Smoking Policy and References

[debbiedoeszip]

Not sure if the state should draw the line or not on cigarette smoke....but similarly, my neighbor walks his dog regularly....and one day while doing so he ventured into my drive while licensing was here....i was informed if the neighbor's dog left feces in my yard, I was to blame so I ASSUME if the neighbor has cigarette smoke coming into my yard I would be to blame....or at least would be expected to take the kids inside to avoid the smoke....not saying this is fair, but when being regulated by the state, their rules trump how I feel personally about the issue ????

State rules should not trump what is reasonable and/or within the providers control.

[Annalee]

State rules should not trump what is reasonable and/or within the providers control.

But too many times, it does....not that I like it, but my state has many unrealistic expectations that I have to follow. Not saying I agree, but it is what it is.

[LysesKids]

I disagree with this and see it in kids all the time...got one with a hacking cough that says she is NEVER around smoke and all smoking is done outside at the barn away from the home....yeah right, the kid can't breath.....smoke pollutes EVERYTHING! Even the doctor told her there was nothing he could do for the child and they needed to stop smoking anywhere on the premises.

I must have the twin parents... I have a kid that is the same way and he won't get better because they refuse to stop smoking in the car before pick-up, much less in the "yard". They bitch because he is constantly getting sinus infections and he just turned a year old last week...

[JackandJill]

It's somewhat unavoidable in almost every other environment though. For example, I just finished working in a call center for the last two years. You can't prevent the employee, who has just returned from having a cigarette on their break, from sitting next to you. You can't tell someone on the bus not to sit next to you. Or the person standing line ahead or behind you. Or what about the daycare parent, who smokes, and picks up or drops off their child while smelling strongly of cigarettes? Are you going to deny them access? Term them?

I hate everything to do with smoking and yes while I agree we can't always avoid it, as an adult we can do our best to minimize exposure it. You can ask for a new desk away from a smoking coworker, you can move seats on the bus or get off or move out of line. I have let a daycare family go because their personal belongs and dcg clothes had so much third hand residue on them. I chose to make myself less susceptible to exposure. I have a strong no smoking policy, that includes exclusion from the daycare home if a parent had a cigarette in the car on the way to pick up.

A child simply can not do this, though, and their little bodies are taking in all these toxins while they are still developing. If your guest has a cigarette, and then comes back inside, days later that 3rd hand residue is still in your home. If it is near the rugs and furniture they touch, climb on and chew, they are completely exposed to those insane chemicals.

I agree that sometimes it feels like government over reach but I agree with Black Cat, there are other lines of work, or ways to legally operate a child care without a license.
Its kind of like when we tell parents asking how to get out of their contract. We all know the rules a regs before getting licensed. Can't be upset if you knew it all ahead of time.

[Mike]

It's somewhat unavoidable in almost every other environment though. For example, I just finished working in a call center for the last two years. You can't prevent the employee, who has just returned from having a cigarette on their break, from sitting next to you. You can't tell someone on the bus not to sit next to you. Or the person standing line ahead or behind you. Or what about the daycare parent, who smokes, and picks up or drops off their child while smelling strongly of cigarettes? Are you going to deny them access? Term them?

I don't smoke and I also have an allergy to tobacco. I don't think that I can adequately describe how much I wish that I could always avoid cigarette smoke, but the reality is that I can't, so I'm not going to try other than not allowing smoking ever in my home, and only allowing smoking outside during non-daycare hours.

I hate everything to do with smoking and yes while I agree we can't always avoid it, as an adult we can do our best to minimize exposure it. You can ask for a new desk away from a smoking coworker, you can move seats on the bus or get off or move out of line. I have let a daycare family go because their personal belongs and dcg clothes had so much third hand residue on them. I chose to make myself less susceptible to exposure. I have a strong no smoking policy, that includes exclusion from the daycare home if a parent had a cigarette in the car on the way to pick up.

A child simply can not do this, though, and their little bodies are taking in all these toxins while they are still developing. If your guest has a cigarette, and then comes back inside, days later that 3rd hand residue is still in your home. If it is near the rugs and furniture they touch, climb on and chew, they are completely exposed to those insane chemicals.

I agree that sometimes it feels like government over reach but I agree with Black Cat, there are other lines of work, or ways to legally operate a child care without a license.
Its kind of like when we tell parents asking how to get out of their contract. We all know the rules a regs before getting licensed. Can't be upset if you knew it all ahead of time.

I can't stop DCPs from smoking, but they can't smoke on my property. Also can't totally avoid exposure, but can minimize it in any way I have control of.

