Childcare professionals: What can parents do to make your job pleasant and smooth?

Question

Childcare professionals: What can parents do to make your job pleasant and smooth?

Answer 1

I think we should treat each other the same.  We must be respectful of time management....I will be there to care for your child on time...you need to be respectful of my time and not schedule your child when you are not coming in or just give me a call to let me know your schedule is changed.  You need to be respectful of the time I am with your child and other childre....do not engage me in a long conversation about your child when I am caring for others too...ask me to schedule a meeting when I do not have children.  Do not make accusations about things you really do not know about....just because your child saw something one way does not make it true.  Children do not always get everything right.  On the other hand if I have made a mistake with your child please try hard to not get defensive and give me a lot of grief because I care for 18 children with various abilities, interests and attitudes.  I will not get everything right.  I will try my best to understand you have a job to do and you are focused only on yourself and your family and try not to take small things personally.  I will do the best job for you and your child that I can....I only ask that you respect the needs of myself and my classroom.

Answer 2

If you children are happy when you drop them off and pick them up, smile and know your children are in a great place that fits them. If the center needs your help with a matter do what you can. Teach all children that all teachers are just as important as you are in their life. We teach because we care, and when we see one that needs to be pushed we push because we care, if something needs to be finished or corrected then the child should do that, being its age appropriate.  We are in the business for children we love the idea of helping and protecting a child. When parents can see this and know we are humans that will make a mistake here and there then we will have a pleasant and smooth career, and the joy of working with children and families.

Answer 3

Ditto to the answer above mine.  All good tips.

Add to those:  dress your child in comfortable clothes, especially  pull on pants or shorts. No overalls or clothes with buttons and zippers that the child cannot do. No wearing underwear only until he/she is completely potty trained.  Make sure the child has an extra change of clothes.

Answer 4

We love caring for your child!  That's why we're in the field we're in.  

*Make sure we know how to reach you in case of emergency.  It's amazing how often parents forget to keep us posted on new phone numbers, etc.  

*Please keep your child home if he/she is really sick.  They will be miserable at daycare and they expose the other children to whatever they have.

*Ask your child specific questions about their day, such as "What story did you hear today?"  This will support any learning activities and reinforce them, and it shows your child that you are interested in their day.

* If your child cries when it's time for you to drop them off, this is probably very normal.  Please smile, give your child a hug, reassure them that you will be back, and walk away.  Trust me, the minute you are out of sight, he/she will be off and playing!  (It's their job to make you worry, you know!)  

*Make sure you keep us informed about any changes in your life that may affect your child's behavior so that we can best help your child.

*Please inform us if you will be late or keeping a different schedule.  It's upsetting to a child when their parent is late.  They worry!

*Please meet your financial obligation to us on time.  We have bills to pay and families to support too.

Answer 5

Good question!!

Pick up your kids on time.   If you can't, call us and let us know you're running late.  Remind your kids to be on their best behavior for us.  This makes it easier to teach them.  Show us respect always.  Don't forget that if we don't take care of your children, you can't go to work.   Being a childcare provider is our job, so pay us and pay us on time.

Answer 6

not have kids

Answer 7

I wish you were at my school.  You definitely deserve a star for this question.

All the above made sense.  I'd also like to add:

--Don't talk about your child while the child is there.  If there's a behavior problem or academic issue, find another time to talk about it.  Call me, write me a note, or ask when I'm free to talk about it.  I refuse to talk about these issues when the child is standing there.

--If you do see something that you want to address with us, the best way to do it is to describe it in terms of how it would benefit all the children in the class.  If it just relates to your child, describe it in terms of how it would benefit your child.  This is the approach I use for making most of my decisions.

--If you're late, call.  But for the love of God, when you get there, don't look at the child and say, "Sorry.  Mommy forgot."  Just say you lost track of time.  Which I HOPE is really what happened :-D  (As opposed to forgetting your son/daughter).  

--Parents love their children more than we do.  I love my students a lot, but know my parents love them more than I can imagine.  You know a LOT about what's best for your child.  At the same time, chances are that you have not taught reading/writing/math/etc. to hundreds or thousands of children in your lifetime.  So realize there's a balance there and if you work together, you can give a fantastic education to your child and trust us on how the process works. I have had parents that send their children to our school and the child will end up crying because they have been told they HAVE to chose a particular work.  It's a difficult thing to work with when a child is like that and they don't learn it as well.

I have been lucky.  I have had parents that really got involved in their children and worked well with the school.  I've heard horror stories of parents making life difficult by teachers, but I have not had any.  

Of course, this year might be different because most of my parents don't speak English.  So who knows what they say about me? :-x

Matt

Answer 8

Be on time.

Don't let your kids bring toys and treats from home.

Say more than just hi and bye!

Understand that group care is nothing like 1:1 care.

Bring in extra clothes, blankies, gloves, boots (help us be prepared!)

Don't linger at departures you are only making the child feel like you might stay and you have to go to work.

Be an advocate!!! Child care providers deserve better pay and benefits. You want higher quality care? It costs money!

Answer 9

Some things you can do are simple and practical.

1. Label your child's belongings. It is not unusual for kids to have similar clothes and the person who greeted your child in the morning may not be there late in the afternoon when it is time to leave.

2. Arrive on time, and pick your child up on time.

3. Follow your program's policies on food and toys from home. If there is a problem discuss it with the teacher or provider.

4. No flip-flops. They are hazardous.

5. Dress your child in clothes that can get messy because they will!

6. Pay your bill on time. Nobody gets rich in this business and every penny counts.

7. If you need to have a serious talk with the teacher or provider make an appointment. Arrival and departure are times when the adults need to focus on the kids.

8. I know it sounds silly,but say good-bye and hello to the adults too. A smile goes a long way.

9. Don't ask us to share information about any children but your own. It's a violation of professional confidentiality and , in some cases, state regulations.

10. If there have been changes at home that may be impacting your child's behavior, let us know. A new baby, a separation, grandma passing away or a planned move are among the things we need to know about.

11. Keep your emergency contact list current. We need to be able to reach someone if your child is sick or hurt or a blizzard is on the way.

12. Finally-understand that we have your child's best interests at heart. If we have concerns we are not accusing you of being a bad parent. We are simply trying to do what is best for your child and the program.