Parents Don't Want Their Kids Outside

[kitykids3]

Um no way. Kids play and get dirty. That's part of life. I would not keep my kids in because parents can't realize that. They can get over it or find another daycare, but good luck finding a daycare that doesn't take kids out and let them play. I would go crazy being stuck inside, especially if it's nice out. Like pp mentioned, send out a notice that effective immediately that the kids are going out to play and to dress appropriately. Then it's up to the parents on how they will respond. Are you regulated? If so, use regulation rules that outside play is required daily.

[permanentvacation]

Yes, I am licensed. We have gone outside as little as required by licensing but I have been keeping them spotless for this group of parents by keeping them on the porch and sidewalk. But that's no way for a child to 'play outside'. I have NEVER kept my kids spotless before and as a broke single mother, am trying not to lose kids, but it's just wrong to make the kids not be allowed to run around like they want to and to only go outside for a bare minimum time frame just so their parents can see them in their high dollar clothes.

Which, by the way, how is it these parents can only afford to pay me $80/wk yet can afford a $30 dollar shirt for a 4 year old? I don't even pay $30 for my own shirts! - Probably because I don't get paid enough to afford one! ANYWAY, back to the kids outside thing...

So, yes, since I am licensed, I do have rules that I have to follow as to what temperatures I should take the kids out in. Basically, as long as it 'feels like' it's under 90 degrees, it's safe to be outside. If it 'feels like' (with the temperature and heat index and whatever else they calculate to get the 'feels like' temp.) 90 to 100 degrees, we should be cautious about being outside, and if it 'feels like' it's 100 or more, it's dangerous to be outside.

I like to stay in the safe zone of feeling like under 90 degrees. So, after my big debate with my one parent today, I just checked the weather for tomorrow. I can only take the kids out until 9/9:30 am anyway! After 9 it will be too hot and then by 4 we are supposed to have thunderstorms!

Actually, that would be perfect timing for the nap schedule that this group seems to do best with. This whole group is doing the oddest things all around. They all seem to be hateful and tired in the morning. By 10 am, they all NEED a nap - even and especially the 4 year olds! So by us going out from the time they arrive until 9:30, it would be perfect timing to come in, have morning snack, and take their nap. Yep, this sounds good to me!

So, I could be outside when he arrives (like I used to be for my group before this group) and I can have him outside for 2 hours.

I am also making a more big deal about this particular child getting outside in part because over the past month or so, he has gotten worse and worse with his behavior here. He, like many in this area, has home life issues. I have no clue where the father is. He almost never sees him. His mother said that the slim occasion that he does see his dad, they typically play Grand Theft Auto!!! You know, the video game that has gangs that go around stealing cars! Yeah, that's what this 4 year old kid plays when he sees his dad! It sounds like his mom pretty much just tells him to go play inside in a room by himself while she goes to another room. She has told me that herself! So the kid is starving for attention!

I think he might not be so mean inside if he could run around and get his aggression out outside by running, kicking a ball, etc.

His mother is hoping to get him into a preschool program this coming school year. I don't know why. I teach them MUCH more than the preschools do around here. I know because I have worked in 3 of them! But I am not even trying to convince the mother to stay with me. She and I just don't blend well at all!

[snbauser]

Yes, I am licensed. We have gone outside as little as required by licensing but I have been keeping them spotless for this group of parents by keeping them on the porch and sidewalk. But that's no way for a child to 'play outside'. I have NEVER kept my kids spotless before and as a broke single mother, am trying not to lose kids, but it's just wrong to make the kids not be allowed to run around like they want to and to only go outside for a bare minimum time frame just so their parents can see them in their high dollar clothes.

I don't know the rules where you are but here, keeping them on the porch or sidewalk would not be considered outside time. Outside time is supposed to be the time for them to work on large motor skills - running, climbing, bikes, etc. When we go for walks, it is not supposed to count as part of their outside time.

