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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Much Time Do You Spend Actively Playing...
AfterSchoolMom 05:24 AM 12-06-2010
with your DCK's? For those of you who do NOT do preschool - let's say you have them there from 7:30-5:30, Monday through Friday. How much of your day is spent actively playing with them, on the floor, involved in their games, etc.? Do you do this a lot or do you expect them to entertain themselves for the majority of the day? Is it harder to do with those of you who only have 1 or 2 during the day vs. a large group?
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laundrymom 05:30 AM 12-06-2010
I would guess 3/4 the time?
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Unregistered 05:33 AM 12-06-2010
I only have 2 daycare kids (this what what is allowed without a licneses in my state) and my little girl who is a toddler here in the mornings my own 2 boys are in school till 2pm and they always do there own thing after school here is what my day looks like.

7:30am-8:00am- arrivals
8:00am-8:30am breakfest
8:30am-11:00am- free play inside (they play by there self some and I play too some)
11:00am-11:30am- lunch
11:30am-1:30pm- naptime
1:30pm-2:00pm- snack
2:00pm-5:00pm- free play in or outside (they play by there self I watch)
5:00-5:30pm- dismissal
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TGT09 05:34 AM 12-06-2010
I do a preschool program only a few days a week. The days I don't do it, I spend about 50/50. Kids need to learn to entertain themselves but also need the discipline of sitting still for certain things. IMO.
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Lilbutterflie 05:42 AM 12-06-2010
I'm gonna be honest here and say maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the day is spent ACTIVELY playing with them. I have older kids right now (2-4), so they will pretty much play with themselves and I play referee! That is, when it's free play time. breakfast time, lunch time, story time, nap time, outdoor play time, dropping off and taking my daughter to school, and snack time take up pretty much a majority of the day!
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nannyde 06:00 AM 12-06-2010
Oh not much. We set up stuff for them in our roational toy system but they play with each other. We also rotate the older kids into the play of the 1-2 year olds on their side of the room.

Kids are designed to play with kids. Been done since the begining of time. This generation isn't any different. I wish I could go back in time and ask my Grandmother this question. I can just see the look of WHAT on her face.

We try to stay out of their play as much as possible. My day care is almost always full of only children. They really enjoy each other and play wonderfully together. We love giving them the gift of self entertaining and playing with kids who are close in age to them. (meaning from age one to five). This is their one shot to have children who are two years younger... a year older... three years older... three younger to play with daily. Once they start school they will have age mates primarily in their day to day. It's a gift to give them the life experience of each other. We try to stay out of that and let them have that experience.

We do the things for them they can't do for each other like reading. Once our four to five year olds learn to read though we have them do the reading to the kids.
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AfterSchoolMom 06:40 AM 12-06-2010
Nannyde, would it be the same for you if you had just two children in your care? Or only one? I'm not trying to argue or disagree at all, I would really love to have your opinion.
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marniewon 06:47 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
Nannyde, would it be the same for you if you had just two children in your care? Or only one? I'm not trying to argue or disagree at all, I would really love to have your opinion.
I do like Nannyde - I allow the children to free-play with each other and very rarely get involved outside of reading stories or the occasional times they WANT me to play with them. I have 2-4 kids on any given day. And even when I have only 2, yes, they play together or independently. Today I only have one (the other scheduled child is sick today) so I imagine I will be doing more playing than usual, but I still encourage independent play (and really, he prefers it).
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nannyde 06:56 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
Nannyde, would it be the same for you if you had just two children in your care? Or only one? I'm not trying to argue or disagree at all, I would really love to have your opinion.
Well if I just had two kids the parents would be paying for something completely different. It would be VERY expensive to have a one to two ratio with ME being the one adult. It would be more of a Nanny situation and not group care so I would do as I was told by the parents. Whatever they wanted I would do.
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jen 07:00 AM 12-06-2010
I don't really "play" with the kids either...I push them on the swing or help them up the climber. I read stories and set up some organized activities, such as sensory activities or science experiements. I also bake with them and do yoga or gymnastics, but mostly I facilitate their play. I think learning to socialize with each other is the main point of daycare at this age, they all know how to play with an adult, they need to learn to play together.
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DBug 07:20 AM 12-06-2010
I don't spend much time at all on the floor playing with them. We spend about an hour on "preschool" activities, and probably about an hour all told with potty times, during which I'm reading to them for most of that time. But indoors or outdoors, I do my best to stay out of their games. Occasionally while we're outside I'll start a game of tag, but besides that I find that if I'm involved in their games, they are less creative in their pretend play. When left to their own devices, they come up with some amazing stuff . And, as a PP mentioned, most of my kids are only children as well, so they have lots of experience playing with adults. I want to give them the opportunity to be kids, and to learn how to interact appropriately even when they don't think I'm watching them .
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daysofelijah 07:43 AM 12-06-2010
Pretty much none. They have each other to play with. I'm not a playmate, I'm a caregiver. I do talk with them, read to them, engage them in crafts, learning activities, etc.
But during playtime I will supervise, intervene if necessary, sometimes insert an idea into the play (Maybe you could build a tower with the blocks? Are you going shopping at the store?). But no I don't really do any playing myself.
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boysx5 08:00 AM 12-06-2010
I have five to six kids a day and they do all their free play together. We do a preschool circle time for 20 mins to 30 mins.
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DanceMom 08:23 AM 12-06-2010
I have 9 kids - I play with them maybe 30 minutes or less a day..

My kids are all around the same age and usually play well together..I love them to use their OWN imaginations and problem solve with little help from me. I do preschool time and will help with puzzles and of course reading..but general "play" I do not do.
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laundrymom 08:24 AM 12-06-2010
I must be the oddball. lol. (that doesnt really surprise me, lol) I enjoy playing on the floor with them. I have a big group though and just because Im on the floor with 2 of them,.. there are still 7 who are self entertaining at any given time.
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tenderhearts 08:27 AM 12-06-2010
I do much like the others. I don't necessarily "play" on the floor with them or I'd be a "jungle gym" lol (seriously) but I help with puzzles, or put together train tracks, read, when the babies nap we play games, like alphabet bingo, penguin pat, memory, hi ho cherrio. Usually it's letting them play dolls or cars together, I don't do that haha.
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momofboys 08:42 AM 12-06-2010
Maybe 1/3rd of the time I spend actively playing & by that I do mean we play some board games or I sit & do Legos with them or read books with them. The rest of the time they play on their own.
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AfterSchoolMom 09:14 AM 12-06-2010
My situation is this: I have drop ins, so one or two at a time. They're usually 2 or 3. Should I be expected to constantly entertain them all day?
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laundrymom 09:22 AM 12-06-2010
I would think it would depend on how you personally run your program. How you structure their envionment. I dont think there is a "one right answer". (that didnt help did it? lol,.. sorry)

Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
My situation is this: I have drop ins, so one or two at a time. They're usually 2 or 3. Should I be expected to constantly entertain them all day?

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Unregistered 09:27 AM 12-06-2010
I always watch for the cues that let me know that they want me to play with them. I do play with them every day, but I also know when to back off and let them play. Some days I play with them more than other days.

Today I played on the floor with them and I had to be the patient and the 2 older girls were the doctor and nurse. Apparently, I was in rough shape and needed a lot of "doctoring". Part of the treatment included having my bare stomach scrubbed with one of the toy hand brooms, lol! I was glad when I got a clean bill of health from them, because I'm not sure how much more stomach brushing I could have handled!

For drop in kids and for days that I am low on number, I have found that the kids do want me to play more with them. I try to get a variety of activities for them to do so that they have more to do than just play with me. It sucks trying to make lunch, feed a baby a bottle (a real baby that is!) and change the doll's diaper all while trying to read a book to another kid! I'm pretty good, but I'm not THAT good! Those days are the days that "GO PLAY TOYS" comes in handy!
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MommyMuffin 09:41 AM 12-06-2010
I only have 3 dck and they play with each other, I try to help them play with certain toys that they don't quite understand yet. I will cuddle and tickle and read stories but when I try to sit by them when they are playing they tell me to"go away" . My daughter says " go in the kitchen mommy"
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SilverSabre25 09:42 AM 12-06-2010
I spend very little time playing with the dcks. Usually I'm changing diapers, getting lunch/snacks, tidying things up. My DD is the oldest and she plays pretty well by herself. The others are all pretty independent and don't require much. I will do puzzles, help with certain things, talk someone through something (like helping with a shape sorter), read books (although reading to a group this young drives me batty), and eat pretend food someone brings me.
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nannyde 09:44 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
My situation is this: I have drop ins, so one or two at a time. They're usually 2 or 3. Should I be expected to constantly entertain them all day?
For me it would depend on what I was being paid. If the hourly rate was minimum wage or higher per kid I would play with them some towards the end of their time and do activities. If the wage was just normal three/four/five dollar an hour I would have them go play.

What are the parents paying you per hour for the drop in?
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AfterSchoolMom 09:48 AM 12-06-2010
$25/day per child for one family, $30 for the other, so only $2.50 - $3.00 per hour. Unfortunately, that's all I can expect here due to so many discount providers. That's for another topic, though.
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nannyde 09:56 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
$25/day per child for one family, $30 for the other, so only $2.50 - $3.00 per hour. Unfortunately, that's all I can expect here due to so many discount providers. That's for another topic, though.
Oh yeah then I would have them play toys with each other. That's just a fee for supervision and their housing expenses that day. You could offer activites to the parents for additional fees but my guess is they will be happy to get such a great rate for just supervision and daily cost.
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misol 10:25 AM 12-06-2010
We do preschool so I have a lot of interaction with the kids but not a lot of active play (with me involved). Generally I spend about 1-1.5hrs of each day actively playing with the kids and it's not necessarily a consecutive 60 minutes either. During free play, I usually wait until I am "invited" which doesn't happen often I have three 4-yr olds who do a great job of playing with each other and entertaining themselves. I just hang back and step in occasionally to make suggestions or stop a disagreement. Most of my active play is with the 15 month old and sometimes my 2yr old (she prefers to play with the older kids).
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QualiTcare 10:32 AM 12-06-2010
nobody ever played with me when i was a kid and i would've never even thought to ask or want them to. it's not something i missed.

i don't play with my own kids either. i'll read them stories. i'll take them places. i might push them on the swing or play whack a mole, but that's about it. i'm not coloring (i'll help draw something) or playing barbies or anything else.
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laundrymom 10:37 AM 12-06-2010
I do play with my own too. Barbies dollies cards board games coloring singing skating hiking swimming laying on the grass watching the clouds. We do everything as a family.
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nannyde 10:56 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
nobody ever played with me when i was a kid and i would've never even thought to ask or want them to. it's not something i missed.
I asked my Dad one day (he's seventy) if he has a single childhood memory of an adult playing with him as a child. He said not a one. I asked his sister that... she is two years older than him... She said not one.

