How Much Time Do You Spend Actively Playing...

[Crystal]

BRAVO Laundrymom!!!!! I wish there were an applause smilie

I work the same as you do, and I also am licensed, and have an education in ece, working on furthering it more, and I too, sometimes feel that others here think that's a bad thing.

Nice post. I agree 100%

[AfterSchoolMom]

BRAVO Laundrymom!!!!! I wish there were an applause smilie

I work the same as you do, and I also am licensed, and have an education in ece, working on furthering it more, and I too, sometimes feel that others here think that's a bad thing.

Nice post. I agree 100%

I've never noticed comments which would lead me to believe that people think education/licensing is a bad thing. Huh. I actually think both are fine, and that education is a wonderful thing. I'm not licensed, but not because I think that people who are are doing a bad thing...


So, those of you who are more play centered, do you think it's a bad thiing to, say, sweep the floor, do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc. while the kids are awake? Assuming, of course, that these activities don't take you out of eyesight or earshot of them.


Oh, and to add my two cents - I don't wear a bra much either. I prefer the tank tops that have the "shelf" bras built in, underneath my clothes.

[BentleysBands]

i'm shocked at things that have been said.....

i'm a total oddball....i dont base the care i give to my children on what the parents can or can not pay...thats just insane IMO

I stay on the floor w/my kids. whether they are playing amoungst themselves or i'm interacting with them. either way, i'm down on their levels.

i'm very hands on with my kids. we do ALOT of learn thru play along w/a daily preschool time with art.

[Crystal]

I've never noticed comments which would lead me to believe that people think education/licensing is a bad thing. Huh. I actually think both are fine, and that education is a wonderful thing. I'm not licensed, but not because I think that people who are are doing a bad thing...


So, those of you who are more play centered, do you think it's a bad thiing to, say, sweep the floor, do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc. while the kids are awake? Assuming, of course, that these activities don't take you out of eyesight or earshot of them.


Oh, and to add my two cents - I don't wear a bra much either. I prefer the tank tops that have the "shelf" bras built in, underneath my clothes.

There hae been many comments, especially about education, on here. I won't go back and find specifics, but they are there.

I don't think it's a "bad" thing to do the chores, especially if your completely family based - children are learning how a home is run and how to care for the home, by seeing and participating in those chores - but I think it should be minimal. Parents may not pay (some providers) enough to PLAY WITH their children, but they certainly don't pay for the provider to be taking care of her personal household duties while caring for their child either.

And, of course, SOME cleaning is neccessary....I sweep two-three times a day

[nannyde]

I guess maybe I don't do as much paperwork as others? I do a checkmark in a box on a page in a binder. Takes 1/3 of a second per child per day. Once a week I do deposit. Usually sat morning takes all of 5 min to record payments and get the deposit done. We drop it off on the way to breakfast. Yes we eat out every sat morning. I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do NOT do laundry when the kids are here unless it's a non school day and then my own kids do theirs That is part of their chores. I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. What calls take so much of your time on a routine basis to need planning for? I think in 21 years of providing care I have had to call someone I to my home 3 times ? So that's not something I need to plan for and in those times I may have spent 7-8 minutes on the phone. Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this. I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? I do have more experience and time in this profession than most providers. It will be 22 years in march. 22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. I've learned tricks and routines that work for me. I do not have a seperate area for dc. We spend our days in my home. I do the "chores" nanny mentioned AS we are playing. I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I work a 14 hour day, Monday - Friday. I completely understand not wanting to do business related things on the weekend but I refuse to take time away from the children during the day to do them. I am a licensed provider, ( and while i get the vibe from some on this forum that that is a bad thing, as if I'm not as good because I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers. The activities you describe doing during business hours are not things I do nor am I going to do during working hours. I have different guidelines for myself as to the activities I engage in during business hours. Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. That is what allows me to charge the rates I do. It is the reason that my pediatrician recommends me to her patients. The reason she brought her children to me. It is why I have a waiting list when others are closing their doors. We have had the scariest past 2 years economy wise since the great depression in my community. Over a 17.5% unemployment rate. Not to toot my own horn but ~ beep beep. I think here my niche is what people are looking for.

