Families Not Prepared For Attending Daycare

[Cradle2crayons]

They don't have access ON THEIR DESK at Kinder, but I'll betcha if they raise their hand and tell Teacher they're thirsty, Teacher will see that they get water. Obviously if a kid starts working the teacher, she'll say "wait till recess/potty break/whatever".

Trust me, we don't drink 16 ounces, let alone 100. I realize you were exaggerating . But that's one of the reasons I have the water out at all times. They don't drink enough!

I should add that my DC kids are ages 5-10, but I have always had cups ready and available for 2+. And they cannot move it from where it lives. I put them on the end cap of my kitchen counter. They drink there, and put the cup back in its spot.

I don't know.... I just feel like it's a basic need, ya know? I would never withhold it.

In our school, absolutely NOT. they are allowed access to the water fountains specific times of the day. When boarding the bus on hot days, the school provides each kid with a small bottle of cold water. That's it. They aren't allowed to go get water when they want it.

[melilley]

http://themetzfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/2013/10/why-my-kids-are-not-center-of-my-world.html

I saw this and thought of this thread and some of the responses on it.

[JoseyJo]

Our licensing guidelines require that children must have access to water at all times- either that they can get themselves or to be able to ask for it and get it whenever they want.

We do not allow them to walk around w/ food or drinks though.They have to drink sitting at the table. When they are done we clear the drinks and they can ask again if they are thirsty again before meal time. At meals we serve milk and at snacks water.

[Lucy]

In our school, absolutely NOT. they are allowed access to the water fountains specific times of the day. When boarding the bus on hot days, the school provides each kid with a small bottle of cold water. That's it. They aren't allowed to go get water when they want it.

Listen, I respect the way you do things. I just can't see denying a basic need. I have parents say that they don't think their kids drink enough water, and would I push it. I can't imagine saying, "Oh no, if they ask me between meals, I say no." So it comes down to what we're comfortable with. It's all good!

[Cradle2crayons]

Listen, I respect the way you do things. I just can't see denying a basic need. I have parents say that they don't think their kids drink enough water, and would I push it. I can't imagine saying, "Oh no, if they ask me between meals, I say no." So it comes down to what we're comfortable with. It's all good!

Lol if a parent asked me that I'd tell them I provide them with the complete daily required amount and if they need more, they are welcome to push it at home .

I don't deny them their needs. Kids don't need to drink liquids all day long. They do need adequate fluids, healthy food, and a safe, healthy environment. And I provide them with that. But as I explain to parents, it's not my job to raise their kids for them. It's not my job to perform 100% of their potty training responsibilities. It's not my jobs to teach them all of my moral and Christian values. That's their job as a parent. It's not my job to be the only one who takes them out doors and it's not my job to parent them at all.

If my parents tell me their kids need to drink more water, I'd say "that's a great idea and activity you can do with the at home"

Don't get me wrong here. These kids here are in care for 8 hours. They get 100% of their fluid requirements in that period. It's the parents job to take care of hem the other 16 hours in that day. I assume they can give hem some water at home too

[Cradle2crayons]

http://themetzfamilyadventures.blogs...-my-world.html

I saw this and thought of this thread and some of the responses on it.

Absolutely

[Lucy]

Lol if a parent asked me that I'd tell them I provide them with the complete daily required amount and if they need more, they are welcome to push it at home .

I don't deny them their needs. Kids don't need to drink liquids all day long. They do need adequate fluids, healthy food, and a safe, healthy environment. And I provide them with that. But as I explain to parents, it's not my job to raise their kids for them. It's not my job to perform 100% of their potty training responsibilities. It's not my jobs to teach them all of my moral and Christian values. That's their job as a parent. It's not my job to be the only one who takes them out doors and it's not my job to parent them at all.