[Luna]

I have been with Wee Watch in Ontario for about 8 years.
I believe the no smoking policy is a ministry licensing regulation, not a Wee Watch policy, but I could be wrong. I can tell you that no home visitor or lincensing official is ever going to visit you during non-daycare hours.
I agree the initial hoops to jump through in the beginning can be overwhelming, but after that it's much easier. For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. I totally create and run my own program. They offer suggestions and supply materials, but whether or not I use them is totally up to me. I used to do both private and Wee Watch care, but now I refer anyone who approaches me privately to ask for me through the agency.

[Mike]

They offer suggestions and supply materials, but whether or not I use them is totally up to me.

For me, that would be one of the main advantages of licensed, but after carefully weighing the pros and cons of each choice, I decided I'm going to go unlicensed. It was a page on the weewatch website that actually made my ultimate choice.

Do you love children and have loads of energy but don’t want to deal with the business aspect of running your own home daycare?

I've been self-employed in different fields most of my life, so the business aspect of it is nothing to me. I already have all that set up now. Ready to start as soon as I relocate and have a place to run the business.

[debbiedoeszip]

I have been with Wee Watch in Ontario for about 8 years.
I believe the no smoking policy is a ministry licensing regulation, not a Wee Watch policy, but I could be wrong. I can tell you that no home visitor or lincensing official is ever going to visit you during non-daycare hours.
I agree the initial hoops to jump through in the beginning can be overwhelming, but after that it's much easier. For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. I totally create and run my own program. They offer suggestions and supply materials, but whether or not I use them is totally up to me. I used to do both private and Wee Watch care, but now I refer anyone who approaches me privately to ask for me through the agency.

I actually really liked the WW home visitor. It helped a bunch that she and I seemed to agree on most of my policies and practices (including sample menus). It's good to hear that even if we had disagreed that I would still be able to run my program how I want. It's too bad that I couldn't see past my other objections. I think that I would have done well with WW.

[debbiedoeszip]

I hate everything to do with smoking and yes while I agree we can't always avoid it, as an adult we can do our best to minimize exposure it. You can ask for a new desk away from a smoking coworker, you can move seats on the bus or get off or move out of line. I have let a daycare family go because their personal belongs and dcg clothes had so much third hand residue on them. I chose to make myself less susceptible to exposure. I have a strong no smoking policy, that includes exclusion from the daycare home if a parent had a cigarette in the car on the way to pick up.

A child simply can not do this, though, and their little bodies are taking in all these toxins while they are still developing. If your guest has a cigarette, and then comes back inside, days later that 3rd hand residue is still in your home. If it is near the rugs and furniture they touch, climb on and chew, they are completely exposed to those insane chemicals.

I agree that sometimes it feels like government over reach but I agree with Black Cat, there are other lines of work, or ways to legally operate a child care without a license.
Its kind of like when we tell parents asking how to get out of their contract. We all know the rules a regs before getting licensed. Can't be upset if you knew it all ahead of time.

Sure, you can ask for a new desk, but there may not be one available that isn't next to a smoker. Tobacco is a big allergen for me. So are cats. It got to the point that there was no desk that wasn't next to either a smoker or cat owner. I just had to **** it up (or, rather, wheeze and break out in hives).

Sometimes getting off a bus or moving out of a line has serious consequences. What if that's the last bus that can get you to work on time (and your boss likes to fire people). What if the line up is at the dmv and you need a driver's license for work. Other times it's just massively inconvenient to get off that bus or out of that line.

Sure, there's a choice but it's not always a good or realistic choice.

[debbiedoeszip]

For me, that would be one of the main advantages of licensed, but after carefully weighing the pros and cons of each choice, I decided I'm going to go unlicensed. It was a page on the weewatch website that actually made my ultimate choice.

I've been self-employed in different fields most of my life, so the business aspect of it is nothing to me. I already have all that set up now. Ready to start as soon as I relocate and have a place to run the business.

I've never been self employed but I'm not daunted by what it entails. And, really, the agencies only help (business/paperwork wise) with recovering payments from clients and by potentially enticing new clients. The provider still has a ton of paperwork and accounting that they have to do themselves, both for tax purposes and to satisfy/aid the agency (attendance, menus, injury reports etc).

[Luna]

I've never been self employed but I'm not daunted by what it entails. And, really, the agencies only help (business/paperwork wise) with recovering payments from clients and by potentially enticing new clients. The provider still has a ton of paperwork and accounting that they have to do themselves, both for tax purposes and to satisfy/aid the agency (attendance, menus, injury reports etc).

I AM daunted by the business details, so there's that. But also, the support I get is a lifesaver and immeasurable.We all know this work can be very isolating, so it's good to know help is just a phone call away. They've helped me deal with difficult parents, they provide and pay for professional development and arrange transportation for any of us who want it, they make sure we get all grants available to lincensed child care providers (they can be substantial), they provide backup care if I'm sick or on vacation...it's more than chasing down payments and screening clients.