Pets in Childcare Area

[permanentvacation]

Melilly,

That's pretty much what has been happening. The fact that my pets roam freely throughout the daycare area has been costing me my livelihood and as a single mother, I just can't afford to keep having parents turn me down. As much as it's going to upset me and probably my pets too, I think I am going to have to keep them in bedrooms during daycare hours.

[Cradle2crayons]

Melilly,

That's pretty much what has been happening. The fact that my pets roam freely throughout the daycare area has been costing me my livelihood and as a single mother, I just can't afford to keep having parents turn me down. As much as it's going to upset me and probably my pets too, I think I am going to have to keep them in bedrooms during daycare hours.

I'm so sorry this is an issue in yur area... I wish you had other options.
right now I'm feeling so grateful. I can bend and compromise... But with my animals... I dunno....

[Cradle2crayons]

We have a lab and he roams freely throughout the house.

I always tell prospective parents, during the first phone call, that I have a dog and he is around the children. I have never had anyone not come to my house because of it. In fact, two of my daycare parents said that they chose me because I have a dog. Ironically, neither of the two families have dogs, but they want their children to be around them.
One family wants to get a dog, you should have seen the smile on the dcd's face when he saw my dog at the interview! Dcg wasn't too fond of my dog when she started, but it's been two weeks in and she will go around him now.

I have to say that I wouldn't like the thought of having to put my dog away during hours, but, if it was turning clients away that I did have one, not just one client, but if it was many, and my livelihood was at stake, I would have to find a way to keep him away from the children. As much as I would hate to do that, it would have to be done.

Special late dcg mom, as I was saying in pp, is TERRIFIED of cats. Her mom is also and raised he kids without ANY animals at all. She told dcm and siblings all these old wives tales about cats and they believed them.

This dcm sister comes to pick up the dcb occasionally... Texts me usually before arriving.. So I can put up the dogs and cats because she's actually phobic due to how she was raised. Well, one day I knew she was coming to pick up, but the aunt didn't text me in enough time for me to lock the dog door... Well I hear the dogs barki out front... I walk out the front door to find the aunt ON THE HOOD OF HER CAR...

I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. Now it's a hilarious family joke.

I often have parents pick me due to my diversity with kids and animals.

[permanentvacation]

Cradle2Crayons,

Usually I stand my ground with parents that my pets are part of the household and this is a HOME daycare, so they either accept the pets or they can't attend my daycare. Too many parents have chosen not to attend my daycare because of the pets. So even though I don't want to, I have to give in and keep the pets away from the daycare area.

[Cradle2crayons]

Cradle2Crayons,

Usually I stand my ground with parents that my pets are part of the household and this is a HOME daycare, so they either accept the pets or they can't attend my daycare. Too many parents have chosen not to attend my daycare because of the pets. So even though I don't want to, I have to give in and keep the pets away from the daycare area.

So are they upset you have them or just that they are loose??? I always lock the dogs in my room during interviews and for the first few days of a new client drop off or pick up. Then I let them out.

[permanentvacation]

Many parents here don't want the pets to be around their children (the daycare kids). However, a lot of them don't want pets in the home at all. The ones that are okay with me having pets, then ask if the pets go around the daycare kids or in the daycare room during daycare hours. When I tell them that yes, the pets are free to go in the daycare room and are around the children during the day, many parents flip out and start saying they don't want pets around their child. Then that's often the end of the phone conversation.

[permanentvacation]

When I actually get a parent to come to an interview, they always ask to see my dog and sometimes even the cats. My dog is very friendly - once I let you in the house. So I always have him in my bedroom when a new family comes for the interview. After they are here for a little while, they usually ask to see the dog. I let him out of the room, he comes down the steps and sniffs the family, then either sits in front of one of them to be pet or sits up and puts his front paws on someone that is sitting in a chair to be pet. Even if they are screaming like a wolf just came down the steps, he's all happy and just tries to get them to pet him.

But people don't just freak out about the dog, like I said before, some of them act like my little 1 year old cat is a lion or something! I just have never met so many people that are paranoid of animals.

I'll try to post a pic of my dog to show you what he looks like. He's an Australian Shepherd and comes up to a little under my knee. I guess he's about 2 feet tall.

[permanentvacation]

My dog is the black and tan one. He's 2 years old now. The other dog is my adult daughter's dog (the husky). He doesn't live here. The pics of when the husky was here was over the weekends when there were no daycare kids here.

[Annalee]

Why are birds a no no?? Here there are no issues with birds and birds are about the only animal allowed at local schools to visit due to cat and dog allergies.
actually a few weeks ago, I took one of my birds to all of the first grade classes and it was a hit. My phone is still ringing off the hook from teachers wanting to make appointments to meet "Glitter"

Not sure, but I know the Health/Environment inspector doesn't allow it...He comes in twice a year on top of my licensing visits.. :confused:

[Annalee]

Seriously?! Because here we can't let children have any access to a pet's food, water, or pottying area (that includes fish!)