I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. That would be any repairs or services to the house. This week I have to have a section of the ceiling in my addition respackled and painted and the back bathroom toilet seat broke. So I had to get a painter here and one of my dc dads is coming to replace the seat. Last week the bolt on the screen door of the back door came undone disabling my door. I'm not able to do repairs because of my poor eyesight and lack of skill. I have to have someone come to do even minor repairs.

I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do around three loads per day for the day care. One load in rags and then the other two would be any cloth items I provide such as shoes, hats, coats, bibs, blankets, receiving blankets, diaper pad covers, sweatshirts, mitted sweatshirts for outside, footed pajamas for the babies to put over their clothes, infant blanket sleepers, and any clothing item on a child that doesn't work for me is removed and I put my own on. I'm hot blooded so I keep the house cool all year around. I use my own clothing to layer up the kids as needed and then remove and wash at the end of the day. I also wash any soiled clothing of the kids (spills or blow outs) and return it onto the kid or to the parents clean.

Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this.

We offer a fully organic fresh from scratch menu on everything from baby food all the way to kiddy food. We do a "Sunday Dinner" meal EVERY day. I even make my breads from scratch. Cooking for eight kids, my staff assistant, my son and I this way takes four loads a day. Slow cooking takes TIME. The peeling and chopping is something that happens daily here. We are always getting SOMETHNG prepped.

Accessing the foods one by one is VERY time consuming. That's something I try really hard to get done when the kids are up playing but most often I have to do the actual going to get it on my time off. I try to have as much delivered as I possibly can but some things I have to broker the deal, work with the processors, and go get on my own time. That ****s but it's the way it is.

I don't shop at the grocery stores. I buy each item we have one by one in quantity and then prepare and store the fruits and veggies in advance. I work with each grower/farmer to make sure that the food meets our criteria. I put up over a hundred pounds of 3 different kinds of squash this year. About 50 pounds of peaches, and around a 100 pounds total of apples. We also put up sweet potatoes, cherries, raspberries, blueberries etc. The food prep, dishes, and storing is quite time consuming. It's a good part of the fee for service here. I do a "second breakfast", lunch, and supper for the kids who are here past five p.m..

I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? Could be. I'm in my 31st year of kids and my 17 year of child care. We have two adults for eight kids. I'm a very fast working person. We just DO different things than you do in a day.

Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. YES that is a huge difference. We also push a LARGE area of dedicated space and one adult for every four children. It's cool that we can all pick what we like to do and what WE think is best for kids and then get cutomers willing to pay for it.

I do not have a seperate area for dc Mine is completely separate.

I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state YES this is what we have in common. I abide by them 100 percent every day all day. I have two inspections in the last years that were perfect inspections. Unannounced. Over 500 points of compliance and I got them all... twice. Nan don't play when it comes to the minimum standards. My State isn't too bad though. We are allowed a wide breadth of interpretation on most things.


22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. We don't have registrations available for that number of kids. Do you have a staff assistant or assistants? My parents would no go for that ratio. If I expand to a higher registration with a second "co-provider" which would allow us to have 12 kids under five (only four can be under two) I would have to meet with my clients and see if that would work for them. Because my Staff Assistant is at the two year mark soon we may consider expanding to nine. That would only be done if the current group was for it. Adult supervision ratio is important to my crew. It's one of the big draws here.

