Nap Time

[Britt507]

Every year, it seems that we have a parent that does not want their child taking a nap.

Our situation at this center is a little different. We have a group of kids in the morning and a different group of kids in the afternoon. The kids we have in the morning will go to afternoon preschool and then the kids we have in the afternoon, went to morning preschool.

The rule is that if your child is in the afternoon, they will lay down and take a nap for roughly 1 1/2 hours unless they are in TK, which they get out of TK in the middle of nap time and they are 5 or older. But we have this one parent that REFUSES to let her daughter take a nap because she won't sleep for her at home.

The problem is that her daughter wants to take a nap and there are several other kids in this group that are older than she is and naps just fine. And this particular child runs her household. My director won't talk to the mom about it at all and wants to give into the mom's demands, which I do not think is fair to the other kids who are older than her and are taking a nap.

What is the best thing to do?

[storybookending]

Every year, it seems that we have a parent that does not want their child taking a nap.

Our situation at this center is a little different. We have a group of kids in the morning and a different group of kids in the afternoon. The kids we have in the morning will go to afternoon preschool and then the kids we have in the afternoon, went to morning preschool.

The rule is that if your child is in the afternoon, they will lay down and take a nap for roughly 1 1/2 hours unless they are in TK, which they get out of TK in the middle of nap time and they are 5 or older. But we have this one parent that REFUSES to let her daughter take a nap because she won't sleep for her at home.

The problem is that her daughter wants to take a nap and there are several other kids in this group that are older than she is and naps just fine. And this particular child runs her household. My director won't talk to the mom about it at all and wants to give into the mom's demands, which I do not think is fair to the other kids who are older than her and are taking a nap.

What is the best thing to do?

Since you are at a center and your director doesn’t seem to want to help there isn’t really much you can do. What does the mom expect you to be doing in regards to naptime? What is in your centers policies?

[Blackcat31]

Unfortunately you are at the mercy of your employer.

If the director doesn't want to or won't talk to the parent, you have no options other than doing what the parent requests.

On the topic of fairness in regards to the other kids, it isn't fair but life in general isn't fair so I wouldn't worry about that aspect at all.

[Britt507]

It's not the fair aspect that bothers me, it's that the director is letting this mom pull strings because she is friends with the mom's mother.

This mom had the option to put her daughter in the afternoon preschool and wouldn't.

And I don't know what she expects us to do with her daughter but the daughter will not go be with the TK kids because they are nearly two years older than this child.

Right now, I am letting her watch a movie on the chromebook with headphones. Not fair either but it keeps her awake and quiet.

[Blackcat31]

It's not the fair aspect that bothers me, it's that the director is letting this mom pull strings because she is friends with the mom's mother.

This mom had the option to put her daughter in the afternoon preschool and wouldn't.

And I don't know what she expects us to do with her daughter but the daughter will not go be with the TK kids because they are nearly two years older than this child.

Right now, I am letting her watch a movie on the chromebook with headphones. Not fair either but it keeps her awake and quiet.

Bingo. That right there ^^ bolded above is why this will never be "fixed". If DCM is friends with the Director the staff will never have an option.

Im sorry you are in this predicament. :hug:

[Britt507]

It's just so frustrating and makes me want to find a different job. Not because I don't like the kids, but because of the other politics that go on behind the scenes.

My director is just scared of making this mom mad and stating that her daughter is to take a nap because it is our policy. Because she will pull her daughter from the program.

This DCM is kind of a nuisance, which is horrible to say, but she is. She doesn't act like the child's mother. For instance, last Wednesday, her daughter came to the center with short thin shorts on when it wasn't even that warm. We go outside from 8:40-9:20 so we put pants over her daughter's shorts so she wouldn't freeze and she got mad about it. It's just frustrating that this particular parent is trying to get her way with everything.