Once your own kids are in school does daycare get easier? Right now I work very part time and low ratio mainly because I am picky about the type of kids I want in my program and it is hard to find part timers. I know it is because my daughter is at home with me. I don't want her home life to be stressful since this is something I choose to do to help with her socialization.

When she goes to school next year I have been trying to decide between ramping up my daycare to take full time kids or going to work in a centre outside of my home. I would really like to be home for my kids and I enjoy the freedom of having my own rules. As you all know this job can be stressful but I wonder how much less my stress will be once my own child is at school.

Any thoughts or experiences?

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Yes!!

It DOES get better. On sooooooooo many levels.

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What she said!

Once I got used to my kids being gone, it was so much nicer to have work and family separate.

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I said I was going to go back to working outside the home when my youngest started kindergarten. He's in 3rd grade now.

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For me it's gotten easier. No more of my son getting blamed by daycare parents because another child (one specifically) said he was mean when in fact the child was just coddled and using it to get attention. No more of constantly having to reprimand my son or not let him do things because daycare children are here watching etc.
One thing that can be hard is missing school events, talent shows, field trips, having lunch with your child etc. I try to close early every once in a while so I can do these things. I also started taking all of winter and spring break off and I close before my children get off of the bus so the only time they have to see daycare is random days off that aren't holidays, summer and for 1/2 hour in the morning.

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For the most part, it got easier for me, too. I scheduled day care hours around my kids' school schedule. When they first started going to school, they got on the school bus at 8:30 and off the bus at 4:00 so I worked from 8:45-4:00 and was very firm about on-time drop offs and pick ups. No early drop offs and no late pick ups.

I drove a van at the time so if there were school programs to attend, I just took all the dc kids with me. They loved the school plays and the Spooky parade every Halloween! I was closed every Friday which gave me one day a week to schedule their IEP meetings.

The only time it got tough was when the school nurse would call me to pick up one of my kids early. They were rarely sick but both went through a period of time each when they would fake feeling sick so they could come home early. A talk with the nurse nipped that problem in the bud, though.

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Yes and No.

It feels more like a manageable "job" when my kids AREN'T here.
But, when they are, it gets 3X harder.

My kids are 6 and 8. They need the freedom to be in their own home without the daycare kids and daycare rules (following the DC routine, projects, nap, etc). But, it always feels unfair to the DC kids.

I'm actually going in the opposite direction- I hate FT and want to find PT families instead.
I think it would be so great to have a day or two off every week. As it is right now, I can only do DC shopping, cleaning and prepping on the weekend. So, I'm constantly working every day of the week.

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Thanks everyone! I think I suspected it would get easier but didn't want to bank on that as fact when I have no idea.

Lots to think about

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Yes easier. When my youngest turned 8 it was even that much more easier.

I have since switched to just teachers and follow the school year. I get a built in break and my children don't have to deal with daycare on their breaks.

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No more:
- "Shut the gate!"
- "You can't bring that in the daycare space"
- "Shut the gate!!"
- "You can't eat that in front of the other kids"
- "Shut the gate!!!"
- "You can't do that in front of the other kids"
- "SHUT THE GATE!!!"
And much less arguing with my own kids because they're not home most of the day.

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OMG, you nailed it!!

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Truer words have never been spoken

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Oh my, YES!!! So much easier for me now that DD is in school. It just keeps getting easier the older that she gets. Plus, I still get to be home when she gets off the bus and I'm here in the mornings and when she's sick. For me, it's perfect! And it was awful when she was younger...lol.

I did just have another baby, though, so I guess I have 5 years of crazy before it gets comfortable again.

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I didn't start until ds was in school. I couldn't imagine doing daycare with him at home

I don't know the difference, but mornings can be stressful, getting him out the door in the morning (I don't transport and therefore don't drive him). I have to make his lunch, sign his homework folder, look over his homework, sign his baggie book, and look over and notes from teachers. I have to make sure he has coat, hat, gloves, bus pass, etc. All while fixing breakfast for 3-6 kids. It's a madhouse from 7:30-8:15, when he leaves for school.

Then there are summers. I can't take him anywhere. He gets bored hanging around. I usually overplan his summers with camps and things, and then he ends up exhausted. It's a fine balance.

Oh yes...and I can never make it to school functions. I can't be a book reader, help at the Halloween party, Christmas party, Valentine's party, make it to the Muffins with Mommy thingy...it's a crappy feeling. BUT...I do what I can. I make treats for every party, volunteer for book fairs at night, go to every night function they have.

Yes, I imagine it's easier...and harder?

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Not sure if this would help you, but we do all that stuff in the evenings. Lunches are made and put in the fridge, bags are checked and packed and placed by the door with all their coats, hats, mittens, etc with them. Clothes are laid out the night before. The only thing I will do lunch wise in the AM is a thermos if they want soup or something hot. Otherwise I just stick an ice pack in the lunch bag and throw it in their back pack. We also get them up a little earlier (6:50) so that they are all ready before dc starts(7:30). Bus comes around 7:50. Once they are all ready, they can play on tablet or read until it's time to go.
I also stopped doing breakfast once I realized most of my kids were eating at home and not really hungry on arrival. That took away a lot of stress...
Just a thought.

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I do those things but my son is the biggest issue here. He will take things out of his bag after it's packed, forget homework, and he loses things that are literally in his hands.

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Ahh, gotcha!

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Same!

I also leave those items in the entry with the dc door locked so my youngest can't go rummaging in there. We lost (and HE had to earn/pay for THREE agendas last year alone)

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