The First Day of Daycare

I have been dreading this day since I first felt the tiny little being fluttering inside. I have done all my homework, dotted i's and crossed t's, but I still can't stop feeling like I want to grab my little one and run....maybe even for Mexico!

My brain knows my baby will be safe and well cared for, but my heart cannot imagine that she will be happy with anyone but me.   Why is this so hard?  I've done this before.

Two times.

Each time I put off sending my child to daycare by staying home as long as we financially could so we could all benefit from my being a stay at home mom. It was the right decision for us, but it's not for everyone.

Each one of my kids has been in childcare at some point in thier lives and each one of them had a "First Day".   I remember my sons' first day of daycare.  He was almost 2 years old and I enrolled him in a part-time preschool program, just to be able to play with other kids his age.  I actually sat in the parking lot for 3 hours just waiting for his time to be up so I could take him home again!  I wasn't worried about his welfare, I trusted the provider and was very happy with the curriculm.  I just didn't have anything else to do while he was there!!  You can tell he was my first, can't you?? 
    With my oldest daughter it was a little different.  Her first day of "daycare" was actually in our home.  I was running my own daycare and was licensed for 12 children and had 3 assistants that worked for me.  I left her in their care when I was working my other job.  That time was understandably not difficult, either.  So why then, am I having so much trouble putting my youngest in daycare?
   My baby girl is turning 2 in a couple of months and my husband wants me to go back to work.  I am not ready to put her in daycare full time!  Maybe it's because she is so very little for her age.  She seems so helpless to me, but I know she's not!  She bosses her brothers and sister around like nobody's business!! 
Maybe it's because I know she is my last and I don't want to let go...it makes me so proud and sad at the same time to think of how much she has grown and changed in the past 21 months.  My baby isn't a baby anymore!    Maybe it's just because I know how hard it is to find good quality providers and I am not up to the task of searching for a provider for her.  I search for other people all the time, and I know how much work it is...I just prefer not to have to do it for myself!  :)
    When it comes right down to it,  I don't want her to be with anyone else.  Right now, I adore her and she adores me.  I know all too well that in a few years, that won't be the case and we may not be able to stand each other some days!  I am finding out everyday how rough the pre-teen and teen years are and I look at my older children and wonder where those sweet, adoring children went.  Well I still have this one and I want to treasure this time and make the most of every minute.  She very likely will be my last "baby" and I have been blessed enough to be able to be home with her and I'm not rushing her (or me) out of this blessing. 
    Funny to hear the Childcare Queen talking about being a stay at home mom, huh?  That's what our kids will do to us.  We will transform ourselves into entirely different beings just to be closer to them, to make them happy, to hear them giggle.  I am addicted to the sound of her laugh and the sound of her sleeping.  She is soflty snoring next to me right now as I type this.  I wouldn't trade that sound for anything in the world!    Her first day is gonna have to wait awhile...

Walk a mile in their shoes...Seeing things through your providers’ eyes. Part 1

Childcare providers are professionals, not babysitters. As professionals, there are certain items that childcare providers want their customers to be aware of. I have put together a list of a few things we all need to know about the unbelievably challenging and incredibly rewarding childcare profession.


This is a business.
Childcare is a business and providers are professionals; please do not refer to them as babysitters. It is demeaning and even insulting. It is expected that professional care providers would have specific hours, rates, systems, and rules to help them maintain the levels of care and service that set them apart from babysitters. As parents, we should appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating handbooks, contracts and curriculum that further promote this professionalism and help set a higher standard for the quality of care.


Professional providers have the right to be paid for not only the care they provide, but their time, too.
Reasonable late fees are to be expected and should be enforced when and if parents abuse the drop off and/or pick up policies of their provider. It is also reasonable for providers to charge if a child does not attend on a day they were scheduled to attend. If the provider is holding a spot for your child, they have a right to be paid whether you choose to use the care or not. If they were not holding the spot for your child, another child would be there in their place and would be paying for that spot. Providers should also bill in advance and make no exceptions because some families tend to take advantage of childcare providers and, because of the very nurturing and caring nature of childcare providers, they tend to fall prey to sob stories. Strict adherence to these policies ensures your provider will be able to afford to continue to provide high quality care to your child. I want to urge parents to remember when you find yourself upset about the fees and costs associated with childcare that you would not work for free, would you?


You Really Do Get What You Pay For.
I often wonder why parents will spend more time and money checking out a used car they are considering buying than they do when choosing a childcare provider. Those same parents are often the same ones that complain about the cost of childcare, only to spend good dollar after bad on other, dare I say, less important items like housing, travel and luxuries like gym fees and beauty treatments. I know there are parents out there that truly can barely afford quality childcare on their salaries and wages. Those families have far more difficult decisions to make than whether or not to pass on the gym membership. I don’t pretend to have a solution for this national conundrum, but I do know that no parent should EVER choose a childcare provider based on price alone! I cannot stress this enough. There are too many unqualified people masquerading as professional providers that are only caring for children because they don’t want to flip burgers. There are many community and government programs available to help bridge the gap between struggling families ability to pay and quality providers’ compensation for quality of care given.


Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Boundaries are good.
Professional care providers should give families a handbook that outlines the rules and guidelines for their business. Parents have the responsibility to be very clear about what is expected of them and what the provider will and will not be doing with your child. Discipline, transportation, food, and hygiene are all issues that parents should make sure they are in agreement with the providers’ philosophies. If not, you should find another care provider immediately.


Just remember that professional care providers take their jobs very seriously and we all benefit when our children receive high quality care. Part 2 coming soon...

Childcare Queen? Prove it!

Why do I call myself the Childcare Queen, you ask? Let me tell you ALL about it. I have been caring for children for most of my life and for ALL of my adult life.
I started as most young girls do, babysitting for neighbor kids and children at my church.
Before I entered college, I spent a summer working as a live-in nanny in Connecticut. What an interesting experience! But that's for a whole other posting...HINT: Ever read The Nanny Diaries? ;)
After I survived that summer, I realized that I truly had a gift for caring for children and decided that when I entered college, I would study Child Development with a goal to teach or counsel children. Along this long and winding road, I have been a live-in and live-out nanny for a combined 7 years for 4 different families. I have worked in daycare centers, taught pre-school, have run my own in-home daycare and have served on the board of a non-profit daycare center. In addition to all of this, I have 4 children who have all either been in some sort of childcare or currently are. I have seen childcare from EVERY possible view. It is for all of these reasons that I have dubbed myself, THE Childcare Queen!

I am excited to launch this blog because I can't wait to share my experiences with you and teach you what I have learned over the years. I truly believe parents all over can benefit from what I know and what I have experienced.
I look forward to sharing it all with you.