Curious..Am I The Only One?

[Unregistered]

I am a registered user, but prefer for this thread to remain anonymous. I have a home daycare, and currently I am full. I started doing this because I wanted to be home for my four children. I am wondering though, for those of you who have "curriculums", do you consider yourselves daycares or preschools? The reason I'm wondering is because I don't have a curriculum(gasp!) and I don't want one. Am I the only one?

You see, I feel that daycare is a place for kids to go while parents work, and play! We have a schedule here, and do crafts and things like that too, all the while learning too, but I feel like if a parent wants all that curriculum stuff, wait till their three and send them to preschool. I didn't want to do this to be a teacher, because I'm not. I play with the kids and always have fun and educational things for them to do,but I don't feel that littles should be worrying about learning everything they need to for kindy by thetime their 2 & 3. What happened to kids just playing? I just feel that there is so much pressure on kids these days. They learn so much so fast, grow up so quickly, and we wonder why our society is so high strung and stressed.

I guess I'm kind of venting here, but am I the only one who just wants to take care of kids? Be the "babysitter" if you will. I just feel like parents should be the ones teaching their kids these things and that providers shouldn't be taking on the roles of the parents- even if they are with us most of their day. We aren't their parents. Does this make me a bad provider? If I may add, all my dcks are very happy here. I just feel alone in my view of childcare. Sorry so long. Any opinions are welcome!

[Lilbutterflie]

I'm with you all the way! I don't have a curriculum, and don't want one. Though I see nothing wrong with those that have one. It's just not for me.

[Cat Herder]

Join the club, we have cookies.....

Really, I am beginning more and more to believe it is a "buzz word" marketing thing instead of a "child care philosophy" everyday....

[Unregistered]

I'm with you all the way! I don't have a curriculum, and don't want one. Though I see nothing wrong with those that have one. It's just not for me.

That's great to know! I also have nothing against those who do, i just don't want to.

[DCMomOf3]

Join the club, we have cookies.....

Really, I am beginning more and more to believe it is a "buzz word" marketing thing instead of a "child care philosophy" everyday....

are there enough cookies for all of us?

[GretasLittleFriends]

I swear, I couldn't have written this better myself. I completely agree.

I have one child who is 4, going to be 5 soon, and is not in preschool. The parent's view was like "eh, whatever... child will pick things up as he grows." He felt child would be in school for years to come, why make him start too early. This little boy knows his shapes, colors, letters (sight and sound) and most of his numbers. He knows how to write most of his letters and numbers. What he doesn't know he's learning.

We read, play, sing, do puzzles, all kinds of things that are learning activities, but I do not have a curriculum either. I am not a teacher and can't see doing a set schedule with an 8 mo old, 10 mo old (mine), 2 yr old, just turned 3 yr old and this 4 almost 5 yr old during the day.

[JJPlaycare]

AMEN to that!! I felt stressed when I joined this forum because I didn't have a curriculum and I felt that so many did! I checked into it, but never got one! I feel I do have a curriculum here everyday, it just isn't mailed to me or in a box or have a step by step approach! All the kids that come here learn something new everyday and they teach me something new everyday as well! Sometimes they bring things home and sometimes they don't, but it doesn't mean we did nothing all day and it doesn't mean they didn't learn anything! Children learn easily and they are very teachable and there are many ways to go about it and to help them learn and to be kids and to have fun! I think it is great for the ones that do have a structured curriculum and there are parents out there that want that for their kids, but there are also parents out there that don't want or need that and they come to a place like mine!! Thats why it works both ways for everyone!

[KEG123]

I'm half with you... I say half because my son is almost 3 and he won't be going to preschool.... so we plan (I say plan because I have no dck at the moment) to do more things that a preschool would do. Which, is why I'm looking at all my options at this point. I don't want to stress out over it, but want to include learning with a hands on, but most of all FUN, approach!

[Blackcat31]

I am having this personal tug-o-war with this whole issue too.....
I used to work for Head Start and quit so I could run my own preschool program. I became licensed as a family childcare provider because I couldn't do it as a center without a degree....so anyways long story short is that now that I am thiscloseto having my Bachelors degree, I am not sure this is how I want to do it any more. (I am not sure I agree with all the new teaching philosophies and such)

I am finding that there is really no parental support in trying to teach the little ones "preschool" things when I have to spend so much of my time teaching them basic life skills. I think like catherder said, "preschool" has just become a buzz word in marketing and parents are really not willing to pay for preschool (at least not what I think it is worth). Parents want a safe, warm, loving place for their child to be while they are at work and the only kids in my area that get preschool are the ones who get it for free from the Head Start program.