I don't know WHY this generation of children are so unique to the thousands of years we humans have been raising babies. I don't see how in just a couple of decades we've set some natural normal idea that adults should be playing with small children. Some how... some way.. this got tacked onto child care thru the guise of "education" and "developmentally appropriate activities". Nobody on the ground actually caring for groups of children was asked whether or not they wanted this or if they could get customers to pay for this... but put into our regs and the mindset of the parents it be.

I have been doing this for so long that I actually watched and recognized the societal shift as it was happening.
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AfterSchoolMom 10:57 AM 12-06-2010
My parents didn't play with me either, or any other adult for that matter. I remember having one or two babysitters (a teenager on an occasional day or evening) that did crafts with me/us, and once all the kids on my street went out and had a "hay fight" in the hayfield next door - those were such rare instances (literally 2 or 3 times during my whole childhood) that I remember them now, even though I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. I was an only child for the majority of my childhood, and I remember playing alone or outside with neighbor children for HOURS. It never even occurred to me to ask an adult to play with me.

That's the thing - I don't think it's my job to be entertainment for the kids. Do I love reading to them, feeding them, and caring for them? Yes. Do I want to sit on the floor and speak in a cartoon voice and dance toy farm animals around all day long? NO! I've been feeling some guilt over this - like if I'm NOT doing that, I'm not doing a good job or doing what the parents expect me to do. Nannyde is right, though - for two-fifty an hour, can parents really expect me to do that?
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marniewon 11:34 AM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
That's the thing - I don't think it's my job to be entertainment for the kids. Do I love reading to them, feeding them, and caring for them? Yes. Do I want to sit on the floor and speak in a cartoon voice and dance toy farm animals around all day long? NO! I've been feeling some guilt over this - like if I'm NOT doing that, I'm not doing a good job or doing what the parents expect me to do. Nannyde is right, though - for two-fifty an hour, can parents really expect me to do that?
That's the kicker - yes, parents can, and DO! expect us to play with their children and a whole lot more for very little money!! After reading this thread, I got to thinking of my own childhood (and my own children, for that matter). No adults ever played with me. Read to me, care for me, feed me, etc? Yep. But get down on the floor with me? No way. And I didn't do that with my own kids, well, maybe once in a great while! I love my kids and I do stuff with them all the time (and my parents with me also) but no, no one was down playing on the floor with me or my kids. I do have one child in my care who expects me to play with him, constantly. He has his parents and his 17yo sister and grandma around him. They play with him. He is very socially behind when it comes to playing with other children, he expects me to entertain him. I don't. he is my lowest paying child, and the one who expects the most out of me (special snacks/meals at odd times, playing constantly, etc). I do believe parents expect us to play with their little darlings, but I'm with Nannyde - you want me to be a nanny, pay me at least minimum wage and I'll entertain and amuse your child all day long

Just an aside....have you ever heard the phrase that parents say - "that's why I had more than one child"? Pretty sure it was in answer to the question - will you play with me? LOL
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DancingQueen 11:44 AM 12-06-2010
Very little - they play with eachother more than they play with me.
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kidkair 11:48 AM 12-06-2010
I teach them. I don't play with them. They may think otherwise but when I'm doing things with them it's to teach them something. Such as doing the crab walk. They think I'm playing with them where I think I'm teaching them a new skill. I let them play together most of the time and teach intermittently or during our curriculum time. I have a very active curriculum time so that everyone is up on their feet most of the time. I also have gotten into having one on one time with each child in our craft area. We do reading words and number recognition one on one and them just talk or color for a little bit before it's the next kid's turn. I do this so that they each get time with me and so that they learn how to use the craft area nicely. When I let them have open access to it the room became a mess that none of them wanted to clean up. I hope someday to give them open access again once they all understand how to clean up after themselves and use the materials appropriately rather than purposely making a mess. I wish I had a room that I didn't have to walk through daily. If I did then I could just let them have a messy room with tons of craft stuff everywhere.
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QualiTcare 12:15 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I asked my Dad one day (he's seventy) if he has a single childhood memory of an adult playing with him as a child. He said not a one. I asked his sister that... she is two years older than him... She said not one.

I don't know WHY this generation of children are so unique to the thousands of years we humans have been raising babies. I don't see how in just a couple of decades we've set some natural normal idea that adults should be playing with small children. Some how... some way.. this got tacked onto child care thru the guise of "education" and "developmentally appropriate activities". Nobody on the ground actually caring for groups of children was asked whether or not they wanted this or if they could get customers to pay for this... but put into our regs and the mindset of the parents it be.

I have been doing this for so long that I actually watched and recognized the societal shift as it was happening.
Even throughout school, I never had anyone say or imply that we should play with kids. Their catch phrase was that it was our job to "facilitate play," which if ur providing meaningful materials and helping them work out a problem if one arises, etc that's facilitating. Yeah I've helped my kids make a snowman and swim with them, but as far as playing w toys or activities on a regular basis I don't do that. There's nothing NOT DAP about not playing with the kids so I really don't know where or why it all started either.
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kendallina 01:44 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
Even throughout school, I never had anyone say or imply that we should play with kids. Their catch phrase was that it was our job to "facilitate play," which if ur providing meaningful materials and helping them work out a problem if one arises, etc that's facilitating. Yeah I've helped my kids make a snowman and swim with them, but as far as playing w toys or activities on a regular basis I don't do that. There's nothing NOT DAP about not playing with the kids so I really don't know where or why it all started either.
I think that's a good point about there being a difference between facilitating play and playing with the kids. I bet most (or all of us) facilitate play in some way, just to different degrees. I looked up some specifics on 'facilitating play', as I'm not so good with words and this is what I got (from naeyc):

-focus on the process not the end goal of children's play
-ask exploratory questions
-elaborate and build on children's play
-reflect the emotions that children express in their play and interactions
-help children learn negotiation skills through defining the problem when they occur
-provide varied materials to encourage exploration and play
-provide open-ended materials for play

When we talk about playing with children, I think of running with them in the backyard or making animal noises along with them or holding onto a doll making cooing noises. I don't do that very often, but sometimes. Well, I run with them and dance with them because I need the exercise...

Personally, I have a grad degree in child development, so I come from a background where NAEYC standards prevail and facilitating play is strongly encouraged. Since being on my own (only since Sept) in family preschool, I find myself stepping back from facilitating their play, because I really do believe that children need to learn to play by themselves, figure things out themselves and solve problems with as minimal adult assistance as possible.

My husband teaches at the university level and he has seen an incredibly sharp decline in young adults abilities to solve problems and think on their own. We both really think that adults are intervening WAY too much with children and children no longer have to figure things out themselves (I also think tv/electronic use is out of control and schools are focusing too much on the right answer and not at all on problem solving skills...but those are for a different post ).

Just my 2cents...
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Former Teacher 01:51 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Oh yeah then I would have them play toys with each other. That's just a fee for supervision and their housing expenses that day. You could offer activites to the parents for additional fees but my guess is they will be happy to get such a great rate for just supervision and daily cost.
Not to be rude or anything but basically what you are saying is that if the parents don't pay you enough to play with their child you don't? Nannyde, you never cease to amaze me with the comments you come up with Like I said not being rude, just stating an opinion

I am now a private nanny. The parents pay me well enough to get on the floor and give each of their children personalized attention. I teach, I play, and I help around the house. I cook whatever and whenever I want. I take off my bra and shoes. I watch whatever I want on t.v. I am basically a member of this family. The bad side? They are a military family so in 2012 they will most likely be moving. Like my mother says, then I will have to find a REAL job
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Crystal 02:11 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
Not to be rude or anything but basically what you are saying is that if the parents don't pay you enough to play with their child you don't? Nannyde, you never cease to amaze me with the comments you come up with Like I said not being rude, just stating an opinion

I am now a private nanny. The parents pay me well enough to get on the floor and give each of their children personalized attention. I teach, I play, and I help around the house. I cook whatever and whenever I want. I take off my bra and shoes. I watch whatever I want on t.v. I am basically a member of this family. The bad side? They are a military family so in 2012 they will most likely be moving. Like my mother says, then I will have to find a REAL job
lol! never ceases to amaze many of us
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marniewon 03:37 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
Not to be rude or anything but basically what you are saying is that if the parents don't pay you enough to play with their child you don't? Nannyde, you never cease to amaze me with the comments you come up with Like I said not being rude, just stating an opinion

I am now a private nanny. The parents pay me well enough to get on the floor and give each of their children personalized attention. I teach, I play, and I help around the house. I cook whatever and whenever I want. I take off my bra and shoes. I watch whatever I want on t.v. I am basically a member of this family. The bad side? They are a military family so in 2012 they will most likely be moving. Like my mother says, then I will have to find a REAL job
I'm guessing you make well over min. wage.....like I said in a post above, I'd be on the floor playing with the kids too, if the parents wanted to pay me min. wage!
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nannyde 03:42 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
basically what you are saying is that if the parents don't pay you enough to play with their child you don't? Nannyde, you never cease to amaze me with the comments you come up with Like I said not being rude, just stating an opinion
YES of course.

