03-24-2014
Originally Posted by sharlan:
21 years

I got the older brother at 2 weeks, younger sister at 3 days. I kept the kids until they got their driver's licenses @ 17. Dad would drop her off on his way to work and I would take her to school. I would pick her up from school and Dad would pick her up on his way home from work.
I know I don't know you in real life but you have a bigger heart than anyone I know in both the real world and the cyber world.


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Lucy 05:41 PM 03-24-2014
I have a boy now who has been here since he was an infant. He's 10 1/2 in 5th grade, and will likely stay through 6th grade, so he'll be almost 12. His sister is with me too... since infancy. She's 6, and will likely stay a long time also.

Up until about 3 years ago, I had a girl who I had from infant who stayed until she was 12.

Next longest is about 8 years. I have long-term more often than short. Love it.
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JenNJ 04:50 AM 03-25-2014
5 years in May. I opened just over 5 years ago. They were my first family to sign on full time. Dcg and my dd are best friends and will go through school together so I will have her until she is 12 or so.
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snbauser 04:52 AM 03-25-2014
I would guess 7 years. But I don't do school agers so that is 2 kids from that family.
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SilverSabre25 05:29 AM 03-25-2014
i can't even compete i've been open for four years now and had a family that was with me for three years. They were my second ever family, starting 2 weeks after I opened.
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MotherNature 05:33 AM 03-25-2014
Almost a year. I've only been open for a yr and a half and have an extremely low ratio. I termed the first family that had been here almost a year, and then one family quit after 6 mos. b/c they didn't apparently read my handbook & vacation policies. Finally, I have one terming themself in a couple weeks, b/c dcm is going on maternity leave for 9 mos and keeping dcg home w/ her. So that leaves me w/ one child who started 2 mos ago, and I have an interview next week.
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dalman 06:03 AM 03-25-2014
Sixteen years and counting. The youngest is now nine and still in care and I can't imagine her leaving. This family has become like family to us with all that we have been through together through the years. All of my families age out or move out of state. I am always full and have a waiting list. I'm not the cheapest but I love my kiddos.
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mom2many 07:35 AM 03-25-2014
I have 2 families currently that have been with me the longest.

One is 8 years- dcg started with me at 3 and is now 11.

The other 9 years- dcb started with me at 11 months and is now 10. I recently started to watch his 5 month old baby sister too.

I love having long term clients!
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Childminder 07:42 AM 03-25-2014
Does second generations count? Had the dad from birth till 10 and his children till the oldest was fourteen. She is now 18 so potentially we might see third!
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Unregistered 10:53 AM 03-25-2014
Most of my families have arrived as infants and left at prek or kindergarten. I have families who graduate, are gone a year and arrive with a new infant.

Even though this is a huge compliment I still find it shockingly surprising that parents have such a disregard for the bond created. I find it so heart wrenching to say goodbye - I don't believe you can do this job and not just fall in love. From bottles to solids, crawling to riding a bike through preparing them for kindergarten- all of my children are at or above kindergarten readiness. The bond is So entirely different than grade school years- it's so sad when parents don't see it. I spend more time with a child in a week than their own parents - never mind extended family. It is such an undervalued profession! It's the parents that act like are the paid maid that lead the good providers to find another profession.
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Unregistered 11:20 AM 03-25-2014
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I know I don't know you in real life but you have a bigger heart than anyone I know in both the real world and the cyber world.

I think that's wonderful... Not sure where you live but I n MA most families leave when child reaches school age - substitute care provided for vaca weeks or 1/2 days but children don't typically go to daycare as teenagers. Most kids go from school to sports around 12. Also school districts provide very inexpensive after school care - children can participate in a club or do homework and parents pick up by 6 pm...
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sharlan 12:06 PM 03-25-2014
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I know I don't know you in real life but you have a bigger heart than anyone I know in both the real world and the cyber world.

Parents paid full rate all the way through.

These are our "adopted grandkids". The boy, 23, went to the boat show with my dh a couple of weeks ago. The girl came over for dinner last week. The whole family comes over for holiday dinners.

What's interesting is I told the mom no about 4 times before I finally interviewed her. As soon as she walked through the door with this tiny blue bundle, I fell in love with him.
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Wubby 12:24 PM 03-25-2014
Originally Posted by sharlan:
Parents paid full rate all the way through.

These are our "adopted grandkids". The boy, 23, went to the boat show with my dh a couple of weeks ago. The girl came over for dinner last week. The whole family comes over for holiday dinners.

What's interesting is I told the mom no about 4 times before I finally interviewed her. As soon as she walked through the door with this tiny blue bundle, I fell in love with him.
I fully agree with you. My long terms feel like family. The 14 yr old ( had since 3 mos.) came over on Saturday, helped with yard work, stayed for dinner, and finally went home at 9 pm. He has gone to Disney (3 times) with us and to my son's graduation from boot camp.

I also have 2 little boys in care and their mom was in care at one time ( also my daughters best friend all through school).

So not only do we have long term care, but my kids and grandkids all have life long friends.
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