Fighting Ignorance

[NoMoreJuice!]

Copied from an ad on our local Swap/Shop FB page:

"My background is customer service but I'm open to new fields. Do u know of any company that provides ON-SITE DAYCARE where I can be close to my son? (I am dead set against babysitters or daycares & I have noone I trust to watch my son. But I have to start working)"

After many people call her out for such a moronic post(she doesn't realize that in-work childcare centers are daycares??), she replies:

"It happens more common than you think. Children has short memories and just BC they are smiling (BC they are happy to see u) when u pick them up don't mean they didn't sit on dirty diapers all day or they didn't get smacked or scolded. YouTube is full of daycare/nanny abuse videos."

Dozens of people after her commented about how their kid got 2nd degree burns from daycare, and how daycare homes are allowed to watch way too many kids to be able to provide enough attention. I'm so very annoyed right now. I'm so happy with my daycare, and my families love and trust me. But as someone once said, a thousand good stories can be negated by a single bad.

[Play Care]

I have learned to avoid those types of posts and pages.
You are not going to change anyone's mind and you'll stress yourself out for nothing.
People have prejudices about any job - cops, teachers, lawyers, etc. No job is immune.
You know you do a good job and your clients know it and more importantly the kids in your care know it.

[Thriftylady]

I have learned to avoid those types of posts and pages.
You are not going to change anyone's mind and you'll stress yourself out for nothing.
People have prejudices about any job - cops, teachers, lawyers, etc. No job is immune.
You know you do a good job and your clients know it and more importantly the kids in your care know it.

I agree with this, but I also feel like posts like the OP mentioned put us all in a bad light.

[e.j.]

I have learned to avoid those types of posts and pages.
You are not going to change anyone's mind and you'll stress yourself out for nothing.
People have prejudices about any job - cops, teachers, lawyers, etc. No job is immune.
You know you do a good job and your clients know it and more importantly the kids in your care know it.

I do understand where that mom is coming from, though, so I don't get annoyed. The news rarely reports when things go right at day cares across the country. You only hear reports when a child is hurt or killed in a day care. When the negative is the only thing you hear, it makes it hard to put things in proper perspective; it's harder to come to the conclusion that bad day cares/providers exist but most are caring and safe. She probably thinks a company's on-site daycare is better because she can stop in during breaks and lunch hour to check on her child throughout the day and reassure herself that he's okay.

She's also not wrong that children forget - or can't communicate - what went on that day at day care. It wasn't until after I had opened my own day care and my son's vocabulary had grown that he was able to tell me his former day care provider had angrily tried to force feed him celery at lunch one day. It shocked me when he told me but based on some of my own observations while he was in her care, I don't doubt she did it.

While I understand anxious moms and the negative comments some people make about day care in general, I'm also relieved when they choose something else like a company's on-site day care. I had one mom interview me a few years back and for the first time since I had opened, I was crossing my fingers and hoping a parent wouldn't choose me! She inspected my home more thoroughly than any licensor I've ever had! Working as her child care provider would have been very stressful for me!

[Thriftylady]

I do understand where that mom is coming from, though, so I don't get annoyed. The news rarely reports when things go right at day cares across the country. You only hear reports when a child is hurt or killed in a day care. When the negative is the only thing you hear, it makes it hard to put things in proper perspective; it's harder to come to the conclusion that bad day cares/providers exist but most are caring and safe. She probably thinks a company's on-site daycare is better because she can stop in during breaks and lunch hour to check on her child throughout the day and reassure herself that he's okay.

She's also not wrong that children forget - or can't communicate - what went on that day at day care. It wasn't until after I had opened my own day care and my son's vocabulary had grown that he was able to tell me his former day care provider had angrily tried to force feed him celery at lunch one day. It shocked me when he told me but based on some of my own observations while he was in her care, I don't doubt she did it.

While I understand anxious moms and the negative comments some people make about day care in general, I'm also relieved when they choose something else like a company's on-site day care. I had one mom interview me a few years back and for the first time since I had opened, I was crossing my fingers and hoping a parent wouldn't choose me! She inspected my home more thoroughly than any licensor I've ever had! Working as her child care provider would have been very stressful for me!

That is one thing it took me a long time to come to grips with, the fact that even if they choose me, I don't have to choose them.

[e.j.]

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That is one thing it took me a long time to come to grips with, the fact that even if they choose me, I don't have to choose them.

Yeah, it took me awhile, too. It's very freeing once you figure it out!

[Rockgirl]

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That is one thing it took me a long time to come to grips with, the fact that even if they choose me, I don't have to choose them.

I was going to say this as well. And I don't allow potential dc parents to inspect my entire home....I do interviews in my daycare room. There's no reason they need to see the rest of my home. There's nothing to hide, but it's my personal space. I did have an interview where the mom asked to use the restroom, and I suspect it was out of curiosity, no big deal. But anyway, they aren't there to do an inspection.

[Play Care]

I agree with this, but I also feel like posts like the OP mentioned put us all in a bad light.

I don't know about that. There are many, many parents who use DC and are happy with the care their kids get. I notice these parents tend to get annoyed with the "I don't trust DC" posts and go to bat for us. happyface
I think that's why it's especially important to do your best job with the kiddos in your care and to make sure clients are satisfied with the care received.
It's been said that word of mouth in the DC business is huge, and there's a lot of truth there.

[nannyde]

I always respond with the fact that the number one risk to a child is it's mother. After Mommy, it's mommy's boyfriend. Daycare providers are WAY down the list of potential abusers.

We worry about the kid when he is with YOU because YOU are the most likely person to abuse him.

We worry about YOU abusing him before bringing him to daycare and getting stuck under suspicion because we could possibly be caring for him during the wide window of time in which the abuse could have occurred.

We are way more at risk of losing everything because you brought us an abused kid than you are of us abusing him.

Sorry to lump you in with abusing moms but since you lump all daycare providers together with your fear... we have no choice but to do the same with all Mommies.

[AmyLeigh]

Just like any other business, we are more apt to discuss the negatives than the positives.

When was the last time we told our bff about the wonderful customer service we got at the grocery store? But as soon as the produce guy is slightly rude to us, we are ready to tell everyone who will listen about it.

Just look at the posts here. The negative are much more prevalent than the positive, both from parents and providers.

Good reports just gets brushed off, bad reports gets attention and drama.