I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I don't like to check them that way. I want to make sure that every toy is visually checked regardless of whether or not it is currently being used on the day the kids are on the floor. We have three laundry baskets (about) of infant toys between our play yards and four bouncy seats (two in each area of the house). We remove them all at ONCE from each piece of equipment and check each toy... each seam... each movable part. It takes a minute or two to check each toy forchips, seam breakage, flaws or wear. We also make sure the toy is "whole".. meaning that none of the parts have come off or are loosened. Then we clean them and return. I've had a couple of experience with infant toys that were VERY expensive and used a lot having plastic/paper/paint/and inside materials failing. Even with very concientious checking it can happen. It's the stuff recalls are made of. I like to catch it before it becomes a problem. I can only do that if we remove all of them at once... check all of them.. then return and start a new group. Then I know for sure everything has been checked each time we do our inspections.

We do the same inspections on all sleeping equipment. We have JMasons which have two to four sides of fine tiny mesh. We check the mesh in every playpen every week. This requires turning over the equipment and crawling into it and checking each seam and each grid of the mesh. If we catch the wear at the begining and repair we can lengthen the life of the equipment. I can't replace the JMasons so this is another thing that must be done to protect the kids and the equipment.

The older kids toys are checked when being cleaned. We don't have too many toys that are submersible so each toy has to be done by hand. Because the older kids don't put toys in their mouth we don't have to be so fastidious about checking them as frequently. They do have to be cleaned regularly so we check the seams and surface area when we are hand cleaning them.

Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers.

I don't thnk you are an outcast. I think you are doing what you LOVE and that's what really matters. The core difference between you and I is that you are an educated professional child care provider and I am a babysitter. You are educated in child development. My bachelors degree is in Nursing Science. You are in the business of educating and caring for kids. I'm in the business of caring for them in only a babysitting role.

There's a market out there for both. I've been full and making bank for 17 years. You have been full and making bank even longer. It's all good

[jen]

Just my .02 (LOL, can't find the cents key!)

Why in the world do other providers get so up in arms about the way Nanny does her thing? Have you looked at her web page? Have you read the comments from her parents?

"Thank you so much 4 all the loving care given 2 Jacob. Wish I could be with him each and every day. Im missing him and the family so much. Thanks Nan"

"(transcribed verbatim by Mommy) "Thank you Nan! I love you. That was very sweet of you to give me that letter. We'll have fun tomorrow at the tea party. I can't wait!"

It sounds as though you think those kids are living in a boot camp! Have you looked at the pictures? They are painting, they are playing outside, they are building some rather awesome lincoln log houses!

Her kids are happy, her parents are happy...why in the world would it matter to you how she gets there??? Isn't that what we all want? A successful business, happy kids and happy parents?

There are members on this board who seemingly want to demonize Nan, and in their attempts to do so, fail to hear her message. She nearly always responds to these outright attackts (or sometimes just little snotty remarks) with calm and dignity. She does it her way, and it works for her (and clearly for her parents) so whats the problem? Her advice is based on her experience, take it or leave it.

[marniewon]

Just my .02 (LOL, can't find the cents key!)

Why in the world do other providers get so up in arms about the way Nanny does her thing? Have you looked at her web page? Have you read the comments from her parents?

"Thank you so much 4 all the loving care given 2 Jacob. Wish I could be with him each and every day. Im missing him and the family so much. Thanks Nan"

"(transcribed verbatim by Mommy) "Thank you Nan! I love you. That was very sweet of you to give me that letter. We'll have fun tomorrow at the tea party. I can't wait!"

It sounds as though you think those kids are living in a boot camp! Have you looked at the pictures? They are painting, they are playing outside, they are building some rather awesome lincoln log houses!

Her kids are happy, her parents are happy...why in the world would it matter to you how she gets there??? Isn't that what we all want? A successful business, happy kids and happy parents?

There are members on this board who seemingly want to demonize Nan, and in their attempts to do so, fail to hear her message. She nearly always responds to these outright attackts (or sometimes just little snotty remarks) with calm and dignity. She does it her way, and it works for her (and clearly for her parents) so whats the problem? Her advice is based on her experience, take it or leave it.

Very well said, and I agree wholeheartedly.