It's not rude at all. We SHOULD be having this conversation. We SHOULD be making it loud and clear that we... like every other business offer a range of services for a FEE. That fee represents the amount of WORK we are doing for the fee.

Why would child care be ANY different than ANY other business? Of course you get what you pay for. We understand that completely with EVERYTHING else. We pay for to the unit our electricity. We pay per gallon for our gas and our water. We pay by the minute for our cell phone.

If the parents are paying three dollars per hour then that would buy supervision, heat, food, water... basic care. If they are paying eight dollars an hour per kid and the child is one of two kids who are paying eight dollars an hour then the provider is making 16 dollars and hour. THAT buys a lot more effort, work, involvement, interaction etc. with the child.

Why would that be WRONG?

If the same child goes to the Doctor and they just see the Nurse Practicioner and doesn't have any tests or treatments done the bill would be as low as the business would allow.

If the same child needed to see a Dr and have lab work done the bill would be markedly higher.

The Doctors office is going to EXPECT to get paid more. The parents don't get to just walk in with a child and expect the health care provider to do WHATEVER the parents say or want just because they are bringing a CHILD to their office. The services the child receives are going to be based on the business being PAID to provide the services. More work means more money.

Just because we are in the business of children doesn't mean we just inately are required to do higher levels of work and involement because they are kids. We SHOULD get paid depending on "more" work. It is "more" work to play with a child then it is to have the child entertain themselves. It's "more" work to do crafts than to have the child watch TV. It's "more" work to have a child up at nap than sleeping at nap.

It's not personal. It's just the fact. It's okay if we charge "more" if we DO "more".
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kendallina 05:10 PM 12-06-2010
Yes, Nannyde, of course this is a business. Most of us are in business because we need to make money. I chose THIS business because I love children and want to do what's best for them.

The amount of money I make impacts the materials that I can buy and to some extent the amount of 'outside' hours time I put in. It does not effect how I interact with the children when the children are here. That doesn't seem right at all. I cannot imagine interacting with the children less (or in a less-quality way) if I were paid less.

Are you saying that if you got paid more you would play with the children more? What about what you believe is right for the children, where does that come in? Or is your only consideration money?
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AfterSchoolMom 05:24 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by kendallina:
Yes, Nannyde, of course this is a business. Most of us are in business because we need to make money. I chose THIS business because I love children and want to do what's best for them.

The amount of money I make impacts the materials that I can buy and to some extent the amount of 'outside' hours time I put in. It does not effect how I interact with the children when the children are here. That doesn't seem right at all. I cannot imagine interacting with the children less (or in a less-quality way) if I were paid less.

Are you saying that if you got paid more you would play with the children more? What about what you believe is right for the children, where does that come in? Or is your only consideration money?

Can't you interact with a child in a quality way without playing directly with them for 8-10 hours every day? Just because you don't want to dress dolls, to play 25 games of Candyland, etc. for the WHOLE day doesn't mean that you can't do those things for SOME of the day, right? If you still relate to them in a loving way, provide for their needs in a timely manner, and give them quality toys to play with, isn't that ok? That's where this thread started. I don't think it has to neccessarily be all or nothing, but my concern was feeling guilt over not having the desire to get down on the floor and play all day. I think Nannyde is right - I don't get paid enough to provide constant entertainment to a child all day. If parents want that, they should be prepared to pay more for it. That doesn't mean that just because I'm getting paid 2 bucks an hour I'm going to sit and watch Soaps all day either, though...just that I guess I shouldn't feel guilty about time spent cleaning, reading this forum , or any of the other things that I do during the day.


I don't think I could have used the term "all day" any more in one paragraph...sorry about that.
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kendallina 05:39 PM 12-06-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
Can't you interact with a child in a quality way without playing directly with them for 8-10 hours every day? Just because you don't want to dress dolls, to play 25 games of Candyland, etc. for the WHOLE day doesn't mean that you can't do those things for SOME of the day, right? If you still relate to them in a loving way, provide for their needs in a timely manner, and give them quality toys to play with, isn't that ok? That's where this thread started. I don't think it has to neccessarily be all or nothing, but my concern was feeling guilt over not having the desire to get down on the floor and play all day. I think Nannyde is right - I don't get paid enough to provide constant entertainment to a child all day. If parents want that, they should be prepared to pay more for it. That doesn't mean that just because I'm getting paid 2 bucks an hour I'm going to sit and watch Soaps all day either, though...just that I guess I shouldn't feel guilty about time spent cleaning, reading this forum , or any of the other things that I do during the day.


I don't think I could have used the term "all day" any more in one paragraph...sorry about that.
I do not think that quality = playing with the child all day. Earlier in this thread I said that I play with the children some, but mostly they play with each other.
What I meant to refer to when I said "less-quality way" is however one defines quality. All of us define it differently.

What I am referring to in this post is that no matter how much I'm getting paid I interact in a way that I believe is good for the children. I don't believe that it's best for children for me to be their play-partner all day. But, what Nannyde seemed to be saying (unless I misunderstood...) is that if she made more money she would play with the children more. So my question is what does she think is best for the children? Where does that fit in to how she interacts with them or is it all about the amount of money she's getting paid.

ETA: I absolutely agree it is not our job to entertain children. It has nothing to do with how much we are getting paid though. You couldn't pay me to entertain children all day, that's the exact opposite of what children need, so I wouldn't do it.
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nannyde 05:07 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by kendallina:
But, what Nannyde seemed to be saying (unless I misunderstood...) is that if she made more money she would play with the children more. So my question is what does she think is best for the children? Where does that fit in to how she interacts with them or is it all about the amount of money she's getting paid.
Oh I think you understood me.

What I think is best for children is what I offer.

We provide excellent supervision. (1 adult to 4 children max)
We provide health assessment (I'm a RN)
We provide the highest quality home made from scratch foods that are purchased locally, directly from the Farmer, in season, grass fed, free ranging, sustainable, and chemcial free.
Daily exercise
Deep restorative sleep
Dedicated space for sleep and play.
Extensive toy collections for each age group.

So we use our fees to provide supervision, food, exercise, sleep, and toy play.

That's what my parents pay for.

Every home day care provider gets to decide what services they offer and what the market can sustain. Of course you must comply with the minimum standards of health and safety in your State. Fortunately my State is very general in their standards and leave a lot of decisions up to us on how we want to execute those standards. I've had two inspections in the last three years and received a 100 percent compliance on both unnanounced. I don't play when it comes to the minimum standards. I do as I'm told.

I think where a lot of the confusiion and line blurring comes from what is the difference between educating the kids and playing with the kids. Those have been muddled together and one has become the other. The new "best practice" is education which in my opinion means "playing" with the kids. I'm sure you early childhood educators will point out that in some cases yes and in some no but from where I sit it smells a lot like playing with kids.

I think the best education you can give a birth to five kid is to leave their education alone and let them have an early childhood of good food, space, exercise, developmentally appropriate toys, visual/proximal supervision when they are out of bed, and time to have a long solid deep afternoon nap. Sprinkle that with the luvins, years and years of TIME with the same child, and a good relationship with their parents and VOILA... you get a kid ready to start Kindergarten.

I think the year before they go to Kindergarten they should have more of the play time be time to shore up on "pre Kindy" skills. That's how I do it.

If a child is with me from birth to the year before they go to Kindergarten then we spend the two semesters before they go off to Kindy where we see where the kid is at and work to accomplish anything that hasn't already come thru in their natural kid generated play. It's usually a pretty simple process because those kids before that child have taught them most of what they need to know.

We look at their basic skill set such as naming and pointing to colors, naming and pointing to basic shapes, knows basic body parts (shoulders, chest, knees, nose etc.), able to place objects in order, sorts objects, counts to 100, points to and names numbers, holds crayons and pencils appropriately, holds scissors appropriately and able to cut out wavy lines, circles, triangles, lines, names all the letter (upper and lower), points to the letters, recognizes name in print, and prints name.

So these are the things I look for in the last year before they go off to school. Usually a child will have 80 percent of that down before the school year before Kindy. We devote adult time to the child to finish up the rest if he/she needs it. I ONLY do this with kids I have raised though. I don't normally have kids who haven't been raised here since birth.

Because they have had a LONG childhood of playing with EACH OTHER without too much adult generated activites they are very quick learners with anything that IS adult generated. They also have the gift of years of playing with YOUNGER children which is IMHO way way way more important than playing with an adult. Younger children (meaning children who are 1.5-3 years younger) can offer the child more than I ever could. They are the best teachers in my home.

So anyway... how it relates to the money is that I charge my fees according to the foundational care of the child supervision, food, exercise, sleep, and toy play. Then when the child is in the last year before Kindy we use a small portion our fees to cover the staff time for shoring up their skill set for school. I say "small portion" because by the time they have been here for four plus years they require very little time to meet the prekindy basic skill set.

IF I had more money per child I could offer more adult generated activities and involvement at a younger age but I've never found parents willing to pay for it. I've actually offered dual rates to include more staff time for "playing with/educating" their kid (with a specific amount of time attached to the fee) and I haven't had a single taker. They parents I work for CAN afford the basics I offer but they don't have any interest in paying more for more "adults playing/educating" kids time. They ALL have the option to pay for that in addition to our fee though so if they feel it is something they want for the child all they gotsta do is pony up the $$$ and I'll be HAPPY to oblige.

I have the unique position too to have YEARS of paying for a second person here when I'm not required to have additional help. I know EXACTLY how much it costs to do adult involved "play/education". I can tell you EXACTLY how much it costs to have children paint. I know EXACTLY how much it costs to have them do play doh. I know EXACTLY how much it costs to do story time. I know EXACLTY how much it costs to get eight kids in full winter gear. I know EXACTLY what it costs to go out for a 45 minute walk. I can get all of that down to the penny.

