Venting Thread

[Ariana]

So sick of telling parents in a proud moment that their kid is doing XYZ and they say “oh yeah my mom taught her that” or “yes we work on that at home all the time”.

Completely discounting any work I am doing in the 50 hours a week I am with your kid. Yeah you mean grandma who has seen your kid twice in the past 6 months?! Ugh Meanwhile this kid is with me 50 hours a week.....mom even brought her here the whole March break eventhough she was off (and didn’t have to pay) and last week took a day off and had her husband bring her little “princess” promptly at 7am...pickup at 5...usual time. Yeah ok supermom you teach her everything

At this point why even be angry. Its just mostly sad that these people have no appreciation for anything we do day in and day out.

[Mom2Two]

This is 100% why burnout rates in our profession are so high. Feeling like you do a ton of work for very little recognition or payoff. You feel useless and “what’s the point”. Meanwhile kids would be lucky to be in your program and parents should understand how important your experience and education are.

[Mom2Two]

Oh man, yes please send it! Now I’m suuuuuuuper pissed-they picked up 2 hours after I first contacted!

Many of us have fees for late picks on illness calls. My contract says $20 for pick up after 45 minutes per hour or part of an hour. So for picking up 2 hours late after call for sick pick up, I would have charged $40.

That amount is starting to sound a little low to me though...

[Blackcat31]

Because their ultimate goal is to have all childcare state run under the guise of "childcare shortage".
They want the money. Participation will some day be required, so they are throwing in all kind of new regs when they can to make difficult and time consuming to complete in the future.

FWIW, I refuse to participate. It will likely be the main reason I leave this profession.
A related note: I went to some of their required trainings because it fit in with some of the training I needed for licensing. It was a room full of about 30-40 providers who were constantly CORRECTING the "trainer" because she was giving false information. False information regarding SUIDS and AHT... imagine how horrible that is given this topic has been the major focus in licensing for the last 5 years.

Participation ease and/or difficulties must be directly related to the area and who the coach is similar to the food program.

I participate. Not necessarily because I drank the Kool-aide but more for business reasons and it's super easy.

I really haven't had to do anything different nor have I had to change how I operate in comparison to how I operated prior to signing up.

I understand why so many don't want to participate but so far for me it's been useful. I struggle more with licensing changes and requirements far more than with Parent Aware.

[Snowmom]

Just a rant...I’ve participated in QRS for 13 years (since it was implemented in my state) and worked my way up to 4 stars. There was a lot of paperwork and jumping through hoops but it was attainable without being overwhelming. I felt that the categories and way of scoring were fair and provided a great way of scoring so that experience and education of the provider both received points. Providers didn’t need a degree in ECE to obtain higher scores and could instead earn points on experience and in other ways. The grants for participation were also a factor as they provided decently for the amount of extra work being QRS rated would cause providers. Most parents don’t care either way but it was a way for me personally to feel more professional.

It’s time for me to renew this summer and I’m looking at the new requirements and can’t imagine that any provider would choose to participate in the new rating scale. Especially a provider with a degree in ECE since even with that degree a provider would have to participate in a ton of additional trainings on subjects that were more thouroughly covered in college courses.. Im at the tail end of my BS in ECE and will be finishing classes this summer. I’ve been a provider for for around 20 years total. 100% inspections and a solid and successful business.. However, the requirements take very little of that in to consideration. The amount of paperwork and hoops to jump through increased 10 fold and yet the grant for participation remained the same. The list of things a provider needs to do looks daunting and would add so many hours of paperwork/training/parent involvement activities I would be surprised if centers participate much less home providers. In addition, most of the things they are requireing are not things my clients would want to participate in. If I were to reapply I’d probably only get 1 or 2 stars because the requirements for 3-5 stars are just way too much work (with little to no actual benefit for children, families or the provider).

I’m just so frustrated. I know that QRS has never been a factor in why a parent chose me, I know this will not make or break my business. I don’t get to charge more due to my QRS rating because most parents don’t even know what it is and if they did it wouldn’t be reason enough to pay more. However, I feel like I’ve worked so hard to obtain something I looked at like a “promotion” in a job where career advancement is basically non-existent only to be told that I’m now getting a demotion.

I know, it’s all in my head but I’m still upset. Why make participation in a program harder when the program already has low participation rates?

Because their ultimate goal is to have all childcare state run under the guise of "childcare shortage".
They want the money. Participation will some day be required, so they are throwing in all kind of new regs when they can to make difficult and time consuming to complete in the future.

FWIW, I refuse to participate. It will likely be the main reason I leave this profession.
A related note: I went to some of their required trainings because it fit in with some of the training I needed for licensing. It was a room full of about 30-40 providers who were constantly CORRECTING the "trainer" because she was giving false information. False information regarding SUIDS and AHT... imagine how horrible that is given this topic has been the major focus in licensing for the last 5 years.

[Blackcat31]

Why can't I find the new thread button so I can post on this site??? I spend so much time searching for the blue "new thread" button and can never find it!! Help

Click this link:https://www.daycare.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2

On the top left corner of the screen you should see the new thread button

Looks like this:

[Blackcat31]

Why can't I find the new thread button so I can post on this site??? I spend so much time searching for the blue "new thread" button and can never find it!! Help

Are you using a smart phone or PC?

