Why Are Daycare Providers So Undervalued???

[butterfly]

I just opened in February, and I have been pretty shocked in just that short time by how undervalued childcare providers seem to be by the very population that needs them. I just don't understand why so many people seem to think we are nothing more than glorified babysitters rather than trained professionals. I live in MD, and it took me more than a year and hundreds of dollars to become a licensed provider, not to mention the countless hours of training and workshops I have had to do - and must continue to do every year for as long as I hold my license. I did not spend all this time, money, and effort to have parents put their children in my care and then question everything I do. It's a real downer sometimes; I used to be so confident and self-assured in my parenting (I have 3 kids of my own), and these parents have a way of making me feel like absolute scum sometimes.

I currently have 3 daycare kids in my care, and the kids & their parents are great (the bad ones have thankfully come and gone). They trust me with their children, they treat me like a professional, and they recognize that I know what I'm doing. But having had so many bad experiences, I wonder if I will be able to keep doing this if good families are so hard to find? It makes me question myself sometimes, but I am not going to change my child care philosophy or my policies and procedures to fit this family or that family. Caring for the kids is the easy part; but the constant self-doubt that gets greater with every disagreement is really wearing me down.

Most people don't realize all it takes to become a child care provider and all the work it is every single day. They envision us sitting on the couch watching TV all day. I started feeling more appreciated when I started doing a better job of letting the parents know what all we actually do during the day. (by newsletters, photo sharing, take home papers, posting lesson plans, comments to children/parents about what we are learning...)

People don't like paying others for jobs they themselves feel they are capable of doing.

Diva's post about her DH being a plumber is a good example.

If parents had the skills and knowledge to do their own plumbing, they wouldn't be so apt to hire and pay for someone else to do it.

Caring for kids on a daily basis is a job most parents view as easy (that's where their idea of not wanting to pay more than a couple bucks for it comes in to play. They just don't want to do it every day.

We see this job as hard sometimes because we are dealing with multiple kids at one time, parents only see/consider THEIR child so what we do in their eyes is care for THEIR child, not all the other kids.

The paying a babysitter $10 verses paying a child care provider mentality comes from parents feeling as though the babysitter is offering supreme services by coming to THEIR house to care for their children.

Plus paying someone to watch your kids while you do something fun (going out) is worth it to most parents but not as "worth it" to pay someone while they work.

and this ^

[Laurel]

My husband is a plumber/self employed. For years he did residential service (commercial now), and still does residential on nights/weekends. Not a single person ever batted an eye at paying him $100 to SHOW UP at their house.

He just did work for a current dcf, who complain every week how expensive child care is. They thanked dh profusely when he was done. I've never received a thank you. They told me he was 'worth every penny' (of the $4,000+ bill for their new bathroom). When they handed me the check to give to my dh after saying that, I said "that really puts the daycare expense into perspective. It takes me half a year of educating your child to earn this." *wiggles giant check* She paid me this morning, and for the first time in 2 years, didn't say a THING about the cost.

I'm sure she still doesn't GET IT, but at least I shut her up. I was sick of responding "kids ARE expensive."

Love, love, love your answer!

[Laurel]

People don't like paying others for jobs they themselves feel they are capable of doing.

Diva's post about her DH being a plumber is a good example.

If parents had the skills and knowledge to do their own plumbing, they wouldn't be so apt to hire and pay for someone else to do it.

Caring for kids on a daily basis is a job most parents view as easy (that's where their idea of not wanting to pay more than a couple bucks for it comes in to play. They just don't want to do it every day.

We see this job as hard sometimes because we are dealing with multiple kids at one time, parents only see/consider THEIR child so what we do in their eyes is care for THEIR child, not all the other kids.

The paying a babysitter $10 verses paying a child care provider mentality comes from parents feeling as though the babysitter is offering supreme services by coming to THEIR house to care for their children.

Plus paying someone to watch your kids while you do something fun (going out) is worth it to most parents but not as "worth it" to pay someone while they work.