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The Daycare Home Staff Assistant Part 1
This is the first of a five part series on staff assistants in the home child care setting. The first installment is to help the provider figure out some of the financial aspects of hiring a helper and some tools to assist with determining salary and hours. Most providers who successfully make it through the first […]
The Boss-of-Me Parent
(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from the book “Daycare Whisperer Doing Daycare: This job would be great if it wasn’t for the parents”. ) I have been doing home childcare for two decades and try as I might, I can never find a daycare parent who will be my boss. I want a whole […]
Choosing Northwood, Iowa and Raising Kids
Dear Northwood Iowa, My name is Tori Fees. My son, Cohle Daniel, and I relocated to Northwood three months ago. We are Des Moines, Iowa natives. Both of us were born there and my son has spent the first thirteen years of his life living on the North East side of Des Moines. I am […]
Why Sick Kids Should “NOT” Be Allowed at Daycare
Dr. Claire McCarthy, My name is Tori Fees. I’m a Registered Nurse and veteran child care provider. I have cared for kids in the capacity of private nanny, elementary school nurse, and home child care provider for thirty years. I came upon your article “Why Sick Kids Should Be Allowed at Daycare” published by Huffpost. […]
The MY CHILD Parent
(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from the book “Daycare Whisperer Doing Daycare: This job would be great if it wasn’t for the parents”. ) A MyChild parent is a parent who has a grandiose perception of themselves as a parent, their child and their child’s needs, their rights regarding the child and their abilities […]
Nannyde’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
¾ cup unsalted real butter ¾ cup Crisco 1 ½ cup granulated sugar 1 ½ cup light brown sugar 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I like Mexican vanilla) 3 cups white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 cups steel cut oatmeal (real oatmeal not the quickie kind) 1 […]
The Daily Walk – Part 3
The final blog in this series is about additional safety measures to consider when doing a daily walk. After having many years of experience walking children daily we have seen some patterns emerge in the children’s behavior and some reoccurring situations while out. My staff assistant Beeka Perks helped me come up with some of […]
The Daily Walk – Part 2
Some safety suggestions: The following safety advice is mostly common sense and things most providers would know intrinsically when they have even a little experience with their own kids going out. I’m outlining these for a completely new provider so many of the suggestions may be things you already know. Load the babies in the […]
The Daily Walk – Part 1
Many years ago I decided to add a daily walk around our neighborhood to our morning schedule. We started out small by walking around our long block. We clocked it in the car and found that it was six-tenth of a mile. That took about seventeen to twenty minutes depending on the skill set and […]
The Benefits of Home Made Baby Food
Baby food is very easy to make. It’s cheaper to make than buy and it’s nutritionally superior to commercial food once you get the hang of how to do it. All you really need is a steamer and a good food processor. I use the “Quick and Easy” Black and Decker model. It’s really not […]
Everywhere You Go – Everybody Knows
On October 27th 23 year old Hillary Adams posted a seven and a half minute video on the internet. The video, taken in 2004, shows then 44 year old Aransas County Texas Court-at-Law Judge William Adams, a Family Court Judge, striking his 16 year old daughter with a belt. The video has taken the world […]
Quality Time vs. Quantity Time
I watched an interview years ago with Barbara Walters. She was talking about her career and how she balanced it while raising her daughter Jackie. I don’t remember her exact words but she said that she regrets the not spending enough time with her daughter when she was little. She said she didn’t believe in […]
Candy For Breakfast
Candy For Breakfast The “No Cry” Way To Start Your Day It’s Fast It’s Easy and the Kids Love It! Halloween is upon us. A week from today my little spooks will be trudging around their respective neighborhoods and begging for treats. They will surely get at least a half of a felt pumpkin sack of goodies. […]
The Long Haul
For the past eighteen years I have owned and operated a successful home child care. I started out in a 1400 square foot town home with three levels. In 2001 I moved to a house nearly twice that size with my then one year old son. I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to […]
What More Will It Take? – SIDS
Sadly there is yet another report on the news about a young infant dying in child care. This time it happened in my home state of Iowa in the city of Council Bluffs. Teresa Chapin, a 37 year old Registered Provider apparently laid five month old Lane Thomas on an adult bed to sleep. According […]
Pulled From The Daycare Forum
Hunni Bee said: “I work in a center, and we have an Infant/Young Toddler Room. There’s a about 5 kids in there…2 14 or 15-month olds, 2 just-turned-one’s, and 7 month old. (At 18 months they go to the Toddler Room). They all cry ALL DAY LONG. They are not neglected, the teacher attends to […]