The parents that do not qualify for Head Start do not make up enough of the market to have a preschool center and charge accordingly. They will just choose to go with a daycare option that advertises the whole preschool kit and kaboodle for less than $3.00 an hour.

I guess I am just finding out that I am not going to be able to do "school" for preschoolers since parents don't want to pay for it and if I am just going to be a family child care, then I want to focus on the basics. Self-help skills and social skills while having a safe, nutritious, loving and supportive care setting. I plan on teaching them the basic ABC's and 1,2,3's WHILE we play and have fun but it seems to be a lot less stressful to ditch the curriculum and weekly themes and just take really super good care of the children and nurture their own natural growth and development.

I like the whole approach to just go with the ideas, themes, and questions the kids want to know. I start out each day and let the kids tell me what we are doing and where our day will take us.

[MyAngels]

Mmmmm, cookies ::! I knew there was a reason I didn't do the whole curriculum thing.

I tell everyone that I interview with that I'm not a preschool teacher, and so don't expect your child to come home everyday with a worksheet or a craft. If you want your child to "do preschool" then you should start looking for something at around the age of 3.

I prefer to let kids play, and create activities and learning opportunities through that play. Sometimes it's directed by me, but most often it's directed by them and what they are interested in. I give them a warm, happy, loving home-like environment, and I'm very proud of that.

All but two families in 19 years have opted to stay here through the preschool years. Some have taken their kids to a couple day a week program so that they can have that experience, and I don't mind that at all.

[snowborden1]

Here in Nevada we are required to have a curriculum in home daycares. Even if all we have are infants in our care. It bit absurd I think.

[Unregistered]

We have cookies? I'll bring the Hawaian punch &quot

I, too, don't use any set curriculum.

The way I see it, children don't get much time to just be cared for without having an academic lesson plan shoved down their throats. My daycare is centered around caring for them, helping them to learn how to share with one another, creative problem solving and empathy. I guess you could say that I'm a bit of a hippie. We do have themes but they aren't academically heavy. The kids will have 13 years of learning and I want to give them some time to have a different type of learning.

[Childminder]

I don't have a curriculum, I'm a daycare not a school. You could say we have a play based curriculum though. The children PLAY and learn by playing. We do crafts, activities, and parent pleasers (coloring sheets). We are required to read to the children everyday and I do. They learn to get along with others. Most of my children leave here at 3.5 - 4 to go to preschool anyway and I am not certified as a teacher. Also don't get paid as much as a teacher does.

[Cat Herder]

Had to share.... Today we started by watching a baby gecko hatch.....just a perfect timing kind of thing (pipped in the incubator while I was getting out art supplies from UPS man) so I ran the newly pipped egg into the playroom (in clear critter keeper).

It set off the whole day...we learned about many tyes of animals that come from eggs...chickens, snakes, alligators etc.. I even grabbed my son's ostrich egg from his science kit...::::

Too bad it did not happen closer to Easter....::

These are the opportunities life offers...and I like to run with it...

[Meeko]

Pre-school

The National Association For the Education of Young Children have a wonderful pamphlet called "Play is FUNdemental" I have given it to parents who think I should be teaching their 2 year old's to read........it states that young children's job is to PLAY. They learn by PLAYING. Lego blocks teach math skills etc. You can go to their web site and they will send you a mountain of the pamphlets for free (or they were when I got mine)

My 3 years olds have a more structured program that they call "pre-school" but I make sure to let parents know that we cover more about the world around them than academic stuff. This week is space week for my little ones. Last week was pets.

I have a good friend who is a kindergarten teacher. She told me she gets lots of kids who have been made to learn their ABC's, etc.....but can't sit still, can't take turn, shout out to the teacher etc. She would much rather that day care's and pre-school's teach the kids life skills so they are ready for kindergarten and she can then do her job. So that's what I do.

But you'd be surprised how many parents want work sheets daily and flash cards for their babies......it's kind of sad. Kids need to be kids.

Sounds like you're doing great! Art activities etc and educational toys are great!