If my parents tell me their kids need to drink more water, I'd say "that's a great idea and activity you can do with the at home"

Don't get me wrong here. These kids here are in care for 8 hours. They get 100% of their fluid requirements in that period. It's the parents job to take care of hem the other 16 hours in that day. I assume they can give hem some water at home too

I may have given the impression that parents have complained that their kids don't drink enough HERE, as if it WERE my fault or problem. If I did, I didn't mean to.

I have long-term families (12 yrs, 10 yrs, 8 yrs, etc.), so we discuss the kids' well being just like I would if I were talking to my sister about her kids. A mom might say, "Joey just isn't a water drinker! Can you help him to remember to drink?" And I would fully know that they are doing the same at home. You've heard about that "village"? I live there.

Again, I wasn't criticizing the OP or you. And I'm not trying to change anybody's mind here. Just sayin' .......

(Sorry, OP. I didn't mean to hijack your post!)

[blandino]

My licensing regs say that children should have access to water, but I always just defined access as asking for water and having it available. I can always tell when the younger ones are thirsty because they hang out by the gate that leads to the eating area.

My kids have a drink at 8:30- 9:00 with breakfast, 11:30-12:00 at lunch, and then 3:30 at snack (they are napping between lunch and snack. So they never go long at all without a drink. They are served milk at meals, and have water for refills, and drink water at snack.

They don't have access to their cups at all times, but if they ask - they are more than welcome to them.

[Cradle2crayons]

My licensing regs say that children should have access to water, but I always just defined access as asking for water and having it available. I can always tell when the younger ones are thirsty because they hang out by the gate that leads to the eating area.

My kids have a drink at 8:30- 9:00 with breakfast, 11:30-12:00 at lunch, and then 3:30 at snack (they are napping between lunch and snack. So they never go long at all without a drink. They are served milk at meals, and have water for refills, and drink water at snack.

They don't have access to their cups at all times, but if they ask - they are more than welcome to them.

I'm not licensed but my NHI rep says available doesn't need to mean sitting out all day. Water is available. In the bottle. Right there in the kitchen. But I'm like you, they are already drinking every few hours, I think that's pretty available. Now, summer time during outside time is different. Each child takes a bottle of water outside with them and I be sure they drink it. Heat stroke happens here a LOT.

[blandino]

I'm not licensed but my NHI rep says available doesn't need to mean sitting out all day. Water is available. In the bottle. Right there in the kitchen. But I'm like you, they are already drinking every few hours, I think that's pretty available. Now, summer time during outside time is different. Each child takes a bottle of water outside with them and I be sure they drink it. Heat stroke happens here a LOT.

We do that in the summer also. I bring a pitcher of ice water and each child has a cup, and they drink drink drink the entire time.

With the number & ages of kids I have. I would worry about cups sitting out all day. I know some of my toddlers would drop theirs on the floor, and then it would be picked up by someone else. Plus, we don't take a bite or a sip, outside of the eating area (other than bottles, of course), so I wouldn't want cups in the play area.

Not saying anything about other providers who have cups out. Just that I think with my kids, and their ages, it wouldn't be feasible.

[Cradle2crayons]

We do that in the summer also. I bring a pitcher of ice water and each child has a cup, and they drink drink drink the entire time.

With the number & ages of kids I have. I would worry about cups sitting out all day. I know some of my toddlers would drop theirs on the floor, and then it would be picked up by someone else. Plus, we don't take a bite or a sip, outside of the eating area (other than bottles, of course), so I wouldn't want cups in the play area.

Not saying anything about other providers who have cups out. Just that I think with my kids, and their ages, it wouldn't be feasible.

Same reasons I have. I would have to physically come in here and watch them take each sip. I have two kids I can't trust not to take another child's cup and these kids aren't the most sanitary at home. It's just a sanitation risk for me mainly and spills etc.

Of course, if they are sick or need more fluid due to a med theya re on etc, different story entirely.