[VAmomof4]

New Thread button

Why can't I find the new thread button so I can post on this site??? I spend so much time searching for the blue "new thread" button and can never find it!! Help

[Josiegirl]

Dcg4.5 thought it would be a good idea, while in timeout, to stick her leg out and attempt to trip me when I was walking by, with a child in my arms.

Newsflash: it was not a good idea. I avoided it but man I was p*ssed.

Then dcb5.5 thought it was A-ok to haul off and smack someone in the stomach because they accidentally bumped into him when they sat down next to him at snack time.

What is it with kids these days?? I've had dcks do very similar things and I have to wonder sometimes. :confused: Right now I have a 5 yo who thinks nothing of body slamming me, in fun, while I'm kneeling on the floor. Have no clue it's coming. I'm usually next to my 11 mo dck or another child and geesh, I'm 65, easily thrown off balance. She'll also do things such as your 5.5 yo does. There seems to be absolutely no emotional self control with some kids.

[BumbleBee]

Dcg4.5 thought it would be a good idea, while in timeout, to stick her leg out and attempt to trip me when I was walking by, with a child in my arms.

Newsflash: it was not a good idea. I avoided it but man I was p*ssed.

Then dcb5.5 thought it was A-ok to haul off and smack someone in the stomach because they accidentally bumped into him when they sat down next to him at snack time.

[Indoorvoice]

It's always somethimg. Finally got dcb2 to stop screaming at drop off and actually give me a nice hello for the last month. A perfect little transition that I've been feeling awesome about after dealing with a year of horrible drop offs with this little one. Now dcm and dcd have been giving him a pad of paper and a marker in the car to scribble on the way here. They do not take it away before coming in even though I've asked them too so now dcb is screaming when they have to take it away inside and marker gets all over everyone and everything. Why?! Why make it harder on him and themselves? He was doing FINE for a month with nothing, so why introduce this new thing to scream about? I swear some people feed off the drama and just have to make it hard on purpose. Yes, I will be telling them to absolutely not bring the paper anymore, but it just makes me :confused: that I even have to. Seems like such a simple thing for them to figure out and handle without the daycare lady having to make a rule and hold their hand through the process.

[LysesKids]

Ugh, another round of illness has hit us again. Coughs, runny noses.

Dcm dropped off dcb this morning. I mentioned he didn't look like he feels good. "I checked and he didn't have a fever this morning, but I still gave him some motrin."

Fats forward to after lunch - has a 101+ fever. Not sure I'm buying that he didn't have a fever this morning...

The fact she gave meds would have been a " take him home & I'll chat with you tonight." moment for me... I never took kids that had been given meds for a non fever, and most my families were good about calling & saying, my little isn't well, no fever, but I'm keeping him home anyway today

[CountryRoads]

Ugh, another round of illness has hit us again. Coughs, runny noses.

Dcm dropped off dcb this morning. I mentioned he didn't look like he feels good. "I checked and he didn't have a fever this morning, but I still gave him some motrin."

Fats forward to after lunch - has a 101+ fever. Not sure I'm buying that he didn't have a fever this morning...

[CountryRoads]

You're generous once and give someone something at no cost, and then they always expect it after that. Lesson learned!

Not daycare related, BTW. I would never give my services for free

[Ariana]

Just a rant...I’ve participated in QRS for 13 years (since it was implemented in my state) and worked my way up to 4 stars. There was a lot of paperwork and jumping through hoops but it was attainable without being overwhelming. I felt that the categories and way of scoring were fair and provided a great way of scoring so that experience and education of the provider both received points. Providers didn’t need a degree in ECE to obtain higher scores and could instead earn points on experience and in other ways. The grants for participation were also a factor as they provided decently for the amount of extra work being QRS rated would cause providers. Most parents don’t care either way but it was a way for me personally to feel more professional.

It’s time for me to renew this summer and I’m looking at the new requirements and can’t imagine that any provider would choose to participate in the new rating scale. Especially a provider with a degree in ECE since even with that degree a provider would have to participate in a ton of additional trainings on subjects that were more thouroughly covered in college courses.. Im at the tail end of my BS in ECE and will be finishing classes this summer. I’ve been a provider for for around 20 years total. 100% inspections and a solid and successful business.. However, the requirements take very little of that in to consideration. The amount of paperwork and hoops to jump through increased 10 fold and yet the grant for participation remained the same. The list of things a provider needs to do looks daunting and would add so many hours of paperwork/training/parent involvement activities I would be surprised if centers participate much less home providers. In addition, most of the things they are requireing are not things my clients would want to participate in. If I were to reapply I’d probably only get 1 or 2 stars because the requirements for 3-5 stars are just way too much work (with little to no actual benefit for children, families or the provider).

I’m just so frustrated. I know that QRS has never been a factor in why a parent chose me, I know this will not make or break my business. I don’t get to charge more due to my QRS rating because most parents don’t even know what it is and if they did it wouldn’t be reason enough to pay more. However, I feel like I’ve worked so hard to obtain something I looked at like a “promotion” in a job where career advancement is basically non-existent only to be told that I’m now getting a demotion.

I know, it’s all in my head but I’m still upset. Why make participation in a program harder when the program already has low participation rates?

This is 100% why burnout rates in our profession are so high. Feeling like you do a ton of work for very little recognition or payoff. You feel useless and “what’s the point”. Meanwhile kids would be lucky to be in your program and parents should understand how important your experience and education are.