I also know EXACTLY what it costs to do free play supervision WHILE you are getting other things done that serve our basic services (food prep is huge, cleaning of the inventory, safety checking of equipment (very time consuming) paperwork, etc.) When I decide where our funds go for services I have to first make sure that we live up to the basic agreement we have in the core services of supervision, food, exercise, sleep, and toy play. Once those have been met THEN we can decide daily what we will add into that. First we look at our group of kids going to Kindy and then if there is actual TIME available THEN we do sumpin sumpin a little special. We are fluid every day in what we do and sometimes we DO have time to do extra.

Lastly, remember that my parents spend about five waking hours a day with their children and most of my kids are only children. Day care is just ONE of the things the kids do every day. My day care parents spend TIME .. not quality time.. quantity time with their kids EVERY day. The ones that are wanting curriculum and educational activities with adult play do it WITH their child for free. My kids parents are their play partners and their teachers. As it should be... They don't expect me to do their job. If I want to do then of course they would love it... but they know that THEY are their child's "Master Teacher" and when they choose their childs playmate.
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MommyMuffin 06:02 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I don't know WHY this generation of children are so unique to the thousands of years we humans have been raising babies. I don't see how in just a couple of decades we've set some natural normal idea that adults should be playing with small children.
I completely agree! I am 25 years old so I have not seen this shift personally, but I disagree with some of societies push on mothers and providers. "You have to do this otherwise your baby will not be smart" "or socially accepted..or behind"....then its...this that and the other.
My friend told me she was thinking about buying your baby can read and I about laughed in her face. 70 - 100 dollars for some flash cards and cds. I'm sorry but what a crock!
I wish I could see my grandma in action back in the day with her 4 kids and see what that was like. I bet they had a great time and used their darn imaginations....
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Crystal 06:23 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
I completely agree! I am 25 years old so I have not seen this shift personally, but I disagree with some of societies push on mothers and providers. "You have to do this otherwise your baby will not be smart" "or socially accepted..or behind"....then its...this that and the other.
My friend told me she was thinking about buying your baby can read and I about laughed in her face. 70 - 100 dollars for some flash cards and cds. I'm sorry but what a crock!
I wish I could see my grandma in action back in the day with her 4 kids and see what that was like. I bet they had a great time and used their darn imaginations....
Things like your baby can read, baby einstein, etc. are not Developmentally Appropriate activities for children. I have never once used a flashcard, a video or anything even resembling those to teach young children. Society is wrong, but they also are not experts in the field. They do what sells to parents......it's not hard to convince a new parent that flashing lights and digital pictures are the way to go, as they have grown up in a time of electronics being THE way to go

Offering hands on, play-based, and real-life learning are the best ways to provide a solid foundation.
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jen 06:33 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
I take off my bra and shoes.

LOL! I guess its just me, but I am way more taken aback by this comment than what Nanny had to say! Yikes!

The rest is common sense...if you are a nanny it is your job to entertain the kids. You are making an increased amount of money to provide increased service.

If they are paying you essentially the same rate as a provider makes to watch several kids, to watch only their kids, they are doing so in the expectatin that, because you have limited children to care for, their child will recieve more attention. I believe that is the whole reason for choosing a Nanny over a daycare situation.

I believe that Nan has made it very clear that she doesn't believe that playing on the floor with kids is what's best for them, she simply said that if someone was willing to pay her enough she would do it.

I think that some people just want to pick apart what Nan has to say without taking the time to apply common sense or logic to their responses.
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laundrymom 07:08 AM 12-07-2010
I love this thread. I love hearing how others do things....... Except the bra thing. Lol. But I think she means she feels at home And
and part of the family. I personally spend 40 min or so fluttering through the group interacting and talking to the kids. Then about 15 doing something productive, cleaning, cooking, checking messages, just sitting etc. Then I'll change a diaper or 2 and go back to fluttering. It just seems to be the natural way for my group. But I do respect and understand other peoples opinions on it.
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nannyde 07:42 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by jen:
LOL! I guess its just me, but I am way more taken aback by this comment than what Nanny had to say! Yikes!

The rest is common sense...if you are a nanny it is your job to entertain the kids. You are making an increased amount of money to provide increased service.

If they are paying you essentially the same rate as a provider makes to watch several kids, to watch only their kids, they are doing so in the expectatin that, because you have limited children to care for, their child will recieve more attention. I believe that is the whole reason for choosing a Nanny over a daycare situation.

I believe that Nan has made it very clear that she doesn't believe that playing on the floor with kids is what's best for them, she simply said that if someone was willing to pay her enough she would do it.

I think that some people just want to pick apart what Nan has to say without taking the time to apply common sense or logic to their responses.
Nanny care is very different. You don't have the responsibilities to maintain the household, a business, and other peoples children while you are caring for their children. You are being hired for a very small window of the child's care.

The more each client pays the less kids you can care for and the more time you have to do more direct involvement with each individual kid.

I have one day care parent that I just love working for. She's a phenomenal woman who is smarter in her sleep than I'll ever be in my lifetime. She's very funny too. She makes me laugh

We were talking one day about my filling an infant slot and about our interviews four years ago.

She said something so profound.. I will NEVER forget it.

She said "When I was looking for day care I just wanted to find someone to watch my kid while I was at work".



Fortunately she picked me.

Simple basic care. Safe house, great food, close supervision, exercise, discipline, and sleep.
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Blackcat31 07:55 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
i'm not coloring (i'll help draw something) or playing barbies or anything else.
WHAT?!?! I LOVE COLORING!!!! I have my own crayons that the kids aren't allowed to use! ...and no way am I dressing Barbies!! You almost have to have a mechanical degree to just to get those stupid clothes on them!
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Unregistered 08:11 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by jen:
LOL! I guess its just me, but I am way more taken aback by this comment than what Nanny had to say! Yikes!

The rest is common sense...if you are a nanny it is your job to entertain the kids. You are making an increased amount of money to provide increased service.

If they are paying you essentially the same rate as a provider makes to watch several kids, to watch only their kids, they are doing so in the expectatin that, because you have limited children to care for, their child will recieve more attention. I believe that is the whole reason for choosing a Nanny over a daycare situation.

I believe that Nan has made it very clear that she doesn't believe that playing on the floor with kids is what's best for them, she simply said that if someone was willing to pay her enough she would do it.

I think that some people just want to pick apart what Nan has to say without taking the time to apply common sense or logic to their responses.
Perfectly said and my thoughts exactly. Glad to see Nan back!! Now, if Judy comes back this forum may be somewhere worth being a member again...... Where's the "fingers crossed" icon?
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Lucy 08:37 AM 12-07-2010
I charge as much as I can get away with for my area, and I welcome the kids into my home. While they are here, they are family. It's no different than if I had my nieces over for the weekend. Enough structure so that they don't go hog wild, but enough freedom so that I'm not HOVERING over their every move waiting to impose some invasive "rule". I let kids be kids. If they ask me to join in a board game or card game and I have time at the moment, I will gladly join in. If I'm busy, I decline and they're ok with it. I don't get down on the floor and play barbies or paper dolls or legos though. I feel like they need "kid time" to help their imaginations grow. I have over 16 years experience - mostly with long-term kids. We're talking 5-11 years! I've helped raise some wonderful kids who are still in contact.

How sad that the almighty dollar would determine how you treat the kids. "Jennifer, I'd love to play Uno with you, but your parents don't pay me enough." Or "Sure I'll play Chutes & Ladders with you, Tyler! Just remember to bring $5 extra tomorrow and I'd love to play!"

(Edited to add) If I moved to a different area where the going rate was less, and therefore my income was lower, it would not change a single thing regarding the quality and amount of care I give the children. If I moved to an area where I could get away with charging more because that area's going rate was higher, I wouldn't suddenly feel like I could now get down on the floor and play with them because they pay more. I do what I do because it's the right thing to do, not because I get paid X amount to do it or not do it.
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QualiTcare 09:25 AM 12-07-2010
i think what Nan said is being blown way out of proportion and twisted around. imagine that.

even if someone wanted to, who has time to HONESTLY spend 1/2 or more of their day actively playing with kids in a daycare setting? if you're doing that, it's costing you time and time is money. with a group of children, there are a lot of other things you have to do. if you're letting those things sit aside while you're "playing" then you're doing them later after the kids are gone i assume? that means you're working more hours which= less money.

if you have one or two kids as a nanny, you're likely getting paid a lot more and have a lot less responsibilities/time consuming tasks (paperwork, food orders, etc) so you'd have more time to "play" not that i would do it still.

i haven't/don't/won't play because i don't want to. i can be sitting on the couch staring at the wall, say "NO" when a kid asks to play, and not feel bad at all. that doesn't mean i NEVER do it, but i feel no obligation to "play" with my own kids or anyone else's. last night my daughter pretended to be selling things in her room and i'd give her money to "buy" her things - all while i was going about my business. if she wanted me to sit down and play baby dolls, i would've said NOOOPE. of course, as marnie mentioned - she has a brother so i MAY feel more obligated if she were an only child - i can't say.

my grandmother used to talk about how when she was little, the kids sat at a different table to eat and they were served the leftovers after the adults were finished eating - and she grew up in a wealthy home. they didn't even speak unless they were spoken to, much less ask "will you play with me?"
i always do let children get their plates first, and they're allowed to speak - i'm just saying - it's crazy how we went from that to adults thinking they're supposed to get on the floor and build a lego castle.
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nannyde 09:27 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Joyce:
How sad that the almighty dollar would determine how you treat the kids. "Jennifer, I'd love to play Uno with you, but your parents don't pay me enough." Or "Sure I'll play Chutes & Ladders with you, Tyler! Just remember to bring $5 extra tomorrow and I'd love to play!"


He he he

Or you could say "Tyler I'm peeling these delicious fresh carrots and potatoes for your stew for lunch. You and Sally CAN go play with those wonderful Melissa and Doug castle blocks. You haven't built a castle for such a long time."

You wouldn't discuss money and fees with a small child but you surely would with their parents. If you have a child who wants an adult to play games with them and that isn't included in your fees then you bring it up to the parents. Let them know that the child would like an adult available for their games and as discussed in the interview.. you have children play with the other children and you do XYZ during play times.

