Morning Activities, First Arrivals

[daycare]

My activity would be lay down a cot till 8:00am

.....I can see DCM face right now if I said that....

[Mom&Provider]

Maybe she heard from a friend that her daycare does such and such first thing and that's what made her question? Maybe she hadn't thought of it prior...like I'm sure most parents wouldn't...it is EARLY after all!? :confused:

I don't serve breakfast here, unless the child's parent says they hadn't eaten much or the child asks me directly (it's in my contract). We wait on my main level until everyone arrives, books, music, maybe even TV then go into our playroom, then outside once everyone is settled in and after a morning snack. I do allow a fair amount of free play here too though, so maybe my rules are a bit less structured then what most here offer.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Free play. Sometimes I play as well (or my husband), other times we are busy cooking breakfast and the child plays on their own.

[Abigail]

My drop offs are at 7:15, 7:35 and 8 am. Then we eat breakfast at 8:15 once everyone is finished eating they still get free play until 9:30. That gives them one whole hour together to play together and we do our bathroom breaks/diapers and clean up the kitchen during that time. It's a relaxed morning. Then we go into circle time at 9:30.

I would never do anything structed before 9 at least because i'm NOT awake and energized. Don't expect kids to be either. As long as they are safe and happy and have something to keep them busy it's all good!

I have my schedule posted on the wall in the playroom but none of my parents come into the playroom and none have asked. Do you post a schedule? I run parents through our day when they get enrolled.

[SilverSabre25]

daycare, from what I remember you serve a pretty high-end set of families--is that right? I remember that your clients tend to be...high maintenance. Which is a nice way of putting some of the tales you've told us!

Anyway, you probably need to have some sort of defined thing for the kids to do or at least a fancy-sounding speech that basically says, in fancy language, that letting the kids just play in the morning is fine and beneficial. You could say something like, "In the morning between arrival time and breakfast, we allow the children to self-select their own activities from a limited selection of options. This helps foster independence and decision-making skills and is beneficial for a young child's development."

Or something all fancy-schmancy like that, to appease the parents and their crazy tendency to want control over every little aspect of a child's day.

EDIT: on second thought, I really like what I just wrote...I'm totally stealing that (from myself, ) and sticking it in my handbook...

[daycare]

daycare, from what I remember you serve a pretty high-end set of families--is that right? I remember that your clients tend to be...high maintenance. Which is a nice way of putting some of the tales you've told us!

Anyway, you probably need to have some sort of defined thing for the kids to do or at least a fancy-sounding speech that basically says, in fancy language, that letting the kids just play in the morning is fine and beneficial. You could say something like, "In the morning between arrival time and breakfast, we allow the children to self-select their own activities from a limited selection of options. This helps foster independence and decision-making skills and is beneficial for a young child's development."

Or something all fancy-schmancy like that, to appease the parents and their crazy tendency to want control over every little aspect of a child's day.

EDIT: on second thought, I really like what I just wrote...I'm totally stealing that (from myself, ) and sticking it in my handbook...

OMG I LOVE YOU......hahahahahahah YES you hit it on the nose.

Don't get me wrong, I love ALL of my DCP I really do. (don't ask me that very question 8 months ago )

I do a lot here. By saying FREE play, I just think that it does not appease them to hear it put this way...... I will offer Fau play- I will def. use the definition that you gave me.

My clients are:
2 lawyers, husband wife
1 dentist
1 hygenist
1 works for social services state lic
1 works for county lic
Guess what..................EVERY single one of my mothers do NOT work, except 2. I have 9 families that I work with......

[SilverSabre25]

OMG I LOVE YOU......hahahahahahah YES you hit it on the nose.

Don't get me wrong, I love ALL of my DCP I really do. (don't ask me that very question 8 months ago )

I do a lot here. By saying FREE play, I just think that it does not appease them to hear it put this way...... I will offer Fau play- I will def. use the definition that you gave me.

My clients are:
2 lawyers, husband wife
1 dentist
1 hygenist
1 works for social services state lic
1 works for county lic
Guess what..................EVERY single one of my mothers do NOT work, except 2. I have 9 families that I work with......

why, thank you! Glad to be of service I have an early childhood degree; six years of college and $50k in student loans ought to at least give me the ability to "talk the talk". I really like the definition that I wrote up there, too. My handbook needed revising...:P

[My3cents]

I do a lot here. By saying FREE play, I just think that it does not appease them to hear it put this way...... I will offer Fau play- I will def. use the definition that you gave me.


I think if you say Fau play.......one of your parents is going to hear "FART" and be like.....huh? ::

Technically Fart play could be true because it is just about that time when they start loading up the diapers- ::

Then again you could say- We offer Free, Fau foo play, for your little foo foo:::::: Gosh I am just in rare form

Hey Gals- Guess what?

ITS FRIDAYhappyface

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thank you for the week full of chats- You all keep me alive

[GotKids]

I have new books set out in the reading area, things like mr.potato head on the group work tables and the lego and bead tables are open. I open at 6 am but kids trickle in until 830.

[itlw8]

this is my time for child directed activites. ( free play)