[nannyde]

Parents may not pay (some providers) enough to PLAY WITH their children, but they certainly don't pay for the provider to be taking care of her personal household duties while caring for their child either.

Some parents don't pay for it at all. Not that they don't pay ENOUGH but they don't pay for it at all.

Having children have a childhood where they play with each other and entertain themselves is NOT a new concept. It's not a "stretch" of the imagination. ::::::

I absolutely do my personal duties when the kids are up. My son and I produce one load of laundry every three days. One in nine loads here is for our personal clothes. The time it would take to separate our stuff and do it at a different time from the day care laundry would be more time than it is to do it all together. THAT would be a waste of resources and time.

We eat the leftovers from the kids meals so again... it would be a waste of resources to make our food separately.

I pay my staff assistant about three hours a week to do heavy cleaning which includes our private living space. This is done during nap time. We have nothing else TO do personally besides cooking, cleaning, laundry. We are simple people.

Silly ::

[Blackcat31]

This place is like a chinese buffet...you never really know what your gonna get!!

I try to play with the dck's as much as I am able while still running the house as I see fit.

I am a licensed provider (state requires it) but sometimes wish I didn't have to be.

I am also working towards a Bachelor's degree in ECE. I have a CDA. But have learned just as much, if not more from others who simply have years experience.

I don't always agree with everything school has taught me but that is exactly why I am self-employed and not working for the school district. I also plan on running my own business after I graduate.

I sometimes spend up to 90% of my day playing with, mediating, inspiring, motivating, disciplining, caring for, negotiating with and generally in the middle of all the daycare kids' activities, games, adventures and fights BUT I SPEND 100% OF MY DAY LOVING/CARING FOR MY DAYCARE KIDS! everyday is different and that is why I love my job!

Oh, and I wear my bra as little as possible! On when I go to work and off the second I get home from work!

[AfterSchoolMom]

Jen, I completely agree!! The thing that makes a successful forum is that everyone is different, with differing outlooks and ways of doing things...and that we can all respect those differences.

[Crystal]

Just my .02 (LOL, can't find the cents key!)

Why in the world do other providers get so up in arms about the way Nanny does her thing? Have you looked at her web page? Have you read the comments from her parents?

"Thank you so much 4 all the loving care given 2 Jacob. Wish I could be with him each and every day. Im missing him and the family so much. Thanks Nan"

"(transcribed verbatim by Mommy) "Thank you Nan! I love you. That was very sweet of you to give me that letter. We'll have fun tomorrow at the tea party. I can't wait!"

It sounds as though you think those kids are living in a boot camp! Have you looked at the pictures? They are painting, they are playing outside, they are building some rather awesome lincoln log houses!

Her kids are happy, her parents are happy...why in the world would it matter to you how she gets there??? Isn't that what we all want? A successful business, happy kids and happy parents?

There are members on this board who seemingly want to demonize Nan, and in their attempts to do so, fail to hear her message. She nearly always responds to these outright attackts (or sometimes just little snotty remarks) with calm and dignity. She does it her way, and it works for her (and clearly for her parents) so whats the problem? Her advice is based on her experience, take it or leave it.

When you post on a forum full of child care providers, members whom have invested much of their lives into their business and the care of children, providers who are passionate about their work and play with young children, you cannot post flammatory statements such as parents don't pay you enough to PLAY with their children, without getting responses that you may not like.

Ans, How is anybody else here stating their differing opinions with nan, any different than her doing it with us?

Nanny knows her statements are flammatory and that she is going to get these types of responses. In my personal opinion, she does it on purpouse because she needs and enjoys the drama. Honestly, she does quite well defending herself, there's really no need for anyone else to do it for her, but there ya go.

[jen]

When you post on a forum full of child care providers, members whom have invested much of their lives into their business and the care of children, providers who are passionate about their work and play with young children, you cannot post flammatory statements such as parents don't pay you enough to PLAY with their children, without getting responses that you may not like.

Ans, How is anybody else here stating their differing opinions with nan, any different than her doing it with us?