Would they like for you to hire an adult for Tanner and Jennifer? If so, how many hours would you like that each day? That will be X dollars more per day. How is that hard?

Always let the parents know if their child is wanting something that you haven't agreed for in your services. It's VERY VERY simple. Let the parents decide if they would like to have additional staff there for their child or possibly move their child to a setting where there are adults available for the sole purpose of playing directly with their child whatever their child wants at whatever time.

Or you can do what YOU do which is include this in your fees so that when the child wants you to play directly with them you are being paid to do that. I don't have that built into my fees. You do. I would be happy to add it as an additional service but it would have to be agreed upon and paid for.

There are a LOT of parents who want to pay for basic care for their child. As long as the home is loving, warm, and clean and the children are fed well, get exercise, and have a nice spot to take a good nap... the parents are THRILLED.

The adults playing with kids is a pretty new notion. It has been added to child care under the guise of "education" but you CAN raise healthy, happy, well rounded WONDERFUL children and have them play with each other and toys. It's been done for many centuries before us with really good outcomes. There's nothing special about this generation of birth to five kids that makes THEM the generation that needs adults in the midst of their play. Other children and self play has been done since the begining of time. It'll do for this generation too.
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Lucy 09:51 AM 12-07-2010
Oh, I'm NOT one of those who feels I need to play with them. That's one thing I can agree with you on. I don't get on the floor and play with them, as I mentioned. I feel they need that time to let their imaginations fly un-interferred with. But if a 6 yr old or 9 or 11 yr old asks if I want to play Uno, there's no way I'd let money come into my decision. I like playing Uno (or Farkle, or Chutes & Ladders, or Go Fish, or Old Maid, etc. etc.) and if I want to and have time, sure.

As to whether I would tell the parent the child is asking for adults to play and would they like to pay more for me to hire a helper, that is ridiculous. If I have time and I WANT to, I play Uno. How is THAT hard?

My program IS basic care, btw. I don't have a stringent timeline to follow, I don't have a manual of rules, it's just common sense. Come to my house for safe, loving care, healthy & nutritious foods, and let me learn when & how long you need to nap. You won't get away with being a brat, but I won't hover and impose a thousand rules either. While you're here, this is home. Feel free to ask if I want to join your fun table game, but don't expect me to ALWAYS agree to.

I DO serve healthy, delicious and nutritious meals and snacks, thank you very much.

All I'm saying is that I'm not dollar driven. I'm child driven. I don't have the inner dialogue of "they don't pay me enough to do that". I go by if I WANT to, I do, if I DON'T, I don't. Simple as that. I give wonderful, un-obtrusive guidance. If you knew me, you'd know the kids don't get away with name calling or being rude. We treat each other with respect, which they well know. And they say please & thank you. Not only to me, but to each other. Whether their parents pay me a dollar a day, or a hundred dollars a day.
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Lucy 09:53 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:


He he he

Or you can do what YOU do which is include this in your fees so that when the child wants you to play directly with them you are being paid to do that. I don't have that built into my fees. You do. I would be happy to add it as an additional service but it would have to be agreed upon and paid for.
See, this is what I'm saying.... It's not "built into my fees", it's what's right for me. My God, you're so dollar driven it's ridiculous.
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Unregistered 10:05 AM 12-07-2010
I don't get paid enough to spend my entire day playing with my dcks. Don't get me wrong, I do play with them each day, but I expect them to be able to play with one another and independently as well. If a parent wanted me to give their child every bit of my attention and play with them all day long, then the parent would need to pay me accordingly.
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melskids 10:33 AM 12-07-2010
youre both right

i dont get paid enough to play with these kids ALL day. no different then my husband shouldnt have to fix the bosses car for free on company time at the shop. and no different than why the Mcdonalds cashier doesnt carry your tray of food to the table for you.

~however~

if a child asks me to play Uno or read her a book, and i'm not busy with other caregiving responsibilities, i'd never tell them no.

its all about balance. JMO
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nannyde 10:36 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Joyce:
See, this is what I'm saying.... It's not "built into my fees", it's what's right for me. My God, you're so dollar driven it's ridiculous.
YES I am dollar driven.

Isn't it a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daycare providers wanting to get PAID for their services. Daycare providers wanting to get paid MORE when they DO more. Just like the cell phone company... the cable company... the Walmart... the eye doctor... the dentist... the vet.

OH MY what a thought!!!!!!

We are all just a bunch of women and we should get do as we are told and not stand up and demand we have our business reflect the level of our skill and the level of our work. We should do WHATEVER it takes no matter how much more time it takes and how much work it is because it's for kids.

Nobody else that serves kids are expected to just DO. Every other service provider that provides services for kids gets paid DIRECTLY for the level of work they do.... the cost of the materials they provide... the labor accessing those materials.

But not us...

There is an incredibly high turnover in Centers and Home providers. This discussion is one of the PRIMARY reasons workers quit the profession.
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laundrymom 10:36 AM 12-07-2010
what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?


even if someone wanted to, who has time to HONESTLY spend 1/2 or more of their day actively playing with kids in a daycare setting? if you're doing that, it's costing you time and time is money. with a group of children, there are a lot of other things you have to do. if you're letting those things sit aside while you're "playing" then you're doing them later after the kids are gone i assume? that means you're working more hours which= less money.
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melskids 10:44 AM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?


even if someone wanted to, who has time to HONESTLY spend 1/2 or more of their day actively playing with kids in a daycare setting? if you're doing that, it's costing you time and time is money. with a group of children, there are a lot of other things you have to do. if you're letting those things sit aside while you're "playing" then you're doing them later after the kids are gone i assume? that means you're working more hours which= less money.
i agree. thats it exactly. i spend as much time as i can with these kids, and i enjoy it. but not to the point i'm cutting in to MY family time at night with my kids. no way. daytime chores get done during the day, with the daycare kiddos here. you can still teach and spend time with the DC kids and do what needs to get done. its all about balance.
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WImom 10:59 AM 12-07-2010
During free play I don't play with them at all. I do 'play/interact' with them each day during art projects, music time and circle time. We also do puzzles or a game after nap until most of the parents come (I have a few that come 15 minutes after nap). Then it's free play again. I will say though my childcare is only 2-5y so they are pretty independent.
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QualiTcare 12:10 PM 12-07-2010
what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?


i don't see how anyone can spend that much time playing with the kids (70%) even if they didn't have paperwork to prepare, food to order, etc. just doing every day tasks of preparing meals and snacks, cleaning up, going to the potty, changing diapers, nap time, going outside, etc.....i think all of that takes well over 1/2 the time...and normally there would be some time (IMO) spent preparing activities. of course you can do these things and facilitate play - but sitting with the kids playing with them for 1/2 or 3/4 of the day doesn't seem possible. i'm assuming there's no assistant who's doing everything while the provider is playing also.

you mentioned several things before that i don't consider "active play" though. swimming, singing, hiking (or walking), looking at the clouds, etc - i don't consider that active play.
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Crystal 12:28 PM 12-07-2010
I don't sit down and play barbies (I don't even have barbies, lol) etc. BUT, I love just BEING WITH the children. I might sit and engage them in conversation while we roll playdough, or dance and sing with them, or ask them lots of open ended questions ABOUT their playing in an effort to extend their thinking - possibly leading to even more engaging play. I do nature walks and we look for bugs together, we tend the gardens together and feed the animals. we water the houseplants and prepare recipes for great snacks. I'll indulge them in pretend play ad let them take my order and bring me my meal or they might check my heart and ears while they play doctor......

SO, I guess I DO play with them alot, but it is all meaningful, purpouseful play and I DO get paid for that. I just don't charge extra for it.
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sahm2three 12:30 PM 12-07-2010
Hmmmm, it really depends on the day. And who is here. The dynamic of the group changes depending on who is here. Some days I find myself being pulled into games, which is fine if I am not tending to other duties. Like my only little dcg likes to play house. My son will play with her most days (while being a super hero), but if my son's best friend is here (who I watch), he would rather play with him and not play house. So, I end up being "grandma" to dcg's babies. Fine by me. We play kitchen or restaurant quite a bit. I try their creations and ask them about their ingredients. I get games going for them (friendship ball is one of the favorites, sit in a circle and you roll the ball to someone and say something nice about them, the little guys pretty much just copy the older kids, but it is good practice), playdough I help the little kids roll out their dough and etc. I do a lot of assisting. We read TONS of books. We do a LOT of coloring and art projects. We decorated Christmas trees today. (Printed out plain trees and gave the kids materials to decorate them, they were fabulous!) So, I guess I don't do a ton of actual playing, but mostly because they play together. But if they bring me a creation to taste that they made in their kitchen, I absolutely try it and we talk about it, or if one of my "grandbabies" needs a "grandma" love, I will do that. I guess I just don't get brought in very often. I do dance with them and we sing silly songs. Is this what you are asking?
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Crystal 12:30 PM 12-07-2010
Oh, and all the other things that I have to do.....aside from maintaining a clean, safe environment, are done during naptime or evening. So, I do dishes and keep the playspaces clear of hazards, but paperwork, food program, prep work, etc. are done during naptime.
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kidkair 12:36 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Crystal:
Things like your baby can read, baby einstein, etc. are not Developmentally Appropriate activities for children. I have never once used a flashcard, a video or anything even resembling those to teach young children. Society is wrong, but they also are not experts in the field. They do what sells to parents......it's not hard to convince a new parent that flashing lights and digital pictures are the way to go, as they have grown up in a time of electronics being THE way to go

