Dr. Val FarmerDr.Val | |||
Rural Mental Health & Family Relationships | |||
Making Daycare Work For ChildrenMarch 8, 1999 What relationship outside your marriage gives you the greatest peace of mind? For parents of preschool age children, it would have to be the confidence you have in your daycare provider and in the quality of the caregiver/child relationship. Realistically, these are the people who serve as surrogate parents and teachers for a major portion of your child's life. This is a two-way street. Just as you want to know that there is genuine love and concern between your daycare provider and child, the daycare provider wants to work with parents who freely and without question put their child's well-being first in their lives. It is frustrating and painful to care for a child and then have to worry about the basic parenting skills and commitment the child gets at home. Having peace of mind about the daycare experience is crucial in making employment a satisfying experience. The parents and daycare provider form a special bond to insure the child’s proper development, safety and emotional well-being. Taking care of business first. Primarily, this is a business not a social service. The contract and policies mean something on both ends. They are designed to overcome difficulties in advance. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some key elements that daycare providers look for in their business arrangement.
Difficult problems. Here are some common frustrations daycare providers observe that may affect your child or other children in their care:
Establishing a good working relationship. The respect parents show to the daycare provider by the way they handle business sets the stage for a good working relationship. On a personal level, what things make a quality relationship between the parents and the daycare provider? As with any relationship, communication is paramount. Parents and daycare providers need the freedom to bring up concerns in a nondefensive manner. It is important for the daycare provider to know what is happening in the child's life at home and for the parent to know what significant things are happening, both good or bad, in daycare. You become partners in a professional relationship on child development - your child's development. The daycare provider, interacting with a child for 8 to10 hours a day, really gets to know a child well. You need to gain each other's trust and talk about the stress in your child's life, either at home or at daycare. It is easy to take daycare for granted. Daycare providers want respect, recognition, interest and appreciation for the work they do. Some simple "thank you's" go a long way. They take pride in their business. They are trying to be the best. Do your children deserve anything less? |
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