The Daycare Home Staff Assistant Part 5
If you have come this far in the Staff Assistant series, I hope you have found some helpful ideas to steer you towards the perfect employee for your business. The last four topics are ones I have come across in my many years of having helpers. I hope to offer some guidance and ideas in […]
The Daycare Home Staff Assistant Part 4
When considering the role of the Staff Assistant in your home it is important to think through the relationship you would like your worker to have with your day care clients. Some providers I know have an informal and relaxed environment that promotes a strong bond between their employee and their day care parents. Some […]
The Daycare Home Staff Assistant Part 3
The third part of this series is to discuss one of the issues that arise when hiring an employee to assist you in your child care. This situations is one I, my friends, and fellow providers have come across over the years of having helpers. It is only one aspect of finding the right employee […]
The Daycare Home Staff Assistant Part 2
The next step in hiring a staff assistant is to define what duties you need the assistant to do. It’s important to know the job description before beginning the interview process. Some of the duties the worker may need to perform are: Supervising the children while at play Feeding Diaper changing Educational or craft activities […]
The Right Time To Introduce Baby Food
AnneCordelia says: I run my program like this: Those in the ‘under 1’ category require 18-24oz of formula breast milk daily. Under 8mos only gets bottles from me…parents can do the 1 or 2 meals of solids that an infant needs between 6-8 months (every major medical organization recommends waiting until a minimum of 6 […]
How To Set Daycare Rates
Child care is like every other business. There are many options for deciding your fees for services. Most centers have flat fees for each age group and allow clients to come and go anytime within those hours. Those hours are traditionally about twelve hours a day. The rates are higher to reflect the longer hours […]
Transporting Daycare Kids
I don’t transport kids. I’ve never put a day care kid in my car. The parents I work for were specifically looking for a provider that does not transport children when they began their child care search. There’s a thread on daycare.com about parents refusing to sign the permission slip for transportation. https://www.daycare.com/forum I know […]
Do A Little – Get A Lot
I don’t use battery operated toys. The kids fixate on them, set them off repeatedly, and stop their normal moving around/up and down floor based play when they have the option to be an audience to a toy. Battery toys become fight toys and lend to blocking behavior and hoarding. I don’t have indoor toys […]
To My Most Excellent Daycare Parents
Well we have had a fantastic year at Nan’s house. I’m proud to say, all of the children who began 2011 with us are still here with the exception of our Precious Pebbles who went off to Kindy. We have also welcomed MyZay’s new baby brother who has quickly become everyone’s “little brudah”. Being the […]
Potty Training Letter To Parents
This is the letter I give to parents who are interested in beginning potty training their child in my home. I thought it would be something readers may be able to use for their own business to explain the process and some of the difficulties in working with parents to get on the same page. […]
Offering a “No Nap” Service
Naptime is one of the hottest debate topics on every child care internet forums I have participated in. It’s one of the top ten discussions that has come up consistently thru the many years I have been providing care and counseling providers. At least once a month the subject works its way into our discussions. […]
Daycare Recipes from Nannyde
Three simple bread recipes that are great for breakfast and snack time! Pecan Raisin Muffins 1 ¾ cups unsifted flour ¼ cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup margarine ½ cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup dark seedless raisins 1 egg ¾ cup milk Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut […]
Surrender To The Baby
Surrender to the baby is a building block of tolerance that must be ingrained in children from the time they are very young. It’s a foundational behavioral tool for a non-competition mindset. It’s a system where the older children basically collapse, fold, turn their back and if possible move away to avoid any conflict brought […]
Allowing Comfort and Transitional Items From Home into the Daycare Environment
SunflowerMama said: I’m thinking about changing my policies so that the only thing coming each day is the child (and 5 diapers on Monday to send the kids home in). They could also have ONE small lovie for nap time. I will provide nap mats/blankets and changes of clothes. I’m just getting a little overrun […]
What About Your Own Kids? – Provider Children in the Mix
The subject of how to integrate your own children into your child care comes up many times a year on our daycare.com board. It’s one of those really important conversations we have about our OWN children and how to balance their home life while they are a part of our work life. www.Daycare.com/forum Athomemommy asked […]
There Is No Correct Way to Play With Any Toy