[permanentvacation]

Here, outside time simply means out of the house. I got my first license in a 3rd floor apartment. My licensed outside area was the patio! I did have to put up fencing on the patio rails so no one could slip through the rails.

Like I said, I don't believe it is appropriate to have them in a smaller space and not have the room to run and all. That's why I am taking the chance of losing my kids by demanding that the parents realize that their children WILL run around outside and WILL most likely get dirty. But yeah, as long as you are out of the house, it's considered outside time here.

My kids do ride little bikes up and down the sidewalk, but it has to be one at a time because there's no room for a group of them to turn around! They have toys on the porch. It's the PARENTS demanding that their children not get dirty that is making me try to figure out how to let the kids do SOMETHING outside but make sure they don't get a speck of dirt on them.

I finally had enough of it and told my worst parent that their child needs to wear play clothes and will likely get a bit dirty and the woman had a cow! I explained the entire thing in another post above this one.

[Aussiedaycare]

I have parents like that! I ask that all kids wear play-friendly clothing, but this one mom always dresses her daughter in fancy dresses, white tights, and shiny black shoes. So after breakfast she strips and puts on her play clothes and shoes, and we get crazy messy all day! Then at 5 she strips again, I wipe her down, and her fancy dress goes back on.

Yes, it's a PITA, but it keeps mom happy and the girl gets to be a kid all day. It's worth it to me.

[Meyou]

Oh dude. I would be tempted to let her child make mud pies and then hand her a filled out term notice when she arrives and starts to rant like a crazy person. Who doesn't want their kids to play??? I don't know if I'm more angry for you or sad for him.

I know you can't term but I wouldn't certainly considering threatening it!! If Mom is single and paying for cheap care (no offense to your pricing) she probably can complain alot but not actually do much about finding other care.

[SquirrellyMama]

I would be tempted to ask these parents what their childhood was like. I wonder how many of them had parents that didn't want them to get dirty, and made them stay inside to play.

Kelly

[Sugar Magnolia]

Could you describe your outdoor play area? You mentioned sitting on the porch and the sidewalk, but what other outside play areas do you offer? Is it fenced? Also recall you live in a condo, apartment? How far away from parking or roads is your outside play area?

[deliberateliterate]

Dear uptight parents,

Effective immediately, your daily rate will be increasing by $1. This is to cover the purchase of used play clothes for your child, as well as the the cost of, and time involved for me to launder said clothes daily. Feel free to send your future leaders of America in whatever is gracing the front pages of this months GQ Jr. I'll be sure to ohh and ahh at their outfits as I'm stripping it off of them while you're pulling out of my driveway.

Truly, your 'let kids be kids' provider

[permanentvacation]

I live in a townhouse. I use the front yard for daycare. It is fenced in, is all grass with a skinny, but fully grown tree in it. I'm not sure what the tree is, but the branches droop down like a weeping willow. So the trunk doesn't take up too much room it's probably about as wide as 1 and 1/2 hands. But it does offer a good shaded area. In summer mornings, my yard is completely shaded until maybe 9. Then the sun starts getting high enough to take over the yard. But my porch stays shaded until later in the day.

As far as toys/outdoor activities, I have a smaller slide and a taller slide, a picnic table, a good variety of balls of various sizes, soccer balls, basket balls, foot balls, plastic balls, a basket ball hoop, a few little kids' bikes, little play lawn mowers, a bubble blower table, and a little kids play grill with play food. That's enough ( and a good enough variety of toys) for the kids to have fun playing outside.

I used to have a much nicer set up with much nicer toys, climbing structures, swing set, etc. But when I separated with my ex and moved, I sold all of my stuff (because I thought I was going to quit doing daycare and have to go out to work) and moved out of state, then later back in state, and have had to start all over with buying supplies for my daycare.