[Lucy]

Mine have their names on them, and always, always sit in the exact same spot on the end cap of my kitchen counter, which is where the eating table is, as well. With new kids, or younger kids, I do monitor that they don't take the wrong cup. And I don't do non-lid cups until I'm convinced they won't spill. Usually age 4, maybe even 5. But if an accident happens, it's water, so no real harm. I actually can't remember ever mopping up a spill, though. And I'm going on 20 years.

[Cradle2crayons]

Mine have their names on them, and always, always sit in the exact same spot on the end cap of my kitchen counter, which is where the eating table is, as well. With new kids, or younger kids, I do monitor that they don't take the wrong cup. And I don't do non-lid cups until I'm convinced they won't spill. Usually age 4, maybe even 5. But if an accident happens, it's water, so no real harm. I actually can't remember ever mopping up a spill, though. And I'm going on 20 years.

3 of my seven I could trust to use the correct cup. The other two would know and use the wrong cup on purpose. One is tube fed and doesn't get a cup at all and one is bottle fed. Whew.

I certainly admire you though. I can tell you care about the munchkins!!

[Unregistered]

I have logged out for privacy. I have been doing licensed daycare for over 15 years. But lately, I keep getting families that just aren't working out. Either the family is not prepared for blending into a group setting, the parents don't want their clothes dirty, or the parents want all sorts of special treatment for their child. I used to have families that worked out perfectly and never had problems getting and keeping kids for years. But lately, I have been going through kids every couple of weeks.

It seems like every new family I get lately is simply not prepared to handle going to daycare. I had a mom who breastfed. She knew that she was going to go out to work and not be a stay at home mom. She wanted to provide breast milk in bottles for daycare. Which is perfectly fine with me. But she never had anyone else other than the father and aunt (only for 2 days) feed the baby (3 months old) before attending daycare. So of course, the baby would not take the bottle from me. The baby would go all day long without eating at all! I watched the baby for a few days and called the mom each day to get her to pick up early to feed her baby. I simply couldn't bring myself to let the baby go all day without eating. After a couple of days, I told the mom that I couldn't keep watching the baby because he wouldn't eat.

I had a mom who raised her 1 year old to sleep all day and be up all night. Her sister decided that she needed to get a job and put the child in daycare. So they went from having the child sleep all day to being in daycare and me keeping her up all day ( except for naptime after lunch). They are mad at me because the child falls asleep at dinner time. I told them that they have to give the child time to adjust to a new sleeping pattern. They just fussed at me about her being tired.

I have had a few kids lately whose parents allow them to drink and eat all throughout the day at home. So when they come for the interview, I tell them that their child will not be allowed to do so here and that their child will be served their breakfast, lunch, and snack and that after meal time, the food and drinks will be cleared away. They will not be allowed to constantly drink and eat here. So the parents, after a few days are fussing at me because their child is hungry and thirsty when they go home. Of course they are! First of all, they are used to nibbling and drinking CONSTANTLY all day long (which is not healthy for them) and secondly, the child had snack at 3. The parents pick up at 5:30 and get home around 6 (3 hours after snack) so of course the child is going to be hungry and thirsty when they get home.

I have had parents who throw a fit if their child gets a speck of dirt on their clothes or skin their knee on the sidewalk. The children are supposed to be able to play outside. Which includes running and occasionally falling on the sidewalk which results in a skinned knee. They play outside in the grass area which also has dirt under the grass, so, when the child falls or sits down, they are going to occasionally get a grass stain and/or dirt on their clothes. But the parents flip out over these things!

Then there's the families that want special treatment. Things such as 'can you write down everything he eats and drinks, every time you change a diaper/every time he goes to the bathroom and note whether he peed or pooped, which children he played with and what things he played with, he will tell you when he's hungry and thirsty, so just feed him and give him drinks whenever he lets you know he needs them, he likes this food and doesn't like that food, if you serve him a meal and he says he doesn't like it or doesn't eat enough, you can just ask him what he wants you to make to replace what he didn't want to eat, here's his special blanket he has to carry around with him all day, and I want you to make sure no one else touches it or he will get upset, I want him to watch television/I don't want him to watch television, etc.