In one of our forum threads Blackcat31 wrote: I do want to mention that there is no “correct” way to play with any toy. Children should be allowed to do as they please with them and we should never limit them to playing with something in a manner in which adults decide. www.Daycare.com/forum I think […]
The Price of Daycare
We’ve had a number of conversations recently about the poor economy and how it has affected the “going rate” for child care. Many providers across the U.S. are experiencing low enrollment and few inquiries of potential clients. The calls they are receiving are primarily part time variable shifts that are not within the hours they […]
Recipes My Daycare Kids Love
Here’s two delicious recipes From The Kitchen of Mable Fees “My Favorite Recipes” RHUBARB MUFFINS 2 ½ cups rhubarb cut fine 1 egg 1 ¼ t. ground cloves 2 cups whole wheat flower ¾ cup sugar 1 cup plain yogurt ¼ t. nutmeg 1 t. baking soda 1/3 cup vegetable oil ¼ t. allspice 1 […]
Why is Saying No So Difficult? – Daycare.com Forum Discussion
www.Daycare.com/forum Forum member Pammie asks “I’m just curious as to why so many providers seem to have such a difficult time saying “no”?? Seems like so many threads have this bottom-line issue.” The reason providers don’t say no is because they believe if they say no the client will leave their business and they will […]
The Art of the Interview “Nannyde” Style – Part 2
The second potential client interview is approximately an hour to an hour and a half long. It is scheduled within two weeks of The First Interview. This is a time when we go through the policies of the day care and ask in depth questions about the child. Because our food service is such an […]
Eight Year Old Boy Pepper Sprayed By Police
Last week the mother of an eight year old, who was pepper sprayed by police during a violent rage at school on February 22nd, appeared on a number of morning news shows. The child, Aidan Elliott, appeared alongside his Mother Mandy Elliott. They told the story of how Aidan had gone into a “temper tantrum” […]
Nature at it’s Finest
This past week has been Nature Week at Nannyde’s house. It started Saturday afternoon while I was minding my own business and indulging in four back to back episodes of “Bethenny Ever After” on Bravo T.V.. I hear a crazy loud ruckus out back. The White Pup With One Black Eye is doing that “come […]
Daycare Is Not For Sissies
If you are going to do childcare you have to be tough. It’s a hard job! Often when providers start out they have a vision it will be easy to take on a kid or two while they have the luxury of staying home with their own little ones. Over time many providers realize the […]
Interviewing “Nannyde” Style
I do a series of three interviews over a period of weeks before a family starts in my home. I like to take my time and get to know them. I usually spend five to six hours with them total before the child’s first day. I haven’t interviewed families with kids over the age of […]
Should We Teach Young Children To Say They Are Sorry?
We had a discussion this week about forced apologies on the Daycare.com forum. www.Daycare.com/forum/ Forum member Youretoolound asked the question: “What do you think about a forced apology?” By forced, I mean something like “you can’t go play until you say you’re sorry”. I care for children ages birth to five. I don’t think the […]
The Parent That Calls Every Day
Forum member “SilverSabre25” asked “How often do your dcps call you during the day just to check up on their child?” www.Daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28404 It’s not unusual for clients to want to check in via phone with you for the first two week or so of their child’s daycare. They are nervous and don’t know the provider […]
Doctors Notes: Return to Daycare
We had a discussion on Daycare.com brought up by forum member “daycare” that got me to thinking about the policies in my child care regarding ill children returning to care. Ugh vent… Kid has Croup “So the DCM that said kid has a fever from teething turned out that the DCP took her to the […]
Experimenting With Kale – Nannyde’s Brown Stew
I made a new stew yesterday and it turned out so delicious I had to share. It was very simple to make. It took me about 60 minutes total from start to stop. Leg of lamb, Buffalo, Venison, or Beef: About four to five pounds. Two pounds of dried pinto beans soaked overnight. One cup […]
Applebaum Training Institute Child Care Seminar
I had the pleasure of attending the “Foundations of Joy and Love for Children” six hour training seminar this past weekend. Iowa requires a minimum of twelve clock hours of in class training every two years. I was able to get half of those done in one day! The class was hosted by the Sheraton Hotel […]
The Changing Of The Guard: “Bye Bye Outside”
I call the dynamic of bad behavior at drop off and pick up “Changing of the Guard” behavior. It is seen primarily in children who are in charge of the relationship with their parents. It is seen in children who are more powerful than their parents and parents who want their child to be powerful/happy/special/ […]
What Have We Created?
I dig Michael Pollan. He is the food dude who changed my life and the way I feed my kids. If you don’t know who he is, His Website. When you get a chance, pick up or download a copy of “Food Inc.” just don’t eat twelve hours before viewing. I love all of his […]
Protected: Shockproof Safety Questionnaire
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Protected: Michael’s Health Remedy
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