So, I would put the toy grill, toy food, picnic table, basketball hoop, and slide on the porch (different toys at different times since they would not all fit on the porch at the same time) and let the kids ride the little bikes up and down the sidewalk (one at a time so no one fell in the grass/dirt, or ran into each other, made each other fall off the bike and skin their knees! That way, they got to play outside, but stayed clean. It was crazy for me to keep moving the toys on and off the porch, and only allow one kid to ride a bike at a time, but that was the only way I could figure out to keep everyone as happy as I could make them.

But I finally had enough and told the parents that the kids will play in the grass and will get dirty.

[debbiedoeszip]

I'm not willing to clean children up for either a doctor's appt. or the end of the day. I have too much on my plate to be doing that. I tell parents that they are welcome to arrive early (in the case of a doctor's appt.) with a clean outfit and I'll make the bathroom and a washcloth available to them if they want to do a quick wipe down before leaving. Same deal when they want to leave with a clean child at the end of the day. Even if they arrive as I'm closing. While DH and I are doing our daily cleaning of the daycare, they are welcome to use the bathroom (I'll give them a washcloth) to clean their child up and change their clothes.

[deliberateliterate]

How did the kids come dressed this morning?

[permanentvacation]

So, here's how today went...

BEAUTIFULLY!!!

I was already sitting outside when the first child arrived (like I used to be on nice days) and had all the toys arranged in the yard - you know, like a NORMAL daycare yard would be. As each child arrived, I greeted the parent and child and simply pointed to the yard and said, "Ok, go play" I would again tell the parents that we would be outside for a while and that the kids need to be able to run around and might get dirty, but it's okay, that's what they need to do. The other parents besides the college prep one said that they agree. While the older kids' parents were still present, they slowly stepped on the grass and looked back at their moms a time or two as they continued to walk farther onto the yard. It was the weirdest thing to watch!! Kind of like watching a baby touch grass for the first time in his life! Just weird! After the parents left, the children were more comfortable and started playing like typical kids would. The younger children, my 17 month old and 2 year old, simply went in the yard and started playing just fine.

The boy that dresses like a college prep kid wore - for the FIRST time ever, a t-shirt!!! I was shocked as he got out of the car! His shorts were a little dresser than the typical boys play shorts, but they were less dressy than the college prep shorts. After playing outside, I didn't see any dirt or grass stains on him.

We stayed outside from 7:30 until 10:30. happyface Around 9, it did get to the caution level about being outside, but none of my kids have asthma or health issues, so we stayed outside. The kids had a blast, didn't fight at all, didn't tattle, anything! It was AWESOME! I felt like a REAL DAYCARE LADY with NORMAL KIDS!

I had already made their lunch last night in hopes of being able to stay outside as long as possible this morning. So, we came in, cleaned up, played inside for a little bit, ate lunch, and are now, at 12 noon, taking nap. The baby has cried the least that she's ever cried for having to take a nap. In 2 minutes, the 17 month old and 2 year old were both asleep!!!

I have been doing my job as a licensed home daycare provider for the most of 25 years. I KNOW my job and operated a very professional daycare with a very good educational program and overall good program that I was very proud of. Other providers used to call me all the time for advise and suggestions and for names and numbers of who to call when they needed to gain other information. When someone wanted to start a new daycare, many other providers would tell them to call me because they knew that I would walk them through step by step, help them get started, and give good advise. I have numerous written references from previous parents.

Over the past couple of years, since I moved to this lower income area, and because I am a broke single mother afraid of anyone not hiring me or leaving my daycare which would cause me to lose income, I have allowed the parents to tweak my daycare in various ways to the point that I lost pride in my daycare, lost interest in my job, and felt more like a babysitter that a proud professional licensed daycare provider.

I finally realized that and put my foot down about playing outside yesterday. I am taking my daycare back over! I am, again, going to tell my parents how I run MY DAYCARE and they can either hire me or not. I will also be more particular about who I allow to enroll in my daycare. If I don't think they will be a good fit, I will tell them so and not take the child.

[TwinKristi]

So happy to hear that PV!!! happyface happyface

[NightOwl]

HELL YEAH! You go, PV!!!