Website Help

[craftymissbeth]

I'm redoing my website today because I've made changes to the way I do things as well as the ages I accept. I haven't done a very good job of keeping it updated or even advertising that it exists.

I'd like to add a page titled "Is XYZ Daycare Right for Your Child?". It will include important key points because my "parenting" style is definitely not the norm. I am inspired by Montessori and (especially) RIE philosophies and I know that most parents are leaning more toward attachment parent or the extreme do-not-ever-let-my-child-cry philosophies. I want to make sure that I find families that are a great fit.

These are the categories of questions I want to list and what I have so far:

Meals:

• Will your child consistently take a bottle from people other than mom and dad?

Sleep:

•  Is your non-mobile infant placed only on his/her back to sleep?
•  Does your child sleep in a crib or pack-n-play alone?
•  Can your infant soothe themselves to sleep without being rocked, give a bottle, etc.?
•  Is your infant consistently placed in their crib sleepy, yet awake?

Behavior:

I only accept children 6 weeks to 3 years (they "graduate" the fall after turning 3) so it's so important to me to at least put it out there on the webz for prospective parents to see the key points that are important to me in my program. These questions are structured so that if they answer "no" to any of them and they aren't willing to change to fit into my group then they probably aren't a good fit.

Anyone have any suggestions on more questions? What is important to you when accepting an infant?

[MarinaVanessa]

I think that those are all great questions. The only suggestions that I have right now is that you think about instead of it simply being a cheklist of sorts can you add the "why" to it?

For example ...

Will your child consistently take a bottle from people other than mom and dad?
- It is important that your baby take a bottle from a caregiver. If not your baby can experience stress and hunger and this is not ideal. During the interview process we may ask to bottle feed your baby to ensure that your baby will comfortably take a bottle from the caregiver.

Is your non-mobile infant placed only on his/her back to sleep?
- We follow Safe Sleep Practices and will never lay a child on his/her belly to sleep. If your non-mobile baby cannot sleep comfortably when laid on his/her back this program may not be a good fit for your baby. Babies that roll themselves over onto their tummies however are allowed to continue to sleep in that position.

Etc.

Just an idea. This page reminds me of like a FAQ page and I think it may be helpful to parents to have quick bursts of info on why you do what you do. This way they understand that there is reason and it's not just "because".

I would probably say something about
- Transportation ... if you want to transport in a vehicle or not
- Schedules ... do you want a cap on the last time they an drop off? Do you want consistent schedules?
- Discipline ... are there certain things that you won't do? Time-out? Negative reinforcement etc
- Fees ... If you'll be charging flat fees regardless of attendance this could be important
- Animals ... will you have any in the DC?

Pretty much anything that may be a dealbreaker for you I would include as well as typical dealbreakers for DCPs

[nothingwithoutjoy]

I think that those are all great questions. The only suggestions that I have right now is that you think about instead of it simply being a cheklist of sorts can you add the "why" to it?

I second this. Great way to get your info in there.

[spinnymarie]

I think that's a great idea.
Maybe add some questions for bigger kids since you may have openings for kids other than infants (though under three)

Is your child open to trying new foods?
Does your child thrive on routine and schedules?
Is your child a self starter? (montessori Q)

Maybe a question about the crying, like is your child allowed time to self-soothe while awake?

[craftymissbeth]

Awesome suggestions! I'm definitely going to include a little "why" after each question.

I do have a link to my handbook on pretty much every page on my website. Almost every page has a blurb somewhere in there along the lines of "If you are interested in enrolling at Blah Blah Childcare, please read through all of the Enrollment pages and the Parent Policy Handbook before enquiring about a spot."

I'm just so tired of getting babies that are held all day and have major sleep issues. I'm super consistent, but it really gets me nowhere if parents aren't willing to change what they're doing in order to help their child. I explain everything that I expect at my interviews, but it just goes through one ear and out the other.

I know this won't solve anything, but I'm hoping it will at least help. As I type, I'm listening to my 6 mo dcb scream in his pnp. I just can't take another baby that is parented completely different than what I do here. It's not fair to anyone.