H.W.
Hi there,
I'll answer you from my perspective and what I experienced working at daycares and running my own preschool.
First, I'll say this-- I think what the provider mentioned by going out to lunch or using time to take care of ourselves-- Some kids who were at the daycares I worked at were there all day, from opening at 6:30 to closing at 6. And sometimes the parents were consistently late. We are talking over twelve hours a day. So while most parents will strive to make their child's time at daycare as short as possible (maybe one parent goes to the gym while the child is at home with the other parent), there were some parents who basically 'dumped' the kids at daycare. We knew who they were-- these were the parents whose kids were always with the grandparents or a nanny or other caregiver on the weekends. They were the first to drop off, the last to pick up, often their kids weren't bathed regularly. (so we did it as best we could at daycare) Some of these kids had horrible diaper rashes that we cleared up over the week and then they'd be gone for the weekend and they'd reappear. It was clear that the parents had better things to do than pay attention to their kids, and so yes, when you have the same parent who shows up at 6 with alcohol on their breath every day, you know that A. they have time to go to the bar and B. they don't prioritize their kids as highly as they ought.
Suffice it to say, it's very different to see parents who spend as much time with their kids-- who make an effort to be early when they can, who genuinely like their kids and don't just see them as one more thing to deal with-- very different if they mention going out for a lunch or a spa day. No one cared. These were the parents who were engaged with the teachers, who wanted to know about their kid's day, who were excited to spend time with their children. The writer of that post was actually using a lot of discretion in *not* describing what many of us have seen. I think that you are taking this post so personally is something you might want to examine. No one said "don't take care of yourselves", but she did mention that when people have the entire week off, bringing their child for still-long days at daycare is pretty sad. And yes, many providers have seen parents do this.
You may pay if you are there or not, that's true-- what her point was is that some parents will expect to be gone for a week on vacation and will just assume that they won't have to pay to hold the slot. This leaves care providers in a lurch. But it doesn't mean that parents should just dump their kids in daycare all day during their vacation *just* because they are paying for it. I never minded when a parent brought their kid in for some time during the vacation--- sometimes moms would use that time to pack for a trip, or use a couple shorter days of daycare to run errands. That said, some parents really did act like caring for their child was the LAST thing they wanted to spend time doing. I saw this as a daycare worker and as a nanny; it's heartbreaking.(ETA: I should add, however, that parents like this are in the very occasional minority. If I'd made a list for parents, I would have dropped this suggestion and instead suggested that parents make sure to give their kids their focused attention during pick-up time. I find that tip to be far more helpful and relevant to a larger number or parents.)
2. Most good providers will prorate you the cost of the day(s) of care you missed being able to use if they are ill or otherwise unable to provide care. This is if you paid in advance. For example, my families paid a monthly tuition which was calculated on a per day basis (how many days each week they used multiplied by cost per day of care). So, if I was sick and was closed for three days, I would have prorated the client's next month's tuition for three days of care. They would NOT be paying for the days of care I was not able to provide. For your #4, I am wondering if you misread the questions-- she's not saying that you can't send your kids to daycare if they are healthy and you are sick, she did say that if SHE is sick, she doesn't want you to ask her "do you still want to watch the kids", because no, she is sick. She said nothing about YOU being sick.
It sounds like you have got a good provider, I wouldn't worry too much about what one post has to say. This is just general information for the general public. We see a lot of family dynamics when we work with youngsters and young families. Some parents are more mature and strive to find balance, while some parents need to grow up a bit and put more thought and effort into creating a life *with* their child instead of perhaps just *coping with* having kids. Two different things entirely.
ETA: Thanks for the clarification-- that you were referring to the original post thread comments. (It was easy to jump to the conclusion that you were referring to me because I was the only person on the thread who announced my background, although I know Gamma G does childcare too.-- and I apologize for the jump.) I do agree that the comment Sunshine quoted was a bit much-- those super dogmatic comments are something I guess I just ignore at this point. I have heard those sorts of unreal "stealing time" comments from people before, but I tend to write them off as I don't usually much like the people who feel that way. If you have a strong curriculum/routine in place for the day and are prepared for the kids to be there with you, the time passes pretty quickly and it doesn't make a difference or not if Suzy's mommy is meeting girlfriends for coffee. You just assume the children will be there the usual amount of time, not picked up early because 'mom's got nothing better to do'. So, we agree! And I left my own comment on that thread as well.
