Neighbors Against My Daycare

[Blackcat31]

I wasn't trying to be mean but those last unregistered comments really got under my skin like they had an anti-home daycare type of mentality, and even some of the earlier ones did the same and it was still years after.

These ones irritated me the most (posted in 2011):

(posted 2012)


I do find those comments to be very rude, do they not realize this is a site for people who are interested in the child care business, not people who hate child care- because there are websites for that. I was just trying to make the point that not every home child care provider is like that and they shouldn't take their anger out on other providers because even people who don't have daycares can be bad neighbors and people who have daycares can still be good neighbors- it all depends on the person. Also everyone has a different tolerance level and some people's boiling points are lower levels than others. and like you said some people type key words and find this forum and it could cause issues for future provider whose neighbors hear about all these complaints and try to stop the daycare before the provider has a chance to prove themselves to not be like that. Yes I do think there should be training about keeping the neighbors happy before you get licensed or in workshops for child care providers. But we don't know who their neighbors are and we are not their neighbors so we cant help them other than to tell them they need to talk to their neighbors or contact their neighbor's licensor.

Like ANYTHING in life, there will be supporters and people who are anti-daycare.

That's ok. EVERYONE has a right to their opinion.

This IS a daycare forum but it isn't just for people interested in the business. It's for EVERYONE daycare affects. Including neighbors. (both supportive and unsupportive)

Also like any choice in life we make, there will be people who have preconceived notions about what we do and don't do in this profession. My advice is to not let those comments, opinions and outlooks get to you. It is what it is and not all people like children, daycare or anything to do with it.

You can't let that kind of stuff get to you or you will be continually stressed out. Just do what you love to do and do it well. No matter how great you do it though, there will always be people who think you are just a babysitter who watches TV all day and eats bon-bons.

[Unregistered]

While I agree that this might be a racist situation, allow me to present another point of view. I live in a neighborhood with a home daycare. It is right on the corner of a busy street and our residential street. The curbs near the daycare are painted red (no stopping any time) because the turns are blind - you can't see around the houses. The "customers" never park in the driveway, they park on the red-painted curb. You come around the corner and there is an SUV illregally parked that you nearly rear-ended, with a person standing on the street side putting their kid in the car. Yikes! The city just posted 5 "NO U-TURN" signs on my residential street and painted a double yellow line up the street, and put up a NO OUTLET sign, yet I was nearly hit today by a daycare customer U-turner. The day-care operator doesn't think this is her problem at all. Someone is going to get hit, maybe killed. And since it is her given right to earn a living out of her home, all we can do is call the police and get the day care customers ticketed for illegal parking, turning and driving.

So my question is - do we get to go to THEIR neighborhoods and drive in such a way as to endanger their familes? Or do we simply wait for someone to get killed? Wondering if today will be the day isn't the most restful way to spend your down time at home. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and someone will just get hurt (not killed), and then SOMETHING might finally happen to create a safe situation.

Good neighbors go two ways. Tell your customers to respect your neighbors and your neighborhood, park legally, drive legally and carefully. Enforce it. Don't let them park, even for minute, in or in front of your neighbors driveway, trash cans or mailbox. Ask them to park in your driveway first, and then legally on the curb if no space in the driveway is available. Don't let them park in the red zones or in front of fire hydrants with their emergency blinkers going. Don't let them throw their car trash on your street (yes, amazing that this happens). While you might have the right to have a home day care, your neighbors shouldn't have to suffer for it.

You know, I get the safety issues. I really do. HOWEVER, as a driver who knows that a particular area is more dangerous, you or the other driver shouldn't be "almost hitting" anything. Drivers who frequent the area KNOW the danger is there (which we know is true because you live there and see it), so it's the driver's job to be more careful and as annoying as it may be, to slow down. As far as strangers (not residents or clients) driving in the area, well any area a person does not know has the potential to be dangerous. Again, drivers need to be on the lookout. ANYTHING can happen ANY time ANY where, regardless of if a daycare is there or not. The PROVIDER is to make sure the kids aren't running in the street, supervising and ensuring the safety of her clients/kids but of course but that ends once they are off her property, you and I as drivers are to still be on the lookout. If SHE is not supervising right, and you've witnessed it, you report it. But as far as other hazards (like adults doing u-turns) how do you know it's ONLY her clients doing this? I am betting EVERYONE who goes down that road who wants to turn around would do the same thing and that's why the city has decided to mark it. They won't mark an area because 7 people are being stupid, they do it when it's a CONSTANT problem amongst MANY. I bet even if she closed it down, there would still be a problem in that area. I do agree that the provider should enforce some rules like "You know, I know you're used to parking in front of Suzies' driveway, but Suzie is not happy. Please do not park in front of her driveway anymore"

Furthermore, my neighbors who *ITCH about everything are the VERY SAME neighbors who PARTY all night long every weekend. They will go til 2am, unless us OTHER neighbors call. We try to call before 10pm so that the officers have enough time to stop them but sometimes, they can't get there for a couple hours. We have to put up with these jerks throwing sticks at our dogs, their loud partying, their SCREAMING kids at 2am because the kids are so dang tired while they are drinking, and we also put up with them burning trash in city limits where this is BANNED (where there is a fire ban amongst the whole state, even GRILLING!). WHY is that OK but they can complain about kids in the back being "loud" during outside time during the DAY?

Yeah, being a good neighbor goes both ways, but yet it doesn't.

When I ran my daycare, all but ONE neighbor (the ones behind me who are the above idiots I can't stand) said as long as we were quiet in the morning, respectful and didn't let the kids throw stuff in yards, at their pets, didn't block their driveways, they didn't care if I got my permit. NEVER had a single problem with any of the side by side/across the street or diagonally behind me neighbors. Again, the only ones who are jerks are the partyers, but I don't care WHAT they think because they don't respect ANY of us (not just me, but everyone else in the area who like their quiet at night). Perhaps they don't like noise during the day because they have hangovers, but that really isn't my problem.