I have to keep the fish food in a place that is locked. Kids are allowed to drop the food in but we put it back in the locked cabinet. We clean the water together...

[PitterPatter]

I have a Lab mix and she is very much in the mix. This is her home, I chose to adopt her, she is family, family daycare home to me means they accept all of us or pick from the many other daycares. My dog LOVES the kids! She is at her happiest when they are here. They can do anything to her and she doesn't mind. They have tried to dress her up, ribbon her hair, use her as a car ramp when she's lying down, even a pillow. She is very protective of them too. No one can come near the house or yard when they are all outside. At lunch time she lays at their little table and waits for food to drop but never tries to take anything from them. When they get up she turns into a Roomba vaccume cleaner Sometimes when they are too busy to play with her she will just lay there beside them and if she just can't wait anymore she will reach over, grab a toy they are playing with and run so they have to chase her. This daycare wouldn't be the same without her. Our licensing lady said they adore her as well and are happy to see the bond.

[permanentvacation]

That's how my dog is with the kid of the very few parents who are comfortable with pets around their child. He lays right beside them while they are playing, the kids pet him, the baby pulls at his hair - just a little, I sit by them and try to teach the baby not to pull the dog's hair, they throw the ball for him and he brings it back to them. He LOVES children and they love him... well, the few whose parents allow them to love dogs. I want him to continue being good around kids and used to them. I am afraid that if I start locking him in a room away from the kids all of the time, he will stop being so good with kids. When I take him walking at the park, I make sure to spend some of the time walking around the playground area just so kids can pet him so he's used to random kids coming up to him while he's out on a walk. He loves the kids at the park petting him.

I just don't understand why so many parents here are scared to death of pets.
I think part of the reason is that here, many parents want home daycares to be more like mini daycare centers, but of course, don't want to pay center prices! Many parents here don't want your daycare HOME to look anything like a home. Therefore, they don't want pets in the daycare.

I don't know what I am going to decide about my pets in my daycare. I've gotten so discouraged with the parents, the children that are raised differently than I raise children, the amount of licensed and illegal childcare in the area to the point that the illegals are actually running the licensed providers out of business, and so many things about doing daycare in this area that I am really considering going out to work instead of doing daycare. I am giving it my last ditch effort for the next few weeks. If I don't get some more kids in a couple of weeks, I think I am going to go out to work.

[permanentvacation]

I don't have many pics of my dog with the daycare kids. Here's two pics of the same child on the same day petting him. Maybe I should take more pictures of the kids interacting with my dog and show them to the parents and put them on my website with the other pictures of the daycare. I might try that to show parents that my dog is great with the kids and that the kids really love being able to interact with him.

[Baby Beluga]

Okay I am going to be the odd man out here. I currently do not have any pets, but I grew up with them and had pets until just a couple of years ago. Throughout my life I have had an iguana, a rabbit, hamsters, fish, a dog, and a cat from the time until I adopted these animals until they passed. Because of this, I would actually never choose an in home who had pets. I would NEVER suggest a provider lock their pet up though, I would just kindly thank them for their time and move along.

I noticed you lived in Maryland, if you don't mind me asking what is the demographic of your clientele? I hope I don't offend anyone when I say this. I am going to word it as PC as possible, so if I do offend anyone I am truly sorry as it is not my intent. I ask because my husband is African American as is his family. He never had pets growing up, nor did his friends or extended family. In fact, they never had exposure to any animals. One day I was talking about this with his aunt who explained to me that many African American families feared animals and pets and therefore were never exposed to them. She also mentioned that being poor (her words not mine) played a role in no one ever having pets as it was just one more mouth to feed. Even as an adult she is fearful of pets. Is this perhaps a possibility for your potential clients?

[Cradle2crayons]

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I don't have many pics of my dog with the daycare kids. Here's two pics of the same child on the same day petting him. Maybe I should take more pictures of the kids interacting with my dog and show them to the parents and put them on my website with the other pictures of the daycare. I might try that to show parents that my dog is great with the kids and that the kids really love being able to interact with him.

That is prob a good idea. I have literally hundreds of photos of dck with our different animals. Even a couple of the birds. I actually, with parents permission, use the dck in different ways to help train my birds.

The special dcg that died in September... Out of the hundreds of pics I have of her... I think only a handful didn't include an animal of some sort...it was even a family joke of spot the tiny little ky among all of the critters!! One thing her family spoke about at the funeral... Was how much of an impact the animals played in KY's life. I think it was the other way around though....

Pic published w dcm permission....