Nanny knows her statements are flammatory and that she is going to get these types of responses. In my personal opinion, she does it on purpouse because she needs and enjoys the drama. Honestly, she does quite well defending herself, there's really no need for anyone else to do it for her, but there ya go.

...I wouldn't begin to think that I could do a better job at defending Nan than she can!

It's just that MY personal opinion is that if people really took the time to understand what was written, they wouldn't find it so controversial. If I were to give Nan any advice it all, it would be to dumb it down a little, so that her points weren't lost in the uproar.

What I read is that there is a difference in job responsiblities between a Nanny and a daycare provider. Daycare providers care for a group of children and while they do interact with the children, it is not the level of one on one attention provided by a Nanny. Nanny's cost more than group child care providers do, due to the nature of their work. If someone wanted her to provide Nanny-Care it would be an additional fee as she has other responsibilities and cannot provide that level of care for one child.

Or, in other words, $25 a day doesn't buy you a FULL day of one on one attention. It buys you group care, with a loving and safe provider, or in her case TWO loving and safe providers, plenty of toys and activities, and the optimum level of safety and good nutrition. Sounds like a deal to me.

Oh, and the difference between Nan doing it and the way that SOME of the others are doing it is this... you don't really hear Nan going off the deep end and making random snarky comments at people she disagrees with. She is VERY professional in her responses, which personally I find refreshing.

[laundrymom]

I think if your laundry is on the same floor it is fine at nap while they are sleeping,.. but when they are awake no I dont think so. I automatically load dishes, when they are finished eating. I sweep before they arrive and after they leave. I of course clean up a mess if we spill or get crazy with glitter, but routine cleaning happens when they arent here. As per lic rules I have to be within site or sound, as per accreditation guidelines I have to be within site AND sound at all times.

I've never noticed comments which would lead me to believe that people think education/licensing is a bad thing. Huh. I actually think both are fine, and that education is a wonderful thing. I'm not licensed, but not because I think that people who are are doing a bad thing...


So, those of you who are more play centered, do you think it's a bad thiing to, say, sweep the floor, do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc. while the kids are awake? Assuming, of course, that these activities don't take you out of eyesight or earshot of them.


Oh, and to add my two cents - I don't wear a bra much either. I prefer the tank tops that have the "shelf" bras built in, underneath my clothes.

[nannyde]

I think if your laundry is on the same floor it is fine at nap while they are sleeping,.. but when they are awake no I dont think so. I automatically load dishes, when they are finished eating. I sweep before they arrive and after they leave. I of course clean up a mess if we spill or get crazy with glitter, but routine cleaning happens when they arent here. As per lic rules I have to be within site or sound, as per accreditation guidelines I have to be within site AND sound at all times.

I know some providers who do it that way. My playrooms are on two floors so the laundry is upstairs next to one play room.

I like to get all the laundry done when the kids are up. The secret to doing three loads of laundry a day is to have the kids do it. We have the kids start folding laundry when they are new two year olds:

First bibs (one fold)
then rags (two fold)
then towels (three fold)

and on and on.

The pack leader (eldest in the group) "gets" to match the socks. We make sure we have a FULL bin of white socks and then let her/him at it.

One of the first complete sentences these guys say is "I fold rags?" ::

[Blackcat31]

The secret to doing three loads of laundry a day is to have the kids do it. We have the kids start folding laundry when they are new two year olds:

First bibs (one fold)
then rags (two fold)
then towels (three fold)

and on and on.

The pack leader (eldest in the group) "gets" to match the socks. We make sure we have a FULL bin of white socks and then let her/him at it.

One of the first complete sentences these guys say is "I fold rags?" ::

Isn't there child labor laws against that?!?! I AM ONLY KIDDING!! That is great! What a neat way to have them be productive and learn something at the same time; matching, teamwork, cooperation and household chores....for boys, their mothers and future wives will appreciate it!!