Offering hands on, play-based, and real-life learning are the best ways to provide a solid foundation.
Wow! I didn't realize there was a disapproving attitude toward things like Your Baby Can Read. I personally like the idea of teaching kids at a fast pace. I love having a two year old read to me. I love the math idea too. I think the basic idea behind these programs is communication skills. I would take communication skills over large motor skills in a child any day. I have a slightly different take on the way to teach things than these reading programs do. I do flashcards and the kids love them! I don't force them to learn I just give them the information. I never test them. I never use electronics with them, no tv, no computer. I find doing my curriculum with the kids to be very rewarding and fun. I don't like to 'play' with the kids because their play tends to be simple and repetitive. I encourage them to play with each other and learn from me. I'm doing something with the kids or for the kids every minute that I am open except nap time when I'm on here though that could be a toss up since I learn so much on here.
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QualiTcare 12:41 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by kidkair:
Wow! I didn't realize there was a disapproving attitude toward things like Your Baby Can Read. I personally like the idea of teaching kids at a fast pace. I love having a two year old read to me. I love the math idea too. I think the basic idea behind these programs is communication skills. I would take communication skills over large motor skills in a child any day. I have a slightly different take on the way to teach things than these reading programs do. I do flashcards and the kids love them! I don't force them to learn I just give them the information. I never test them. I never use electronics with them, no tv, no computer. I find doing my curriculum with the kids to be very rewarding and fun. I don't like to 'play' with the kids because their play tends to be simple and repetitive. I encourage them to play with each other and learn from me. I'm doing something with the kids or for the kids every minute that I am open except nap time when I'm on here though that could be a toss up since I learn so much on here.
your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.
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Crystal 12:47 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.
exactly. thanks for clarifying it for me.
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Unregistered 12:47 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
your baby can read is horrible. they memorize words and have a hard time understanding the "rules" when it's time to actually LEARN to read. if they can only read the words they've been shown on cards, they don't know how to read - they know how to remember.
I am glad that I'm not the only person who dislikes teaching kids to read by memorizing words. I've seen lots of schools really pushing the memorizing sight words type programs as opposed to phonics. It sucks because if kids only know the sight words, then they aren't getting any type of comprehension when they read. I don''t necessarily have a problem with kids knowing the sight words, but I think that understanding the sound that the letters make is pretty crucial to really reading.
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DanceMom 12:56 PM 12-07-2010
I don't think it is about how MUCH time you spend with your kids or your dck's its about the QUALITY of time you spend with them each day..if you are offering a warm, loving home, full of great foods, talk to them, read to them, offer comfortable nap spaces etc - I think THAT beats playing a game of Uno or barbies or anything else for sure !

My parents pay me for a clean, safe environment, where they can go to work and not worry about their children for the day. They are not paying me to "play" with them at all.
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Live and Learn 01:01 PM 12-07-2010
I spend practically no time playing with my dck. I facilitate play by bringing out different toys and rotating activities. We have a fairly set routine. My dck are age 1 thru almost age 4. Don't get me wrong.... I read lots of books, dance to music with them, occasional crafts, daily painting or drawing, help if they are having trouble with a duplo something along those lines. Really even though my dck all love me they love their lil friends here more! We don't play computer games here, no electronic buzzing-light flashing toys either just lots of open ended play with more old fashioned type toys. It amazes me the imaginations that children so young can have. I love my little ones so much but sit down on the floor and keep them entertained for the day? Uh, no thanks. It isn't about not being paid enough ...all together I make more than a nanny does....it is about giving these sweet little people the opportunity to learn to be happy while keeping themselves entertained with close adult supervision and loving structure.
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Former Teacher 01:47 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
I love this thread. I love hearing how others do things....... Except the bra thing. Lol. But I think she means she feels at home And
and part of the family. .
Thanks laundrymom...that's is EXACTLY what I meant. I just wanted to tell people that I am comfortable what I do and I love what I do...maybe I shouldn't have been so..umm..open
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QualiTcare 02:28 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
Thanks laundrymom...that's is EXACTLY what I meant. I just wanted to tell people that I am comfortable what I do and I love what I do...maybe I shouldn't have been so..umm..open
i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

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Former Teacher 02:55 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.
Thank you QualiTcare for providing those statistics. I never meant to offend anyone with my statement. I just wanted to give a glimpse of my "work" life

Not to get off topic but almost 5 years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She never had a lump, nor do we have any other history in our family. She found it by tripping and falling on her breast. Her breast then formed a bruise that would not go away. The family doctor prescribed an antibiotic etc but nothing worked. Finally she had an test (MRI? I don't remember but it wasn't a mammogram) and the radiologist thought something wasn't right. Further testing showed that her own hormones caused the breast cancer which was in a liquid form. She did the chemo and radiation and she is going strong as ever!
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laundrymom 02:59 PM 12-07-2010
Wow,,, not an option here braless is scary! Lol
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

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laundrymom 03:18 PM 12-07-2010
Well daily paperwork takes all of 3 min a day. I don't order food. I cook in only moments as most prep work is done while I prepare my own families food. I guess I think actively playing is just that,... Playing purposely. Actively focusing my attention in a play like fashion and engaging with them to enhance their time here. I play WITH them not AT them. We play together. Maybe the actively playing was interpreted differently in my mind. I can see how you would think "time spent actively playing " would mean "time spent in active play" they are 2 different things though. I actively play with the kids here roughly 3/4 of their day. Our day is structured with time planned to insure this happens. It is part of my curriculum. Part of our daily schedule and truly how our days are as low stressed as possible. I DO consider singing looking at clouds hiking and the other things you mentioned to be actively playing with the children. Actively engaging them. I'm wondering what your definition is of actively playing?



Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?


i don't see how anyone can spend that much time playing with the kids (70%) even if they didn't have paperwork to prepare, food to order, etc. just doing every day tasks of preparing meals and snacks, cleaning up, going to the potty, changing diapers, nap time, going outside, etc.....i think all of that takes well over 1/2 the time...and normally there would be some time (IMO) spent preparing activities. of course you can do these things and facilitate play - but sitting with the kids playing with them for 1/2 or 3/4 of the day doesn't seem possible. i'm assuming there's no assistant who's doing everything while the provider is playing also.

you mentioned several things before that i don't consider "active play" though. swimming, singing, hiking (or walking), looking at the clouds, etc - i don't consider that active play.

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SilverSabre25 03:33 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by QualiTcare:
i can't remember how i came across it, but the other day i was reading something that was saying the less hours you wear a bra, the less likely you are to get breast cancer. i don't know if it's true, but here it is:

Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer (in their study, n=2056 for the cancer group and n=2674 for the standard group).

Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.

Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.
Those are really interesting statistics. I would be curious to see if anyone has examined women who wear underwire bras vs. those without underwires. I despise underwires and will NOT buy a bra with them. They are horribly uncomfortable.
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Live and Learn 03:36 PM 12-07-2010
If I went braless all day my husband would never leave for work and it would be only dads dropping off and picking up!!
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jen 03:45 PM 12-07-2010
I checked several websites, credible ones such as Scientific American and breastcancer.org and there is no correlation between bras (underwire or not) and breastcancer.

All I can say as is, I hope you are stearing clear of the t-shirts.
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kidkair 03:47 PM 12-07-2010
I've not wore a bra regularly in about 6 years and stopped wearing them at all together about 2 years ago. I'm comfortable with my body and I haven't noticed any difference in the attention I get from men.
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Live and Learn 04:09 PM 12-07-2010
My aunt has never worn a bra. She has this adorable little figure and totally comfy with her body image as am I. She is built completely different than I am and I think that most people would find it unprofessional if I met them at drop off braless. That is what I love about this forum ....we meet all types of people doing things right.... but maybe a little different than what might be right for me.....having said that after dinner is served and eaten the bra is the first thing to go!
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QualiTcare 04:24 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by jen:
I checked several websites, credible ones such as Scientific American and breastcancer.org and there is no correlation between bras (underwire or not) and breastcancer.

All I can say as is, I hope you are stearing clear of the t-shirts.
yeah, i didn't research it which is why i said i have no idea if it's true...but i just now read the article (before i just read exactly what i posted) and it's interesting:

http://www.all-natural.com/bras.html

at the end, he says:

"Years ago, many people thought that the idea of cigarettes causing lung cancer was funny. Even if further research with highly controlled studies only shows a difference of 5-fold, or even 2-fold, it will be no laughing matter."

so, even though there's no confirmed proof, there hasn't been a lot of research. it's enough to make you think though - well, me anyway.

i also read between 80-90% of women wear the wrong size bra - that's crazy too!
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kendallina 04:37 PM 12-07-2010
How did this become a discussion about bras!?!? LOL...I think I missed something
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Former Teacher 05:09 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by kendallina:
How did this become a discussion about bras!?!? LOL...I think I missed something
My bad- I posted a comment about how I take my mine off at work and then everyone went rampant on it

No worries though-like someone has as their quote : "here we are all friends!"
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laundrymom 05:11 PM 12-07-2010
there is NO WAY I could go without a bra, I would be so sore by the days end,.. and I have to be honest,.. ..... not as perky as when I was younger ,... I might just trip on them! lol

all kidding aside,.. I am a rather large chested woman,.. I just couldnt go without. like, a 34 dd is too big around,... but I get the muffin 3rd and 4th boobs. lol

Originally Posted by kidkair:
I've not wore a bra regularly in about 6 years and stopped wearing them at all together about 2 years ago. I'm comfortable with my body and I haven't noticed any difference in the attention I get from men.

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kendallina 05:20 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
My bad- I posted a comment about how I take my mine off at work and then everyone went rampant on it

No worries though-like someone has as their quote : "here we are all friends!"


Well, I speak up about it then....no way could I go without a bra!! LOL! ba-ba-da, ba-ba-da (maybe it's only my DH and I that use that sound effect for bouncy boobies). Someone would get a black eye!!
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SilverSabre25 05:39 PM 12-07-2010
well, underwires are still freakishly uncomfortable!

And I wear whatever shirts I want...never noticed a difference. ::shrug::
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laundrymom 05:46 PM 12-07-2010
I so so agree,.. but Ive not had one without since,... gosh,.. I was 11 and wore a 28 d. I went straight from underroos to underwire. lol as far as shirts, I wear a t shirt under a scrub shirt if its cold, if its warm I wear a tank under it to cover my cleavage.

Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
well, underwires are still freakishly uncomfortable!

And I wear whatever shirts I want...never noticed a difference. ::shrug::

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nannyde 05:52 PM 12-07-2010
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
what other things are there to do,.. Im asking serious questions here, not trying to be a smart butt, but what do I neglect by playing with the children 70% of the time they are here?
The same things their parents do on the evening and weekends when they have them.

Running the household, doing their paperwork, folding laundry, doing dishes, prepping food, calling for services for the home, cleaning, etc.

The children in the home create WORK. The more kids you have the more space you maintain the more equipment you have the more paperwork you have.

I do four loads of dishes a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when I'm on vacation. I do three loads of laundry a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when the kids are not in the house.

My son and I live in about 400 square feet in our home. The other 2100 square foot is for the day care That space has to be maintained.

We have two play rooms and two sleeping rooms. There are toys from infant to age five. Those toys have to be cleaned, sorted, and CHECKED METICULOUSLY for safety. That takes TIME.

My day is twelve hours so I make sure that ALL of the work for the kids that I can humanly do when they are awake and up playing is done while they are awake and playing. When they are napping and when they are not in the house I try VERY hard not to work for the day care (other than checking them during sleep). I am able to do that with everything but the accessing of the foods I use for the organic service I offer and my Staff Assistant heavy cleans the house about three hours every week when the kids are napping.

Other than that we get EVERYTHING done while the kids are up so when they are down for a nap or gone we don't have to work. 17 years of that system is the number one key to my success and longevity.

So whatever has to be done to maintain the business and maintain the home (including my personal laundry and dishes) are done while the kids are up and playing. This keeps my work day at a nine hour day plus nap supervision. That's built into my service fee. That's what the parents pay for. If I have to work during times they are not here and times they are sleeping I have to increase rates to cover that. Being able to have kids play and entertain themselves keeps the fees at their current rate. If parents want more adult entertaining and playing then that time would directly cause me to work longer hours. Longer hours means more money..... as in every business.
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laundrymom 03:40 AM 12-08-2010
I guess maybe I don't do as much paperwork as others? I do a checkmark in a box on a page in a binder. Takes 1/3 of a second per child per day. Once a week I do deposit. Usually sat morning takes all of 5 min to record payments and get the deposit done. We drop it off on the way to breakfast. Yes we eat out every sat morning. I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do NOT do laundry when the kids are here unless it's a non school day and then my own kids do theirs That is part of their chores. I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. What calls take so much of your time on a routine basis to need planning for? I think in 21 years of providing care I have had to call someone I to my home 3 times ? So that's not something I need to plan for and in those times I may have spent 7-8 minutes on the phone. Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this. I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? I do have more experience and time in this profession than most providers. It will be 22 years in march. 22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. I've learned tricks and routines that work for me. I do not have a seperate area for dc. We spend our days in my home. I do the "chores" nanny mentioned AS we are playing. I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I work a 14 hour day, Monday - Friday. I completely understand not wanting to do business related things on the weekend but I refuse to take time away from the children during the day to do them. I am a licensed provider, ( and while i get the vibe from some on this forum that that is a bad thing, as if I'm not as good because I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers. The activities you describe doing during business hours are not things I do nor am I going to do during working hours. I have different guidelines for myself as to the activities I engage in during business hours. Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. That is what allows me to charge the rates I do. It is the reason that my pediatrician recommends me to her patients. The reason she brought her children to me. It is why I have a waiting list when others are closing their doors. We have had the scariest past 2 years economy wise since the great depression in my community. Over a 17.5% unemployment rate. Not to toot my own horn but ~ beep beep. I think here my niche is what people are looking for.

Originally Posted by nannyde:
The same things their parents do on the evening and weekends when they have them.

Running the household, doing their paperwork, folding laundry, doing dishes, prepping food, calling for services for the home, cleaning, etc.

The children in the home create WORK. The more kids you have the more space you maintain the more equipment you have the more paperwork you have.

I do four loads of dishes a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when I'm on vacation. I do three loads of laundry a day when the kids are in the house. I do one load every three days when the kids are not in the house.

My son and I live in about 400 square feet in our home. The other 2100 square foot is for the day care That space has to be maintained.

We have two play rooms and two sleeping rooms. There are toys from infant to age five. Those toys have to be cleaned, sorted, and CHECKED METICULOUSLY for safety. That takes TIME.

My day is twelve hours so I make sure that ALL of the work for the kids that I can humanly do when they are awake and up playing is done while they are awake and playing. When they are napping and when they are not in the house I try VERY hard not to work for the day care (other than checking them during sleep). I am able to do that with everything but the accessing of the foods I use for the organic service I offer and my Staff Assistant heavy cleans the house about three hours every week when the kids are napping.

Other than that we get EVERYTHING done while the kids are up so when they are down for a nap or gone we don't have to work. 17 years of that system is the number one key to my success and longevity.

So whatever has to be done to maintain the business and maintain the home (including my personal laundry and dishes) are done while the kids are up and playing. This keeps my work day at a nine hour day plus nap supervision. That's built into my service fee. That's what the parents pay for. If I have to work during times they are not here and times they are sleeping I have to increase rates to cover that. Being able to have kids play and entertain themselves keeps the fees at their current rate. If parents want more adult entertaining and playing then that time would directly cause me to work longer hours. Longer hours means more money..... as in every business.

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Crystal 05:36 AM 12-08-2010
BRAVO Laundrymom!!!!! I wish there were an applause smilie

I work the same as you do, and I also am licensed, and have an education in ece, working on furthering it more, and I too, sometimes feel that others here think that's a bad thing.

Nice post. I agree 100%
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AfterSchoolMom 05:48 AM 12-08-2010
Originally Posted by Crystal:
BRAVO Laundrymom!!!!! I wish there were an applause smilie

I work the same as you do, and I also am licensed, and have an education in ece, working on furthering it more, and I too, sometimes feel that others here think that's a bad thing.

Nice post. I agree 100%

I've never noticed comments which would lead me to believe that people think education/licensing is a bad thing. Huh. I actually think both are fine, and that education is a wonderful thing. I'm not licensed, but not because I think that people who are are doing a bad thing...


So, those of you who are more play centered, do you think it's a bad thiing to, say, sweep the floor, do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc. while the kids are awake? Assuming, of course, that these activities don't take you out of eyesight or earshot of them.


Oh, and to add my two cents - I don't wear a bra much either. I prefer the tank tops that have the "shelf" bras built in, underneath my clothes.
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BentleysBands 05:52 AM 12-08-2010
i'm shocked at things that have been said.....

i'm a total oddball....i dont base the care i give to my children on what the parents can or can not pay...thats just insane IMO

I stay on the floor w/my kids. whether they are playing amoungst themselves or i'm interacting with them. either way, i'm down on their levels.

i'm very hands on with my kids. we do ALOT of learn thru play along w/a daily preschool time with art.
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Crystal 05:54 AM 12-08-2010
Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom:
I've never noticed comments which would lead me to believe that people think education/licensing is a bad thing. Huh. I actually think both are fine, and that education is a wonderful thing. I'm not licensed, but not because I think that people who are are doing a bad thing...


So, those of you who are more play centered, do you think it's a bad thiing to, say, sweep the floor, do dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc. while the kids are awake? Assuming, of course, that these activities don't take you out of eyesight or earshot of them.


Oh, and to add my two cents - I don't wear a bra much either. I prefer the tank tops that have the "shelf" bras built in, underneath my clothes.
There hae been many comments, especially about education, on here. I won't go back and find specifics, but they are there.

I don't think it's a "bad" thing to do the chores, especially if your completely family based - children are learning how a home is run and how to care for the home, by seeing and participating in those chores - but I think it should be minimal. Parents may not pay (some providers) enough to PLAY WITH their children, but they certainly don't pay for the provider to be taking care of her personal household duties while caring for their child either.

And, of course, SOME cleaning is neccessary....I sweep two-three times a day
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nannyde 06:43 AM 12-08-2010
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
I guess maybe I don't do as much paperwork as others? I do a checkmark in a box on a page in a binder. Takes 1/3 of a second per child per day. Once a week I do deposit. Usually sat morning takes all of 5 min to record payments and get the deposit done. We drop it off on the way to breakfast. Yes we eat out every sat morning. I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do NOT do laundry when the kids are here unless it's a non school day and then my own kids do theirs That is part of their chores. I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. What calls take so much of your time on a routine basis to need planning for? I think in 21 years of providing care I have had to call someone I to my home 3 times ? So that's not something I need to plan for and in those times I may have spent 7-8 minutes on the phone. Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this. I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? I do have more experience and time in this profession than most providers. It will be 22 years in march. 22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. I've learned tricks and routines that work for me. I do not have a seperate area for dc. We spend our days in my home. I do the "chores" nanny mentioned AS we are playing. I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I work a 14 hour day, Monday - Friday. I completely understand not wanting to do business related things on the weekend but I refuse to take time away from the children during the day to do them. I am a licensed provider, ( and while i get the vibe from some on this forum that that is a bad thing, as if I'm not as good because I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers. The activities you describe doing during business hours are not things I do nor am I going to do during working hours. I have different guidelines for myself as to the activities I engage in during business hours. Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. That is what allows me to charge the rates I do. It is the reason that my pediatrician recommends me to her patients. The reason she brought her children to me. It is why I have a waiting list when others are closing their doors. We have had the scariest past 2 years economy wise since the great depression in my community. Over a 17.5% unemployment rate. Not to toot my own horn but ~ beep beep. I think here my niche is what people are looking for.
I don't "call for services for the home" I truly don't know what this is. That would be any repairs or services to the house. This week I have to have a section of the ceiling in my addition respackled and painted and the back bathroom toilet seat broke. So I had to get a painter here and one of my dc dads is coming to replace the seat. Last week the bolt on the screen door of the back door came undone disabling my door. I'm not able to do repairs because of my poor eyesight and lack of skill. I have to have someone come to do even minor repairs.

