How Do You Describe Group Care?

[Unregistered]

What is "Group Care"? I see this term a lot on this board. I assumed it just meant a group of kids however I have also seen a few times providers say that if the kids can't handle group care maybe they need to go to a center instead. So what is the difference? How do you describe "group care" to someone coming into your daycare for the first time.

[preschoolteacher]

I explain that group care means I must meet the needs of all the kids and not put one child's needs above the rest. I usually have to explain group care most often when a child starts potty training-- as in, bringing your child to the bathroom every 30 minutes prevents me from supervising the other children and puts the potty training above all, so I cannot do it.

Children also have to function in a group. They have to be able to adapt to our schedule. You can't cater to kids when you have a group. So kids can't snack all day (have to adapt to meal schedule), can't be violent or aggressive to others, etc.

[NightOwl]

I believe they're referring to a mixed age group. In centers, kids are divided by age into classrooms, in group care they are with mixed ages. Is that right?

[Heidi]

Center care is group care, as well. Just a little different.

Since most of us are FCC, group care for us usually means 1 adult for a mixed age group of children. A few of us here have an assistant, but primarily, we are alone.

In a center, it's still group care, but usually a larger class of same-age children with several adults.

If I were describing it to a parent, I would say what PP said. That the children need to adjust to the needs of the group of children. If a parent would prefer their child be in a child-centered care situation, they need to hire a nanny. That is one-on-one care, this is not.

I told my dcp's yesterday that as of next week, my toddlers are moving to one nap. So, I will be giving the little guy (10 m) a nap a half-hour earlier in the am, then put everyone down for nap a half hour earlier for a while, so that it's not such a long stretch for them. DCM of 10 mo immediately said "well, I just don't know if he'll be tired then yet". Ah....no, I am not going to have 3 over tired, screaming toddlers at the lunch table every day to accomidate one child. He will adjust just fine to sleeping EARLIER by 30 minutes. It's GROUP care.

[Annalee]

In my state, Family Child care is 7 children and below with one caregiver, group is 12 plus 3 school age not to esceed 15 with 2 caregivers.

[SilverSabre25]

To me, group care means a group of children of varying ages/stages from more than one family. It's a group of kids....and it's very different from a mom home with her own kid(s)

[cheerfuldom]

to me, group care is not necessarily about mixed ages. Its about having a group with one primary caregiver, similar to a large family or a school situation. The teacher is not going to coddle and cater to one student because she has a whole classroom of students to consider. I have a small group of children to care for so at times, I can accommodate schedule changes and special requests but I cant always do so.

The big issues that this comes up is with crying babies that want to be held all the time, kids that dont nap/dont nap when the others nap/scream during nap, kids with crazy random dropoffs and pickups, and kids pottytraining issues (wanting frequent sits, long sits, rewards for trying, etc). I cannot care for children who needs or wants deviate too far outside of what my group is doing and what my program provides because this is group care.....one caregiver for a group of children and each parent is paying for only a portion of my attention to their child. The most I will ever have here is 9 kids, which includes my own. This means your child cannot demand or need more than 1/9th of my time and attention. It is not going to work for me if a child wants or needs more or if a parents wants or needs more than I can give.