The one thing you will often hear caregivers moan and groan over is…..the late parent. Now, we’re not picking on the ones who are ocassionally tardy by a few minutes. It’s understood that problems will arise. We’re talking about the parents who habitually arrive 10-20 minutes after closing time.
Please take into consideration that it’s been a full and busy day and the teachers as well as the children are ready to head home! You know it’s bad when the teacher and your child are all packed up and waiting for you near the door or outside. LOL!
To discourage this, many centers charge a late fee. Please acknowledge and admit you’re late and pay without having to be asked. It is appreciated!
- Jackie and Jo- Jo
Parents sometimes comment on changes they are noticing in their five year olds. It’s around this time of year that talk of “going to school” picks up. Many children have grown up in the same daycare environment and may be a bit apprehensive about leaving. While it’s an exciting time, some may be struggling a bit with their feelings and concerns. It’s also worth mentioning that many children breeze right through, looking forward to this new venture!
Some children may display their fears by:
- Clinging
- Thumb sucking
- Aggressive or irritable behavior
- Tantrums
- Emotional outbursts
Children look to adults for reassurance, comfort, and stability. To make kindergarten a smooth transition, it’s helpful to encourage dramatic play opportunities by providing props such as backpacks, pencils, notebooks, lunchboxes…etc.
Acting out future events leads to feeling more confident. Think of it as a dress rehearsal. There are also many books on the subject of going to kindergarten.
Here are a few recommendations:
- The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing and Julie Durrell
- Look Out Kindergarten by Nancy Carlson
- Kindergarten Rocks by Katie Davis
- Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff
- Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell
- Discover and Explore (Get Set for Kindergarten) by Rosemary Wells
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
Did you ever hear someone say, “I have two left feet” or “I wasn’t born with the musical gene”? This is simply not true; everyone is born with an innate ability towards music. However, it is like learning a foreign language at an early age, the skill has to be honed and nurtured. Some experts believe that children who sing and participate in musical activities early on have an easier time with music.
During a workshop, a music educator, Hugh Hanley commented that as a nation, people are exposing their children to music through DVD’s, the radio or television, but what they are lacking is active participatory songs and nursery rhymes. We can only hope this is not true. By singing simple songs and nursery rhymes, children are exposed to an amazing amount of learning, but two areas of development stand out the most. These are cognitive and physical.
Cognitive development is enhanced when the child:
- Recalls words to song/chant/finger plays
- Follows simple directions
- Makes up words having similar sounds
- Experiments with rhythm.
Physical development is observed when a child:
- Hops on one or both feet
- Walks on tip-toes
- Shows balance in use of large muscles
- Skips or gallops fairly well
- Shows creativity and imagination
Even the youngest listeners can distinguish between different types of music and will respond to it. Put on the Hap Palmer’s song, Sitting in My Highchair and see what happens. The lyrics will make you want to boogie along or at least tap to it.
Some people shy away from singing or from doing musical activities with their little ones, because they feel like they just don’t know what to do or they feel intimidated. If you are one of these people, visit http://www.hughhanley.com/. Hugh has three wonderful CD’s. Each CD is accompanied with a 20 -24 page book of song lyrics and descriptions of activities and movements to accompany each song.
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
One of our readers asked if we would comment on Michael Jackson. So here goes….
Since Michael’s tragic and unexpected death, there is so much speculation about his life. One can’t help but wonder if he would have had more peace and contentment had he been allowed more free time and play as a child. He so quickly became the “property” of the public and golden boy of his family at such an incredibly young age.
Please never underestimate the importance of free play and expression in a child’s development. It is an essential step toward discovering the world and who they are. Michael, sadly, seemed to have missed this step.
We’ll end with a lyric from his song HAVE YOU SEEN MY CHILDHOOD:
“It’s been my fate to compensate for the childhood I’ve never known.”
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
On a recent re-run of Oprah there was a horrifying story of a mom who was so busy and overwhelmed, she forgot to drop her 2 year old off at the babysitter (see story). Instead, she went to work and left the child in the car for nearly 8 hours. Tragically, the child died of heat exhaustion.
It brings up the question of when did it become almost expected of families to constantly be on the run? Parents as well as children need some relaxation time to regroup mentally and physically after long days at work and school. There’s absolutely nothing wrong (and everything right) with staying in sometimes and hanging out. Why not schedule some time out for the whole family? It will reduce stress and may even save a life.
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
A parent commented on how she kept her two kids home one day from daycare because they were healthy. Huh? A little backwards, don’t you think?
She was upset because a flu was going around and children were still attending daycare with symptoms. Now, while it may be an inconvenience, sick children need to stay home! Not only for the fact that they feel miserable and don’t want to be dragged around, but they are exposing others to getting ill. And let’s face it, folks, a childcare setting is a germ’s best friend.
So let’s stop looking at sick days in such a negative manner. It’s a fact, children will get ill and need that time off to get healthy again. It benefits everyone involved in the end.
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
So it’s your first day and you’re having a hard time leaving your child at daycare. This can be especially true when it’s an infant. You stand there not knowing how and when to leave. This is a perfectly normal reaction and don’t feel embarassed if you are leaving the facility in tears. Some parents do this for weeks before they are at peace with placing their child in the care of another person.
Here are a few things to remember to make the transition easier for you:
- Arrive a few minutes early so you can get your child settled in.
- Chat with the caregivers, getting to know them will put you at ease.
- Don’t worry if your child is upset when you leave, they truly do calm down.
- Once you make the decision to go, you really need to go – no lingering.
- Give a quick call when you arrive at work just to check in.
Be open to advice from the director and staff. They are there to help with the transition. Before you know it, you’ll be a pro comforting other new parents in no time.
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
At a party one time a couple was overheard laughing about how they bring their son to daycare with a wet diaper on. They felt it was okay because, “what else do those glorified babysitters have to do?”
How sad. It was clear these parents were ignorant to the realities of their child’s early-life experiences in a daycare setting such as learning, socialization, behavioral development, and so much more.
They didn’t take the time to understand the amount of planning and organizing that goes into running a quality center. Not to mention the energy and patience, too! You don’t just throw a bunch of kids in a room and let ‘em go at it! Can you imagine if you did?
They must have plenty of structure, guidance and direction or it would be a free-for-all. Educated and experienced professionals have to know how to handle behavioral situations and the constant problems that arrive when dealing with a large group of young children and infants. There is more learning than meets the eye. The smallest infant is even learning such important things as how to relate to his/her environment.
And all of us know daycare providers typically don’t get the big salaries, so they are usually truly passionate and dedicated to their jobs.
So the next time you hear someone talking about daycare listen to see if they “get it.” Hopefully they’ve given it some thought and demonstrate respect for the gratifying, yet demanding job of keeping all those little ones safe and happy while maintaining a nurturing and educational environment.
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
Thanks for visiting our blog, DearDaycareParent. We’ve created this resource as a compliment to our book (Dear Daycare Parent) for parents like you who have children in a daycare or preschool facility.
We’re inspired to write this because we feel it’s so important parents like you are as informed as possible about the entire daycare experience.
Visit often because we update frequently and have lots of important information to share to make the daycare experience better for you and your child.
Have a great day!
- Jackie & Jo-Jo