I do one load of daycare laundry a week. I do around three loads per day for the day care. One load in rags and then the other two would be any cloth items I provide such as shoes, hats, coats, bibs, blankets, receiving blankets, diaper pad covers, sweatshirts, mitted sweatshirts for outside, footed pajamas for the babies to put over their clothes, infant blanket sleepers, and any clothing item on a child that doesn't work for me is removed and I put my own on. I'm hot blooded so I keep the house cool all year around. I use my own clothing to layer up the kids as needed and then remove and wash at the end of the day. I also wash any soiled clothing of the kids (spills or blow outs) and return it onto the kid or to the parents clean.

Dishes are loaded into th dishwasher as they are used. So there is no need to plan for this.

We offer a fully organic fresh from scratch menu on everything from baby food all the way to kiddy food. We do a "Sunday Dinner" meal EVERY day. I even make my breads from scratch. Cooking for eight kids, my staff assistant, my son and I this way takes four loads a day. Slow cooking takes TIME. The peeling and chopping is something that happens daily here. We are always getting SOMETHNG prepped.

Accessing the foods one by one is VERY time consuming. That's something I try really hard to get done when the kids are up playing but most often I have to do the actual going to get it on my time off. I try to have as much delivered as I possibly can but some things I have to broker the deal, work with the processors, and go get on my own time. That sucks but it's the way it is.

I don't shop at the grocery stores. I buy each item we have one by one in quantity and then prepare and store the fruits and veggies in advance. I work with each grower/farmer to make sure that the food meets our criteria. I put up over a hundred pounds of 3 different kinds of squash this year. About 50 pounds of peaches, and around a 100 pounds total of apples. We also put up sweet potatoes, cherries, raspberries, blueberries etc. The food prep, dishes, and storing is quite time consuming. It's a good part of the fee for service here. I do a "second breakfast", lunch, and supper for the kids who are here past five p.m..

I guess maybe I am just better at time management than some? Could be. I'm in my 31st year of kids and my 17 year of child care. We have two adults for eight kids. I'm a very fast working person. We just DO different things than you do in a day.

Nannyde you push your nursing background, your organic foods etc. You say it is your niche. Well mine is hands on care. Active interaction within a group setting with a continuous care provider. YES that is a huge difference. We also push a LARGE area of dedicated space and one adult for every four children. It's cool that we can all pick what we like to do and what WE think is best for kids and then get cutomers willing to pay for it.

I do not have a seperate area for dc Mine is completely separate.

I choose to abide by a set of guidelines made by my state YES this is what we have in common. I abide by them 100 percent every day all day. I have two inspections in the last years that were perfect inspections. Unannounced. Over 500 points of compliance and I got them all... twice. Nan don't play when it comes to the minimum standards. My State isn't too bad though. We are allowed a wide breadth of interpretation on most things.


22 years of providing child care to a group of 10 under school age plus 3 school age every day every year. We don't have registrations available for that number of kids. Do you have a staff assistant or assistants? My parents would no go for that ratio. If I expand to a higher registration with a second "co-provider" which would allow us to have 12 kids under five (only four can be under two) I would have to meet with my clients and see if that would work for them. Because my Staff Assistant is at the two year mark soon we may consider expanding to nine. That would only be done if the current group was for it. Adult supervision ratio is important to my crew. It's one of the big draws here.

I check toys 'meticulously' as I am PLAYING with them. It's not rocket science,... If a toy is damaged or broken it is tossed. I don't like to check them that way. I want to make sure that every toy is visually checked regardless of whether or not it is currently being used on the day the kids are on the floor. We have three laundry baskets (about) of infant toys between our play yards and four bouncy seats (two in each area of the house). We remove them all at ONCE from each piece of equipment and check each toy... each seam... each movable part. It takes a minute or two to check each toy forchips, seam breakage, flaws or wear. We also make sure the toy is "whole".. meaning that none of the parts have come off or are loosened. Then we clean them and return. I've had a couple of experience with infant toys that were VERY expensive and used a lot having plastic/paper/paint/and inside materials failing. Even with very concientious checking it can happen. It's the stuff recalls are made of. I like to catch it before it becomes a problem. I can only do that if we remove all of them at once... check all of them.. then return and start a new group. Then I know for sure everything has been checked each time we do our inspections.

We do the same inspections on all sleeping equipment. We have JMasons which have two to four sides of fine tiny mesh. We check the mesh in every playpen every week. This requires turning over the equipment and crawling into it and checking each seam and each grid of the mesh. If we catch the wear at the begining and repair we can lengthen the life of the equipment. I can't replace the JMasons so this is another thing that must be done to protect the kids and the equipment.

The older kids toys are checked when being cleaned. We don't have too many toys that are submersible so each toy has to be done by hand. Because the older kids don't put toys in their mouth we don't have to be so fastidious about checking them as frequently. They do have to be cleaned regularly so we check the seams and surface area when we are hand cleaning them.

Not only that but I have takens extra steps to get educated in the areas involved with my career path. )I am working towards my bachelors degree in ece. I am working towards national accreditation. I feel like this makes me an outcast sometimes with some providers.

I don't thnk you are an outcast. I think you are doing what you LOVE and that's what really matters. The core difference between you and I is that you are an educated professional child care provider and I am a babysitter. You are educated in child development. My bachelors degree is in Nursing Science. You are in the business of educating and caring for kids. I'm in the business of caring for them in only a babysitting role.

There's a market out there for both. I've been full and making bank for 17 years. You have been full and making bank even longer. It's all good
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jen 06:48 AM 12-08-2010
Just my .02 (LOL, can't find the cents key!)

Why in the world do other providers get so up in arms about the way Nanny does her thing? Have you looked at her web page? Have you read the comments from her parents?

"Thank you so much 4 all the loving care given 2 Jacob. Wish I could be with him each and every day. Im missing him and the family so much. Thanks Nan"

"(transcribed verbatim by Mommy) "Thank you Nan! I love you. That was very sweet of you to give me that letter. We'll have fun tomorrow at the tea party. I can't wait!"

It sounds as though you think those kids are living in a boot camp! Have you looked at the pictures? They are painting, they are playing outside, they are building some rather awesome lincoln log houses!

Her kids are happy, her parents are happy...why in the world would it matter to you how she gets there??? Isn't that what we all want? A successful business, happy kids and happy parents?

There are members on this board who seemingly want to demonize Nan, and in their attempts to do so, fail to hear her message. She nearly always responds to these outright attackts (or sometimes just little snotty remarks) with calm and dignity. She does it her way, and it works for her (and clearly for her parents) so whats the problem? Her advice is based on her experience, take it or leave it.
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marniewon 07:00 AM 12-08-2010
Originally Posted by jen:
Just my .02 (LOL, can't find the cents key!)

Why in the world do other providers get so up in arms about the way Nanny does her thing? Have you looked at her web page? Have you read the comments from her parents?

"Thank you so much 4 all the loving care given 2 Jacob. Wish I could be with him each and every day. Im missing him and the family so much. Thanks Nan"

"(transcribed verbatim by Mommy) "Thank you Nan! I love you. That was very sweet of you to give me that letter. We'll have fun tomorrow at the tea party. I can't wait!"

It sounds as though you think those kids are living in a boot camp! Have you looked at the pictures? They are painting, they are playing outside, they are building some rather awesome lincoln log houses!

Her kids are happy, her parents are happy...why in the world would it matter to you how she gets there??? Isn't that what we all want? A successful business, happy kids and happy parents?

There are members on this board who seemingly want to demonize Nan, and in their attempts to do so, fail to hear her message. She nearly always responds to these outright attackts (or sometimes just little snotty remarks) with calm and dignity. She does it her way, and it works for her (and clearly for her parents) so whats the problem? Her advice is based on her experience, take it or leave it.
Very well said, and I agree wholeheartedly.
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nannyde 07:03 AM 12-08-2010
Originally Posted by Crystal:
Parents may not pay (some providers) enough to PLAY WITH their children, but they certainly don't pay for the provider to be taking care of her personal household duties while caring for their child either.
Some parents don't pay for it at all. Not that they don't pay ENOUGH but they don't pay for it at all.

Having children have a childhood where they play with each other and entertain themselves is NOT a new concept. It's not a "stretch" of the imagination.

I absolutely do my personal duties when the kids are up. My son and I produce one load of laundry every three days. One in nine loads here is for our personal clothes. The time it would take to separate our stuff and do it at a different time from the day care laundry would be more time than it is to do it all together. THAT would be a waste of resources and time.

We eat the leftovers from the kids meals so again... it would be a waste of resources to make our food separately.

I pay my staff assistant about three hours a week to do heavy cleaning which includes our private living space. This is done during nap time. We have nothing else TO do personally besides cooking, cleaning, laundry. We are simple people.

Silly
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Blackcat31 07:07 AM 12-08-2010
This place is like a chinese buffet...you never really know what your gonna get!!

I try to play with the dck's as much as I am able while still running the house as I see fit.

I am a licensed provider (state requires it) but sometimes wish I didn't have to be.

I am also working towards a Bachelor's degree in ECE. I have a CDA. But have learned just as much, if not more from others who simply have years experience.

I don't always agree with everything school has taught me but that is exactly why I am self-employed and not working for the school district. I also plan on running my own business after I graduate.

I sometimes spend up to 90% of my day playing with, mediating, inspiring, motivating, disciplining, caring for, negotiating with and generally in the middle of all the daycare kids' activities, games, adventures and fights BUT I SPEND 100% OF MY DAY LOVING/CARING FOR MY DAYCARE KIDS! everyday is different and that is why I love my job!

Oh, and I wear my bra as little as possible! On when I go to work and off the second I get home from work!
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AfterSchoolMom 07:13 AM 12-08-2010
Jen, I completely agree!! The thing that makes a successful forum is that everyone is different, with differing outlooks and ways of doing things...and that we can all respect those differences.
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