I
was a child care provider for many years, and while we never got the
recognition that we should have received, most of us were alright with
that. However, there were some providers that felt stifled when it came
to being praised to the heavens. Nonetheless, this article will help
parents to understand their child care provider in a better way.
1. It may seem like you are paying an arm and a leg for child care,
but in reality, your provider is working for pennies an hour. Let’s say
that you pay $150 a week for your baby to attend child care for ten
hours a day. In the state of Pennsylvania, a provider can only have two
infants at one time. So, let’s presume that your provider has 2 infants
and 2 toddlers/preschoolers for 10 hours a day and she’d charge $160 for
the toddlers. For a 50-hour work week, she would be making $620 before
taxes. It is recommended for anyone who works for themselves, to put
away 30% of their income for taxes. So, right away, that means that $186
goes away for taxes. That leaves the provider with $434 for food,
educational equipment, trainings, insurances, utilities, housing, gas
for the vehicle for outings, not to mention, whatever is needed for her
family. Chances are, she is working because a second income is needed.
For one month, she will have brought in $1736 for working 200 hours a
month which equals to $8.68 which is less than the average McDonald’s
worker makes. That doesn’t even count the hours that the provider uses
to clean, shop, and do paperwork.
2. She is a professional, and thus should be treated as one. I’ve had
parents talk down to me solely for the fact that I didn’t dress in a
suit and go into an office for my job. Taking care of your children is a
highly important job. Don’t disrespect the provider just because she
may be sporting a ponytail and yoga pants. (Although a respectable
provider will be dressed and ready for her chargers; she should not
still be in pajamas.)
3. A provider regards communication as an important tool between
parents and herself. Whether that communication comes in the form of a
meeting, a newsletter, or an email.
4. Providers are not substitute parents. They are not trying to take
your place or make you feel inferior. Providers take their jobs very
seriously, and we make your child feel loved and secure so that they
have an enjoyable time at our facility.
5. Since this is a home-based facility, there will be some activities
that the provider will need to attend to during the day. You may find
your provider doing laundry during naptime, which sometimes is a
necessary task for the provider to do during the day. Possibly, you may
find her vacuuming as well. Glitter is not a fun item to get out of the
carpet once it has been tramped on all day. What is not appropriate for
your provider to be doing is: being on the phone all day, watching
television, or napping.
6. Know that your provider has taken care of a lot of children in her
career, which gives her a little knowledge in the subject.
Even though you know your own child, give the provider some credit for
knowing how to potty train a child and listen to her advice. I’m not
saying that you have to take her advice, just listen to it. She may have
some good tips.
7. One thing that some parents have in their minds is that we work
for them. That is not true. We are our own bosses. This is our business,
albeit home-based it is still a business. We pay taxes, insurance, have
overhead expenses, etc.
8. Please, please keep us out of your marital affairs. We are not
marriage counselors and have no business knowing what goes on in your
bedroom. However, we should know if something serious is going on that
could cause your child to act out.
9. We already touched on communication above, however it needs to be
mentioned again. If you feel as if there is something wrong or you feel
that something needs to be changed, talk to your provider. Also, keep in
mind the laws regarding child care providers. It will help to learn
them yourself so that if you do think there is something amiss, you will
know for sure if it is against regulations. Sometimes, a silly
regulation will keep us from doing certain things that parents may find
helpful to themselves. For instance, in the state of PA, to take child
care children on field trips, there must be one other adult in the
vehicle. Regulations state that the provider cannot fully be responsible
for the children if she is driving the vehicle. Seems silly until a
provider has 6 children in a vehicle and realizes that one of them has
unbuckled their carseat and is now roaming the vehicle, making the
provider pull over to buckle him back in. Since this can happen a couple
of times, it will make an outing a stressful time for the provider.
10. One last important issue – the provider and parents are a team.
No one should be trying to outdo the other or make him or her feel
inferior in any way. A respectful provider should not make the parent
feel that they are doing a poor job of parenting. If she is, it is time
to find a new provider.
It is my hope that these tips have helped you, as the parent, in
having a successful relationship with your provider. She will be an
essential person in your child’s life. It is imperative that you and she
get along. However, it is even more important that she and your child
get along.
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