And of course, there's the parents that coddle their children obsessively up to the age 5! The parent babies their child so much that the child literally emotionally can't handle leaving mommy and daddy. The child cries throughout the day for weeks for the parents because they are used to being held, coddled, and doted on all day and night by their parents. The parents have told me that one or the other is constantly entertaining, holding, sitting with, laying down for naptime and bedtime with the child or the child sleeps in the bed with the parents every night. I have actually had parents who tell me that they want me to lay down beside their child and rub their child's hair until he falls asleep! NOOO!!! I can NOT lay down beside your child!!!

It just seems like the parents think I am a personal nanny or something. And it is obvious that their child rules the house at home and they expect me to allow their child to rule the daycare!


These are the types of families I have gotten in the past year or so. I used to get families that were prepared to enter a group daycare setting and the families would stay with me for years. However, in the past year or so, I haven't been able to get many families that are ready to enter daycare.

Do any of you get families like these? Do you keep them in your care? Do you make special changes as per their requests? Or do you basically tell them that they might not be a good fit for your childcare and let them go elsewhere?

I can totally relate to what your'e going thru, iv'e had several interviews and no one has been a fit, every single one of them has their child in the care of grandparents and apparently wanting to have a steady childcare or want a back up caregiver, part time, 3 hours, one hour, variable care, and of course these parents are not used to paying for child care and fight my fees, which were not high,(child care rates are all over the place in california they can go from high to very low)I live in a medium income are, that doesn't help either right now.

I do not give in to their special requests, or allow them them to change my policies, like not paying for holidays,absences, paying after care, lower my fees, they go back to the grandparents, where care is free.I get special requests like letting them watch their favorite show, baby can read videos for infants etc.
I have an interview tomorrow for an infant, I only work with 0-5, and I'm fearing it, I'm losing my confidence am I'm tired of hearing the same story over and over again and waist my time interviewing parents that don't really need care, they say one thing over the phone interview and when they get here the story and hours needed changes all the time.

Don't take me wrong I have been in this business over ten years and done very well,rarely encountered this problems before, I have plenty of experience and I attend college and hundreds of workshops, none of that matters to this parents, they only care about the bottom line $.

I'm organized and a business person and I love children, what else can I do?
You are not alone, business it's good for some and pretty bad for others right now.
There are times when I feel like giving in and just lower my fees and do whatever they ask , but no, i know that I can't do that, and at the moment I have zero kids so thats also a problem for some, they want to see kids.
I wish that I could have a good answer for you but I don't, I have been trying to figure out whats going on myself.
One thing i've done is to up my fees in my effort to avoid these type of parents.

The last client I had left because she wanted her child, a one year old to be around more children, so she went to day care that had twelve kids, and the one coming tomorrow left her current day care because they have too many kids, or at least that is her story for now. What gives? ....

[Unregistered]

A while ago, I tried leaving cups of water out for the children. It made me have to spend my entire day monitoring and refilling cups of water! The kids obviously weren't really thirsty, they just kept wanting to go back and forth to the cups on the counter to take sips constantly and began running games to see who could get there faster. They would often drink from someone else's cup - which made it so I had to constantly monitor the cups. They also went through 2-3 cups of water for each child per day which made me have to constantly fill up the cups. And of course, from drinking water constantly all day long, they were also spending half the day going to the bathroom!

My basic routine is breakfast 9am (including a drink), circle time, educational activities morning snack 10:30am(including a drink), free-play, educational activities, lunch 12pm(including a drink), nap, snack 3pm(including a drink), free-play, and, if the child is here after 6:00, dinner 6pm (including a drink). Trust me, the children are getting plenty of drinks throughout the day with their meals. They really should not need a drink in between meals here.

I have worked in 3 daycare/preschool centers. The water fountains were in the hallway. I honestly can only remember 1 time when one child asked to get water during class time. It simply didn't happen. The kids just waited for meal time.